Bounce-Back Bo: Melton Looking to Rebound

Green Bay Packers receiver Bo Melton dropped three passes against the Browns last week. He is looking to make amends vs. the Denver Broncos on Sunday night.

Green Bay Packers wide receiver Bo Melton catches a pass during at training camp. / Tork Mason / USA TODAY NETWORK

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Bo Melton didn’t make the Seattle Seahawks roster as a seventh-round pick in 2022. He didn’t make the Green Bay Packers’ roster in 2023.

By stacking one strong practice after another, Melton seemed like a lock to make the roster in 2024.

And then he dropped three passes in the preseason opener at Cleveland.

“I know I didn’t have the best of games,” Melton said as the team got ready for Sunday night’s preseason game at the Denver Broncos.

“Definitely my worst game since being a Packer. So, I just critiqued the things I did wrong. More my hand placement, some of the balls thrown to me, but I came back and the first thing I told Cliff was, ‘Let’s get some throws after practice’ so we can get used to each other. It’s preseason; I want to get a connection with him. He’s going to be out there most of the time.”

Cliff, of course, is No. 2 quarterback Sean Clifford. With the starters not expected to play at Denver, Clifford and Melton will be in the starting lineup and will play a lot of snaps together.

They played a lot togther at Cleveland, too. Compared to how Melton had performed throughout training camp, it was a rather stunning performance.

“Certainly, a couple of those were definitely catchable balls and, any time it hits you in the hands, you’ve got to make the play,” coach Matt LaFleur said. “I think there were a couple times where he’s got to be a little bit more aggressive with his hands and not allow it to get into his body.

“But, at the same time, the quarterback’s got to get the ball in front of him, as well. So, certainly plays that we know he’s capable of making and we’ve seen him make. I just think it all starts with that aggressive-hands mindset.”

Melton spent most of last season on the practice squad. He made his NFL debut at Detroit on Thanksgiving, didn’t play the next two weeks and caught his first NFL pass against Tampa Bay in Week 15. During the final three games, he caught 15 passes, including the team’s first 100-yard game of the season at Minnesota in Week 17, then added two more catches – including a touchdown at San Francisco – in the playoffs.

Added together, Melton caught 18 passes with one drop, according to Pro Football Focus. Against the Browns, he had three drops – two from Clifford and one on third down in the red zone from Michael Pratt.

“You know, it happens,” passing-game coordinator Jason Vrable said this week. “It happens in the receiver room to the best of them. I told him, you’ve got to be able to respond. You’ve got to respond. You can’t get worked up over the first drop. Whether the ball’s thrown behind you, if you get your hands on it in this league, you’ve got to catch the ball, right? If it touches your hand, you’ve got to come down with it. You’ve got to adjust. You’ve got to make the catch.

“He was open on the routes, so part of the process is getting open in this league. I said, you got open. We’ve got to finish the thing, right? He knows. We watched the tape. Our standard’s the standard. He was obviously disappointed in his performance, but we talked last night after the meetings were over. It’s a league you’ve got to bounce back, you’ve got to respond. Hopefully, his process is right and then the results the ball finds you.”

A bounce-back game is a necessity if Melton is going to survive the 53-man roster cut for the first time.

With the exception of the game in Cleveland, Melton has earned a spot. However, the Packers are loaded at receiver. With Romeo Doubs, Christian Watson, Jayden Reed and Dontayvion Wicks entrenched in the top four spots, the question is whether the Packers will keep five or six.

Grant DuBose has had a tremendous training camp and Malik Heath was a valuable role player last year.

So, to borrow Vrable’s words, Melton’s got to “bounce back” and “respond” in the game against the Broncos on Sunday night, the joint practice against the Baltimore Ravens on Thursday and the preseason finale against the Ravens on Saturday.

“Adversity is going to hit – everybody,” Melton said. “And that game was definitely adversity for me, having a bad game for the first time since I don’t know when. So, I just want to get back to the drawing board and be around the football more – catching more (from the) JUGS, getting those types of passes, getting any type of pass anywhere.

“I know Sean’s going to put it on me, I know Pratt’s going to put it on me, Jordan, everybody. They believe in me, I believe in them.”

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