Jayden Reed Impacts Game as Receiver, Runner, Bait

After a big-time rookie season and with a bunch of big plays to start this season, Green Bay Packers receiver Jayden Reed impacts the game by his mere presence on the field.

Green Bay Packers wide receiver Jayden Reed runs with the football after catching a pass during the first quarter against the Indianapolis Colts. / Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers’ most explosive receiver has been Jayden Reed. He’s been their most explosive runner, as well.

Through two games, Reed has receptions of 70 yards for a touchdown, 33 yards and 26 yards, and runs off 33 yards for a touchdown, 22 yards and 15 yards.

With six catches for 147 yards and three rushes for 70 yards, Reed and Miami running back De’Von Achane are the only players with at least 125 receiving yards and 50 rushing yards. Reed and the Hall of Famer James Lofton are the only players in Packers history with at least 140 receiving yards and 70 rushing yards in the first two games of a season.

“I like getting him the ball,” offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich said. “It’s fun to watch him run around and make plays. He’s a fun player. I’m glad we got him.”

After a monster game in the Week 1 loss against Philadelphia – if not for an offensive penalty, he would have had more than 200 total yards and three touchdowns – he was questionable for the Colts game with a calf injury sustained during the final practice of the week. Reed played and made plays.

Even while getting only four touches, he was a focal point of the game plan. Reed played 26 snaps in the slot, 10 snaps at receiver and three snaps at running back. Whenever Reed was in motion, including into and out of the backfield, it was as if all eyes were glued to him and the defense was attracted to him like a moth to a flame.

“Anytime you’ve got a weapon like Jayden Reed and you can move him around and give him the ball or use him as bait, I guess, it’s always fun to have guys like that,” Stenavich said.

Reed has been a decoy before. He was the best player on Michigan State’s offense, so he naturally attracted a lot of attention.

With a barrage of big plays to start this season and on the heels of a stellar rookie season in which he led the team in receptions, receiving yards and total touchdowns, defenses must account for No. 11 at all times.

“I’ve never been lined up that much in the backfield,” Reed said. “I take pride in my role. I love my role. Whatever it takes the team to win, that’s what I’m going to do.

At times, Reed shared the backfield with Josh Jacobs.

“It is crazy to see him because he got a lot of speed, man, he got a lot of juice to him,” Jacobs said. “I like seeing the ball in his hands and watching him create. Sometimes I’ll be out there, I have to catch myself because I’ll be watching instead of blocking and stuff. ... I think he's going to be good.”

Reed is past “going to be good.” He’s really good.

Against the Eagles, he became the sixth player since the 1970 merger with a 70-yard touchdown catch and a 30-yard touchdown run in the same game. Last year, only four players had more 30-yard catches than Reed’s 10. He became the first rookie in NFL history with at least 60 receptions, 750 receiving yards, eight receiving touchdowns, 100 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns.

“He’s a threat with the ball in his hands,” Jacobs said. “He’s one of them guys that can make plays when he gets the opportunity. For him, it’s hard to defend because if you get him in space, he can make guys miss and he has the speed to take it off the top.”

With Reed serving as bait, Jacobs found plenty of room to run against a Colts defense that entered the game looking to stop the run.

According to league data, the Packers’ run game is 2.63 yards per carry better when Reed is on the field.

“I think you’ve seen throughout his year-plus of him being here that when he gets the ball in his hands, he can do some pretty special things, so that’s something as a defense you have to know where he’s at at all times,” Stenavich said.

Through two games, Reed is tied with Giants rookie Malik Nabers with an NFL-high five plays of 20-plus yards. He’s tied with Lions receiver Jameson Williams with a league-best four plays of longer than 25 yards.

With explosiveness, toughness and versatility, defenses have to know where Reed is on every snap.

“Yeah, they know,” passing game coordinator Jason Vrable said. “As an offense, first game he goes off like that, and I think towards the end of the year last year, every single game I felt like he was scoring a touchdown for us. He’s an explosive player, competitive, a winner. He has all the traits that defenses see.

“After the game (against Philadelphia), Chauncey (Gardner-Johnson) came up to him and said, ‘Hey, for a young player man, you’re a dude.’ When you hear those compliments from other defenses, they know. But he’s the type of guy, he’s humble. Right after that game, we were talking and he said, ‘Man, those two blocks I missed for Josh, man, I got him hit. I’ve got to be better in the run game. That’s just the type of dude he’s been since college, since high school and that’s how he is here. He’s a competitive dude but a great teammate.”

Against the Colts, Reed was more decoy than playmaker with his four touches. Reed doesn’t care, though. As he said during training camp, “the ball finds good energy.” Reed’s energy is always good.

“Man, it takes what it takes to win at the end of the day,” Reed said. “This is the ultimate team support. Whatever it takes to win, that’s what we’re going to do.”

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