Jayden Reed’s injury has opened a door for the Green Bay Packers, and one of the clearest names standing to benefit is Jonnu Smith.
With Reed out, Green Bay suddenly has a thinner receiver room and less certainty about where the passing game will find its production. The Packers came into the season wanting to lean on a smaller set of targets, but that plan gets a lot trickier when one of those options disappears. That has the team looking harder at other ways to spread the ball, and the tight ends are now squarely in the mix.
According to The Athletic’s Matt Schneidman, Smith could be headed for a bigger role. Schneidman also pointed to Green Bay’s tight end group as a spot that may see more action with the wide receiver options reduced.
“We know Jonnu Smith can catch passes; he has done it in his career before he did it a little bit against the Vikings,” commented the NFL insider in his appearance on The Green Bay Beat.
“The yards after a catch might be an issue, but they’re going to need a couple of guys to pick up the slack with Reed out.”
So far, Smith has played 45 offensive snaps for Green Bay and caught two passes for 50 yards. The Packers have already shown they’re willing to use multiple tight ends, a strategy reflected in their decision to draft Tucker Kraft and Luke Musgrave in the same class. Musgrave’s absence is part of what led Green Bay to bring in Smith, and the veteran arrives with 3,579 career receiving yards.
Smith was drafted by Tennessee with the 100th pick in the third round in 2017. He’s now in his 10th NFL season, and his first four years with the Titans produced 114 catches for 1,302 yards.
Before landing in Green Bay, Smith spent last season with Aaron Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers, where his role was much smaller. He finished that year with 38 receptions for 222 yards.
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