The Green Bay Packers’ versatile Bo Melton will be placed on injured reserve because of a knee issue that is not a torn ACL and will miss the playoffs, coach Matt LaFleur said Wednesday.
Melton has contributed at wide receiver and on special teams while practicing and being listed as a reserve cornerback on the depth chart because of issues in the defensive secondary.
Green Bay (9-7-1) plays the host Chicago Bears (11-6) in the wild-card round of the NFC playoffs on Saturday.
Melton, 26, was injured in the Packers’ 16-3 road loss to the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday.
“That’s a big loss for us,” LaFleur said of Melton in his pre-practice press conference on Wednesday. “(He’s) just a Swiss army knife. There’s nothing he can’t do. I wouldn’t put it past him. I just love the energy he brings to our football team, a great competitor.
“The moment is never too big. He can make plays in all three phases. It’s unfortunate, but somebody else is going to have to step up.”
Melton has four catches on 13 targets for 107 yards and one touchdown — a 45-yarder in a 28-21 win over the visiting Bears on Dec. 7 — in 16 games (one start) this season. He also rushed five times for 35 yards and returned 19 kickoffs for 467 yards, a 24.6-yard average.
For his career, Melton has 28 receptions on 54 targets for 416 yards and two touchdowns in 38 games (two starts) since the 2023 season.
The Seattle Seahawks selected Melton in the seventh round of the 2022 NFL Draft and released him on Aug. 30, 2022. The Packers signed him to the practice squad the next day.
