Packers Facing Playmaker Crisis Before Eagles Showdown

One of the strengths of the Eagles, who boast the No. 10-ranked defense in the NFL, is their coverage unit, led by a young star who was often linked to the Packers in the weeks ahead of the NFL draft in 2024: Cooper DeJean, frequently mocked to Green Bay at No. 25. But the Packers went with Jordan Morgan and DeJean slipped to the Eagles in the second round.

DeJean was a starter for the Super Bowl champs last season, was fourth in Rookie of the Year voting, and now rates No. 3 on Pro Football Focus’ ratings of cornerbacks. He and fellow 2024 draftee Quinyon Mitchell form a fearsome tandem.

The Packers will need the best of their receiver crew to attack that group, but the problem is, their receiver crew is a bit of a MASH unit at the moment. And it is entirely possible that they will have only three receivers ready to go on Monday.

Packers’ Matthew Golden ‘Fighting’ to Play

The Packers have three wide receivers on the injury report, led by rookie Matthew Golden, who appeared on the brink of a breakout after his three-catch, 87-yard performance against the Bengals in Week 6 but who has petered out in three games since. Golden–the fastest player in the 2025 draft and the Packers’ first-round pick–has five catches for 13 yards in his last two games.

He also has a shoulder injury that seems to have gotten worse as last week went on. He was limited in practice on Thursday but listed as “DNP” for Friday and Saturday.
“It’s just one of those deals that he’s fighting to play,” coach Matt LaFleur said. “We’ll see how he is feeling today. He’s gotta be able to handle that everything that is thrown at him. No setback, this is totally day-by-day.”

Williams, Wicks Could Be on the Shelf, Too

The Packers could certainly get by without Golden, but the hammering of the team’s pass-catchers is getting difficult to withstand, and again, against Philadelphia, that’s not where you want to be.

The Packers are already without Jayden Reed, who broke his collarbone in Week 2. Tight end Tucker Kraft, of course, is out after tearing his ACL. But the depth could be further tested by injuries to rookie Savion Williams (foot) and Dontayvion Wicks (calf). Both practiced this weekend, but were limited and are listed as “questionable.”

Christian Watson was limited, too, as he is coming back from ACL surgery, but he said he is going to play in Week 10.

Packers Receiver Corps Down to 3 Healthy Bodies

So the Packers receiving corps will feature Watson and fellow star Romeo Doubs. Malik Heath was on the injury report, limited by a hip problem, but he is cleared to play.

And that’s all that can be said for sure. Three healthy receivers. There are four options on the practice squad, but of that group, only Michael Woods II has playing experience, having been in 15 games over three years with the Browns. He has 12 career catches.

It’s likely that at least one of Wicks, Golden or Williams can go, but whomever of that mix plays will probably not be 100%. The Packers receivers, at best, will be thin.

Sean Deveney is a veteran sports reporter covering the NBA, NFL and MLB for Heavy.com. He has written for Heavy since 2019 and has more than two decades of experience covering the NBA, including 17 years as the lead NBA reporter for the Sporting News. Deveney is the author of 7 nonfiction books, including "Fun City," "Before Wrigley became Wrigley," and "Facing Michael Jordan."