On the surface, Jayden Reed’s absence from practice for the second consecutive day on Thursday doesn’t look well for his chances of playing Sunday night against the Kansas City Chiefs.
However, while the Green Bay Packers’ rookie wideout is dealing with a chest issue, his absence of practice time is entirely preventative. Head coach Matt LaFleur didn’t say much about Reed’s status, but he did appear to imply that as long as Reed can practice in some form on Friday, he’ll be fine to play on Sunday.
“I’m just taking it day by day, following the plan, and hoping to be out there,” Reed explained on Thursday.
The chest problem has been bothering me for more than a week. Reed suffered the injury during the Packers’ victory over the visiting Los Angeles Chargers, and with such a short turnaround between games, his availability for the Thanksgiving game against the Detroit Lions was in doubt. Reed, on the other hand, not only played, but also caught one of Jordan Love’s three touchdown passes. His eight targets tied his season high for a single game.
Last week, the Packers did not have their usual practice schedule, instead opting for two walkthroughs. Because only estimates were included on the injury report, it’s impossible to say how much Reed would have been able to participate.
The crucial thing is that Reed and LaFleur both agreed that he did not have a setback. At this point, it’s more about controlling the injury and avoiding it from worsening during what might be a crucial stretch for the playoff-hopeful Packers.
“Patience,” Reed advised. “You definitely have to keep patience on the high and low end, whether you’re doing well or poorly.” Patience is a virtue to possess in order to stay to the plan and achieve the desired results.”
If Reed is available to Love on Sunday, the Packers should have a full complement of receivers, including Dontayvion Wicks, who missed the Lions game due to a concussion.
Reed has just under 600 yards from scrimmage and six total touchdowns in 11 games this season. He has seven receptions of 30 yards or more this season, which ties him for third in the league with A.J. Brown and Rashid Shaheed. The jury is still out on Reed, but early returns indicate that the Packers have struck gold with another second-round receiver.
Packer Report’s Editor-in-Chief is Zachary Jacobson. He’ll be covering the Green Bay Packers for the ninth time. He is a Pro Football Writers of America member. Follow him on Twitter at @itszacharyj or write him at itszachariahj@gmail.com.
