The revamp of the Green Bay Packers' wide receiver room continued on Friday, as the team reportedly traded Dontayvion Wicks to the Philadelphia Eagles for a 2026 fifth-round pick and a 2027 sixth-round selection.
It follows Romeo Doubs' departure in free agency less than a month earlier. A little over a quarter of the Packers' 328 completed passes went through Doubs and Wicks last season. Now, they're both gone.
Quietly, new Packers wide receiver Skyy Moore is one of the biggest winners of the Wicks trade.
Many might have forgotten that Green Bay signed Moore to a one-year deal at the start of free agency. The assumption was that Moore would, at best, take the return duties but receive precious few opportunities on offense. All of a sudden, the outlook has changed.
Skyy Moore is quietly a big winner of the Packers' decision to trade Dontayvion Wicks
Moore's odds of making the roster and playing snaps on offense have increased sharply. While he offers a completely different skill set to Wicks, the Packers will need to make up the lost targets, and there are suddenly far more snaps to go around.
"Don't sleep on Skyy Moore," writes Andy Herman of the Pack-A-Day Podcast. "He'll be more than just a returner. They'll have a real role for him, and this isn't (Mecole) Hardman, he got a $1mil bonus, I think they have every intention of him making the team."
Herman makes a fantastic point.
Christian Watson, Jayden Reed, and Matthew Golden are the undeniable starters on offense moving forward. Beyond that? Let the competition begin.
Green Bay spent a third-round pick on Savion Williams last year, and his role will also increase. However, the Packers didn't seem to trust Williams to play anything other than a gadget role in his rookie year. He caught just 10 passes and ran the ball 11 times in the 12 games he played. Most of Williams' work came on kick returns.
Beyond Williams, the depth chart moves to Bo Melton, Isaiah Neyor, Will Sheppard, and Jakobie Keeney-James. The opportunities will be there for Moore.
General manager Brian Gutekunst said as much at the NFL's annual meetings last month. While noting that Moore can upgrade the return game, he hinted at a role on offense.
"I do think Skyy's got more in the tank on offense as well. I'll be interested to see how Matt (LaFleur), once he gets to know him, how he sees him and how he'll use him on offense," Gutekunst said.
They are just words, but Gutekunst's actions back them up. He has let Doubs and Wicks go in the same offseason. Moore won't replace their specific roles, but he could see a decent share of touches, perhaps similarly to how LaFleur used Tyler Ervin.
The Packers could draft a wide receiver, and the addition of a fifth-round pick gives them additional flexibility. Even then, Moore will have a good shot at making the roster.
It's fair to say that following Wicks' departure, Moore is, at worst, the WR6 in this offense. He also offers versatility and could make the 53 on his special teams talent alone.
Trading Wicks comes with plenty of risks for the Packers, but we're starting to see why they signed Moore. His talent as a returner may earn him a roster spot, but there is now also a clear path to snaps on offense.