The Green Bay Packers are on the short list of potential Super Bowl contenders next season, among the top three or four teams pundits rank to represent the NFC on Feb. 9 in New Orleans. However, teams need superstars to take them from good to great to reach the Super Bowl, and Green Bay certainly has players who fit that description.
Players like Jordan Love, Rashan Gary, Jaire Alexander, Josh Jacobs, Xavier McKinney and Kenny Clark are expected to perform every game day and be worthy of their contracts, but a team also needs a steady supply of supporting players to fill out the roster and contribute each week to reach the Super Bowl.
These players may not be superstars with mega-contracts, but teams can count on them to step up and perform when their name is called. They are productive whether they get playing time due to injury, the ineffectiveness of a player above them, or simply the opportunity to exploit a mismatch against an opponent.
Bo Melton is one of the first players that comes to mind for the Packers in 2024.
One of the biggest surprises for Green Bay last year was the emergence of sophomore wide receiver Miles Bokeem “Bo” Melton. The 25-year-old receiver from Rutgers has not had an easy path to regular playing time in the NFL.
The Seattle Seahawks drafted Melton in the seventh round of the 2022 draft and signed him to their practice squad. He remained there until December of this season, when Green Bay called and offered him a chance on their active roster due to injuries at receiver and returner.
He did not play in 2022. However, the Packers signed him to a futures contract and brought him back for training camp last year because they had put so much potential and resources into the young group. After he failed to make the team after training camp, they signed him to the practice squad, where he remained until the Thanksgiving Day game against the Detroit Lions. They released him again after that game, but re-signed him to the practice squad.
After injuries and ineffectiveness (I’m looking at you, Samori Toure) again plagued Green Bay’s receiver department, the Packers re-signed Melton to the active roster on Dec. 17 – this time for good. He appeared in seven games between the regular season and the postseason. Melton had 18 receptions on 24 targets for 244 yards and two touchdowns, one of which was a great catch in the Divisional Round against the San Francisco 49ers. Not bad for a player who seemed to be a supporting player until late November.
So why could he secretly be an important player for the Packers in 2024?
First, there are injuries. Although Green Bay has a young and strong receiver corps, every player has suffered injuries early in their careers.
We all know Christian Watson struggled to stay on the field in his first two seasons, missing 11 games. Dontayvion Wicks and Jayden Reed were also often in and out of the lineup. Wicks missed two games last season and left another early due to injury. Jayden Reed also missed a game last year due to a toe injury and was in and out of practice at various points. He also began this training camp on the non-football injured list with… a toe injury.
Reed and Wicks missing a few games each season isn’t the end of the world. However, the Packers have shown they can struggle to get the running game going and have had to rely on Jordan Love and those receivers to move the ball and score points. With Wicks, Reed and Watson — or any combination of the three — out of the lineup, it opens up a spot for the next guy who can deliver.
Apparently it will be Bo Melton.
Green Bay often plays three receivers, so Melton could be just one injury away from significant playing time. Injuries can drag on and pile up, sometimes hitting entire position groups at once. (Anyone remember Letroy Guion playing guard in the 2016 NFC Championship Game?) If that happens to the receiver group this year, Melton should be able to step in immediately.
I also think we can expect Green Bay’s offense to be more aggressive this season than last season. Love and his young offensive weapons have had a significant learning curve, so they’ve been on training wheels for most of the season. With Jordan showing a much improved long ball this training camp and preseason, more shots down the field should be possible.
Melton can run a 40-yard dash in 4.34 seconds, so he could be a perfect candidate for the occasional long shot on unsuspecting defenders. Teams expect those long shots to go to Watson. However, if Watson and Melton are on the field at the same time, it could be difficult for teams to cover both long shots, giving the team multiple opportunities to overwhelm defenders at any time.
Unless Watson’s hamstrings improve, the team won’t lose that threat entirely and can fill that role with the number 80. I would also expect Green Bay to get creative in getting all of those receivers on the field. The Packers should use wide receiver end-arounds like they did with Melton in the first preseason game and line up the receivers in the backfield. That will help the offense get the ball in the hands of their playmakers and would be a great way to get Bo and his game-winning speed on the field and make a difference in games.
Teams will look to take out the big four, Wicks, Reed, Watson and Doubs. However, they won’t be able to take them all out of games every week. However, they could develop game plans to take out one or two, which in turn forces others to step in and perform.
Bo Melton was one of the Green Bay Packers’ biggest surprise players heading into the 2023 season. While superstars win championships in professional sports, players in the middle and backcourt can also make a big contribution to that ultimate goal. If used correctly and given the opportunity, Melton can have a bigger impact than most would expect and help Green Bay bring a fifth Lombardi to Titletown.
