A little over a week after the Chicago Bears expressed interest in him, the rookie pass-catcher is joining the Green Bay Packers practice squad.

The Packers added wide receiver Cornelius Johnson to their 16-man practice squad on Wednesday after hosting him for a roster workout the previous day, per the team’s September 18 transaction wire. He was upgraded to the 53-man roster on Tuesday, taking the place left vacant by running back Chris Brooks.

Prior to their Week 2 matchup with the Houston Texans, on September 10, the Bears had also worked out Johnson as a possible addition to their practice squad. However, they allowed him depart without a contract. Rather, he will be able to strengthen one of their opponents.

During his five seasons at Michigan, Johnson caught 138 receptions for 2,038 yards and 14 touchdowns. He was selected by the Los Angeles Chargers in the seventh round of the 2024 NFL Draft, however he was not included in the team’s 53-man roster after only catching three of his nine throwing targets for 34 yards during the preseason. He was cut by the Chargers prior to their opening day on September 8, even though they had originally added him back to the practice squad.

More receiving depth was not clearly needed by the Packers. Prior to signing Johnson, they had two wide receivers on their practice squad, and they currently have six on their active roster. Nevertheless, Johnson showed enough promise in college to receive a previous investment from an NFL franchise. Maybe Green Bay is just waiting for its turn.

Jayden Reed Leads the Packers’ Practice in Week Three

In other news, Jayden Reed, the wide receiver for the Packers, was sidelined for the first practice of Week 3 on Wednesday due to a calf issue.

During the first two weeks of the new season, Reed, a 2023 second-round pick, has been the most effective offensive player for the Packers. In addition to having two touchdowns, he leads the squad in rushing yards (70) and receiving yards (147).

But at the end of Week 2, Reed appeared on the Packers’ injury report with shin and calf issues. He was limited at the Packers’ final practice of the week on September 13 and was labeled as doubtful to play against the Indianapolis Colts. Nevertheless, he did play and contributed two catches for 9 yards and two runs for 37 yards in the victory.

Although Reed’s injury is now only classified as a calf strain in the first injury report for Week 3, it is important to note that this is the first time he has missed practice due to an injury of this nature. In addition, the Packers have not given any information regarding Reed’s prognosis for their next game against the Tennessee Titans. As a result, the next two injury report updates may provide the most clues regarding Reed’s availability for Sunday’s game.

Twelve Packers players are listed as injured for the third week.

Even though Reed was the lone wide receiver on the injured list for the Packers heading into Week 3, after two games of the season, there are already twelve individuals on the list.

In addition to Reed, the Packers rested first-round rookie right lineman Jordan Morgan (shoulder), cornerback Carrington Valentine (ankle), and left guard Elgton Jenkins (illness/glute) during Wednesday’s first practice in preparation for the Colts game on September 22.

In addition, eight other players were sidelined by the Packers to begin the week: center Josh Myers (ankle), right tackle Zach Tom (quadriceps), left tackle Rasheed Walker (shoulder), tight end Tucker Kraft (shoulder), running back Josh Jacobs (back), nose tackle Kenny Clark (toe), defensive end Kingsley Enagbare (groin), and quarterback Jordan Love (knee).

Caleb Williams Makes a Promise Before the Bears Play the Colts

There will be no repeat of the two devastating interceptions that Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams threw last weekend, which contributed significantly to the team’s loss to the Houston Texans.

At a news conference on Wednesday, September 18, Williams conveyed this message while lamenting his mistakes and making a vow that the heartbreaking turnovers would stop.

Williams admitted, “I made the two dumb mistakes that I will not make again.” But I believe that my rhythm, throw game, and ability to deliver the ball to receivers have improved. I also believe that I have been more adept at getting the ball out of my hands and trying to maintain the proper timing with the offensive linemen, the routes, and myself.

Later in the roughly 10-minute encounter with the media, Williams returned to the subject of his shortcomings.

He went on, “Be productive and commit fewer errors every week.” “Avoid repeatedly making the same error.”

Bears’ Bad Offensive Line Play Injures Caleb Williams

With just two NFL starts under his belt, Williams has had a challenging learning curve and has yet to score a touchdown (1-0). Williams has totaled 267 yards and two interceptions from 37 of his 66 pass attempts, in addition to 59 yards from 10 rushes.

Additionally, the Tennessee Titans and Texans have combined for 9 sacks and 15 QB hits against the rookie quarterback, albeit a lot of that may be attributed to offensive line shortcomings rather than Williams’ own hesitancy or hanging onto the ball for an extended period of time.

Williams’ obvious frustration with his performance after Sunday’s loss in Houston was evident when he interacted with Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud mid-field.

Based on his own experience as a highly-drafted rookie signal-caller in 2023, Stroud stated on Wednesday that he thinks Williams can, and probably will, improve his play as soon as the next week or two.

“He’s going to do fantastic in this league, I’m sure of it. He’ll probably find his groove. “I could see his game picking up from here once you get your rhythm—I didn’t get my rhythm until like Week 3 [or] Week 4,” Stroud stated at a press conference.

DJ Moore laments the Bears’ display of frustration in their loss to the Texans.

During and after the game, Williams wasn’t the only one who was furious.

DJ Moore, a wide receiver, expressed his obvious frustration with the way the offense was playing. During the same press conference on Wednesday, right following Williams, Moore bemoaned his body language to reporters.

Moore clarified, “It’s a part of the game, but I shouldn’t have shown as much.” We could have changed the game with one play, as I mentioned before, but we were unable to establish a connection. … Football is played. Everyone will have frustrations and ups and downs.

In the first two games, running back Khalil Herbert has scored the only offensive touchdown for the Bears. Together with a few field goals, the defense and special teams groups combined for one touchdown apiece in Week 1’s victory over the Titans.

This Saturday, Chicago will play the Indianapolis Colts in Indiana.