Getty Quarterback Jordan Love of the Green Bay Packers warms up prior to a game against the Chicago Bears in December 2022.
A youth movement is taking over the Green Bay Packers‘ wide receiver room after the team brought another young prospect into the fold ahead of training camp.
The Packers announced on Tuesday, May 23, that they had signed undrafted free agent Jadakis Bonds out of Hampton University. The move necessitated the release of tight end Nick Guggemos.
Bonds stands at 6-feet, 3-inches tall and weighs 206 pounds. He played four years at Hampton, appearing in 40 games and hauling in 180 catches for 2,731 yards and 34 touchdowns. Bonds’ 34 receiving scores represent a school record, per Green Bay’s official website. The versatile playmaker also recorded four carries for 53 yards and a touchdown while in college.
Green Bay’s new wideout doesn’t jump off the page athletically, recording a 40-yard dash time of 4.63 seconds along with a 34-inch vertical. Instead, he profiles as a possession receiver who can give smaller defensive backs troubles due to his size. Bonds will wear the No. 6 jersey in green and gold.
Green Bay Building Wide Receiver Room Through NFL Draft
GettyThe Green Bay Packers selected wide receiver Jayden Reed out of Michigan State University in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft.
Bonds represents another crack at adding depth to a receiver room in Green Bay that is high on promise but short on experience.
The Packers selected Jayden Reed with the No. 50 overall pick in the second round of this year’s NFL Draft. He will compete with Samori Toure, a seventh-round choice in 2022, for the starting slot position and the right to play third-fiddle behind Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs. Like Toure, Watson and Doubs are also entering their second professional seasons.
There are few recognizable names in the Packers’ pass-catching corps beyond those four, which should afford players like Bonds the opportunity to put their stamp on training camp and potentially earn a spot on the 53-man roster come the end of August.
Packers Expected to Add Veteran Wide Receiver to Roster
GettyGreen Bay Packers wide receiver Christian Watson runs with the football during an NFL game against the Minnesota Vikings.
That said, more competition is likely to land in Green Bay over the summer. It is unlikely that Bonds is the last pass-catcher the Packers will sign, while the team may also be in the market for a trade or two.
Green Bay’s primary veteran leadership at the position last year — Allen Lazard and Randall Cobb — migrated to the New York Jets this offseason on the heels of quarterback Aaron Rodgers. While Watson and Doubs both gained valuable experience as rookies who were forced to learn on the job, a veteran presence figures to be a target as the Packers transition to first-year starter Jordan Love under center.
Jonathan Delray of Bleacher Report pitched a trade over the weekend that would bring Davante Adams back to Green Bay after one season away with the Las Vegas Raiders. While that specific deal is highly unlikely, the fact that Delray is floating it as a blockbuster hypothetical speaks to what the Packers are missing on offense as the 2023 campaign approaches.
A more likely scenario in Green Bay is a free agency signing or a trade for a less expensive, and unfortunately less dynamic, player than Watson, though still one who can provide veteran leadership to an offense that doesn’t have much of it at the wide receiver position.
