At long last, the Green Bay Packers will play a little football this weekend, as they kick off their 2025 preseason slate on Saturday night against the New York Jets.
While some teams opt not to play many (or even any) starters in a preseason opener, Matt LaFleur is going the opposite way, as the seventh-year head coach has stated that his top guys, including quarterback Jordan Love, will take some snaps against Gang Green. How many, of course, remains to be seen, but one would assume it won't be too many, perhaps two or three series at the absolute most.
While seeing the starters out there is always great for fans, it's no secret that coaches use the vast majority of preseason action to make decisions on the overall depth chart and to round out the 53-man roster. And make no mistake about it; LaFleur has plenty of decisions to make at several positions, including wide receiver.
Fan-favorite wide receiver Malik Heath is playing for his Packers future in preseason
And that brings us to Malik Heath, who's become a bit of a fan favorite since he surprisingly made Green Bay's 53-man roster as a rookie after joining the team as an undrafted free agent in 2023. And despite not putting up big numbers over his first two seasons, catching just 25 passes for 222 yards with three touchdowns, he's been able to maintain that status—and his spot on the roster.
But seeing as how the Packers have made significant upgrades to the receiving room, Heath may need a big performance against the Jets to avoid being relegated to the practice squad or perhaps even being cut altogether.
Even taking Christian Watson out of the equation for now, as he continues to recover from the torn ACL he suffered in Green Bay's regular-season finale against the Chicago Bears back in January, Heath is certainly not guaranteed a spot on the 53-man roster once final cuts are made.
While first-round rookie Matthew Golden may or may not start Week 1 against the Detroit Lions, he's still easily one of the top four wideouts on the Packers' depth chart right now, with the other three slots belonging to Jayden Reed, Romeo Doubs, and Dontayvion Wicks.
One would assume third-round pick Savion Williams will take up a roster spot, thus leaving Heath to compete with the likes of Mecole Hardman, Julian Hicks, Will Sheppard, and Cornelius Johnson.
Sheppard shouldn't pose too much of a problem, given how he's already been with three teams in one way or another since going undrafted this past April. Hicks and Johnson are each entering their second seasons, but neither made it up to the active roster a season ago, so there's an edge there as well.
Hardman, of course, is a different story, as the three-time Super Bowl champ obviously has much more experience and clearly knows how to perform in big games. Furthermore, Hardman holds an edge over Heath, as he gives the Packers a solid option as a kick and punt returner.
Heath simply doesn't have the speed for that type of role, and that lack of versatility could cost him. At 6-foot-2 and roughly 215 pounds, physicality has never been a problem, which naturally helps him as a blocker. And he's a decent route runner with solid ball skills.
But consistency has been an issue, and with more competition with all the new additions the Packers have made, he legitimately needs a strong preseason opener to set himself apart. It'll be interesting to see how many snaps he gets against the Jets, and it'll also be interesting to see which quarterback he's on the field with, as that could give us an indication of how LaFleur currently views him.