Packers elevate DB Innis Gaines and RB Patrick Taylor for week 1 against Bears

The Green Bay Packers are dealing with a host of injuries at the wide receiver position heading into their week one game against the Chicago Bears, but the team let an opportunity to add a player at that position pass without doing so on Saturday. The Packers chose to elevate a pair of players from their practice squad for the week one matchup, but neither one is a wide receiver, suggesting that the team feels like Romeo Doubs in particular will be ready to go on Sunday.

Instead of giving Grant DuBose or Bo Melton a weekend call-up, the team is instead using their two elevations for players who are no stranger to that process: defensive back Innis Gaines and running back Patrick Taylor.

Taylor in particular was a frequent recipient of the practice squad elevation process last season. In addition to spending long stretches of the 2022 season on the active roster, he had multiple stints on the practice squad and was elevated for gamedays on three different occasions. When active, Taylor has been a key component of the Packers’ special teams units, an area that may make him more appealing on the 48-man gameday roster than third running back Emanuel Wilson.

Meanwhile, Gaines also was a practice squad elevation once last season before being signed to the 53-man roster later on in the season. Gaines eventually played in a total of seven games, also seeing most of his action on special teams. Originally a safety, Gaines has been spending much of his time on defense in the slot this summer, and he is likely a candidate to back up Keisean Nixon in that area on Sunday.

These decisions mean that the Packers will have a maximum of five wide receivers available on Sunday. Christian Watson has been ruled out for the game, while Romeo Doubs was listed as questionable on Friday’s injury report. If Doubs does take the field, he will do so alongside fellow second-year receiver Samori Toure and a trio of rookies — Jayden Reed, Dontayvion Wicks, and Malik Heath.

As a reminder, players are eligible to be elevated from the practice squad three times for the 2023 season. In order to elevate a player a fourth time, he must be signed to the 53-man roster; he could then reset the count on elevations if a team were to release him, have him pass through waivers, and sign him back to the practice squad once again.

Stay tuned on Sunday afternoon for the list of inactives, which will be announced about 90 minutes prior to the 3:25 pm CT kickoff.