A devastating injury threatens to sideline Green Bay Packers star wideout Jayden Reed for the season.
There's a world where Green Bay Packers wide receiver Jayden Reed is ruled out for the rest of the year, but head coach Matt LaFleur isn't ready to say that just yet.
Reed went down with what was originally called a neck injury against the New York Jets in Week 2.
He was attended to by medical personnel on just the second play of the game, though ESPN's Rob Demovsky later confirmed it was a back injury.
On paper, a back injury is far less scary than a neck injury, but both carry repercussions that could have long-term effects.
Clearly, this could be one of those scenarios.
When speaking to the media ahead of a Week 3 showdown against the Atlanta Falcons, LaFleur didn't have much else to say in regard to Reed's return date.
LaFleur doesn't know when (or if) Reed will return this season
USA TODAY's Ryan Wood was first on the news to capture LaFleur's comments on the star wideout.
Reed was set to be in a prominent role this season alongside Christian Watson, Matthew Golden, and tight end Tucker Kraft.
That quartet hasn't had much playing time together during their respective careers, and injuries have been a huge part of that.
LaFleur said Reed was "in good spirits" and that he's "doing okay," but he can't outright say at this point in time that Reed will return this season.
Initial reports surfaced right after the game where LaFleur said Reed could feel all of his extremities and he seemed to be in a better spot than Zach Bako-Bewele, but that no longer could be the case.
Green Bay just lost Bako-Bewele for the rest of the year, and there's a reality where Reed suffers the same fate.
For now, all the Packers can do is push forward with the receiving core they currently have, and it's up to quarterback Jordan Love to make the most of it.
Packers could still have a dominant receiving trio
While Reed was an amazing safety blanket to have, there's nothing wrong with Love being able to throw to Kraft, Golden, and Watson on a weekly basis.
Kraft is still settling back in after his season-ending injury from a year ago, and Watson is as injury-prone as it gets.
Golden may only be in his second year in the league, but now it's time for the first-round pick to sink or swim.
Watson is currently the team's leading receiver with 188 yards on 10 receptions. Golden is the only receiver with double-digit receptions, having 10 himself for 153 yards.
