The Green Bay Packers came into their Thanksgiving game with multiple injuries on both sides of the ball. Tight end Luke Musgrave was placed on injured reserve after suffering a lacerated kidney during the Packers’ victory over the Los Angeles Chargers. Wide receiver Dontayvion Wicks was also sidelined with a concussion.
Going into the game, the two injuries appeared to be detrimental to the Packers’ offense. Musgrave and Wicks had both developed into valuable members of the offense and two of Jordan Love’s most trusted targets. Musgrave had four receptions for 28 yards against Los Angeles, while Wicks had three receptions for 91 yards.
Musgrave, too, is only 23 yards away from breaking Bubba Franks’ rookie tight end receiving yardage record. Prior to his injury, he was on pace to break Sterling Sharpe’s rookie reception record.
Wicks had come on strong in the last four games after a slow start to the season. He had 219 receiving yards in those games, including the Chargers game.
With the two of them out, undrafted rookie wide receiver Malik Heath entered the game and saw more playing time than he had all season. He rewarded the Packers with consistent performance and one of the highest PFF ratings possible.
Malik Heath of the Green Bay Packers earns the highest PFF grade for the team against the Detroit Lions.
In the Thanksgiving win over the Lions, Heath had four receptions (on four targets) for 46 yards. He only played 11 snaps, but he made the absolute most of them.
Heath had the highest overall grade of any offensive player on the team, according to PFF, with a 94.5. He had a receiving grade of 90.6 and a run blocking grade of 95.6.
Four catches for 46 yards may not stand out on a stat sheet like Christian Watson’s five receptions for 94 yards and a touchdown (and 87.7 PFF grade), but his catches kept the chains moving.
Heath now has five receptions for 53 yards on the season, which puts him ahead of the following former Packers wide receivers:
- Allen Lazard: one reception for seven yards
- Donald Driver: three receptions for 31 yards and one touchdown
- Robert Ferguson: no catches
- Jarrett Boykin: five receptions for 21 yards
On the Green Bay Packers depth chart, Malik Heath has surpassed Samori Toure.
While it certainly praiseworthy that Heath had the production that he did, it is notable that he was used in those situations instead of 2022 seventh round pick Samori Toure. So far this season, Toure has five receptions for 62 yards. Most of those yards came on a 35-yard reception that he had in the Packers’ Week Four loss to Detroit.
Toure played three snaps in the most recent game against the Lions: two passing plays and one running play. He did, however, record a target.
Looking ahead, Watson, Romeo Doubs, Jayden Reed, and Wicks are easily the Packers’ top four wide receivers. Heath’s ability to fill in for Wicks gives him an advantage over Toure for the fifth wide receiver spot. With such a strong wide receiver class in the 2024 NFL Draft, it’s difficult to imagine Toure making the team next year.
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