The Green Bay Packers never took the training wheels off Savion Williams during his rookie year. As a result, Green Bay never got to really see what the multifaceted wide receiver can bring to the table. Opportunities should be more plentiful in Year 2, but what happens to the wide receiver room if Williams doesn’t take a leap?
Williams had just 10 receptions for 78 yards in his rookie campaign. He also carried the ball 11 times for 37 yards. TCU used him as the nominal quarterback in the “Frog Package,” but Green Bay used him more as a gadget player than as a wide receiver as a rookie.
There was a lot of movement at the wide receiver position in Green Bay this offseason. When the smoke cleared, a true trio emerged, leaving many fans feeling optimistic.
Christian Watson, Matthew Golden, and Jayden Reed will headline. Watson and Reed were set to enter the final year of their respective deals before inking extensions earlier in the offseason. Golden, Green Bay’s first-round pick in 2025, is expected to see many more opportunities with Romeo Doubs and Dontayvion Wicks gone.
Then there’s Williams, who falls into that second tier but should be the clear-cut No. 4 wide receiver. Veterans Skyy Moore and Bo Melton are behind him. Melton never fully transitioned from wide receiver to cornerback, so he’s moving back to the offense. Meanwhile, the Packers list Moore at wide receiver, but they signed him in free agency to be a returner more than anything else.
All of it indicates that Williams will get more looks after playing in just 12 games last year and never eclipsing 19 snaps on offense in any of them. In eight of those games, his snap count was in single digits.
Jordan Love was recently asked whether there’s anyone he isn’t being asked about enough who could make some noise this year.
“I wanna see Savion Williams. He’s gonna be another guy who’s gonna have that Year 2 jump,” Love said. “I think for him, it’s just getting those reps and feeling more comfortable and confident with everything he does and just knowing the offense inside and out.”
Getting more reps shouldn’t be a problem. Still, if Williams doesn’t make the leap that’s expected, it could leave Green Bay in a peculiar spot at wide receiver.
If we look at the group in tiers, as noted before, the first tier consists of Watson, Golden and Reed. It’s fair to then put Williams in Tier 2 by himself, followed by Melton and Moore in Tier 3.
Melton has only 12 receptions combined in the last two years with the Packers. Moore has five total receptions the last two seasons.
If Williams doesn’t thrive in an increased role, it will put more strain on Watson, Golden, and Reed to carry the workload. Of course, that’s entirely possible given their collective talent. Injuries would be the main worry, with Watson missing seven games last year while recovering from a torn ACL, and Reed missing 10 games due to two injuries that both required surgery.
It would also put Melton and Moore in roles they’ve been unfamiliar with the last two seasons.
Williams is the safety valve, but one who will serve a far greater importance this year than he did last year. If he doesn’t deliver, Melton and Moore aren’t the worst options, but there’s a clear drop-off once it gets to that point.
Green Bay will be motivated to get Williams more involved after using a third-round pick on him in 2025. Williams’ largest contributions as a rookie came as a kick returner, where the results were less than stellar.
Love seems convinced that Williams will capitalize on great opportunity, but what else is the quarterback going to say about his young wide receiver? Injecting that confidence is vital.
It would be a stretch to call Savion Williams the lynchpin of the wide receiver room, but in an even slightly adverse set of circumstances he could become the fulcrum, either holding them level or tipping downward towards calamity.
