After catching three passes and delivering a highlight block in the preseason opener in Cincinnati, Green Bay Packers rookie receiver Malik Heath stacked success with another shining performance on Saturday night against the New England Patriots.
Heath, an undrafted free agent out of Ole Miss, caught all five of his targets and led all players with 75 receiving yards during the Packers’ 21-17 loss at Lambeau Field.
Heath caught a 10-yard pass after breaking a tackle on the Packers’ second touchdown drive, drew a 23-yard pass interference penalty and later put the Packers into field goal range with an 18-yard catch to end the first half, caught a 15-yard pass on the Packers’ first possession of the third quarter and had two catches for 32 yards on the final possession of the game, including a 25-yarder in traffic to jump start the march.
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His final catch, a 7-yarder to convert on third down and get the Packers into the red zone, was the final play of the contest. Patriots cornerback Isaiah Bolden suffered an injury after being struck by a teammate, and coaches Matt LaFleur and Bill Belichick mutually agreed to end the game after Bolden was strapped to a backboard and carted off.
Through two preseason games, Heath has eight catches for 111 yards on nine targets. He’s proven capable of getting open, making tough catches and playing with the Packers’ preferred physical brand of football, especially in the run game. His day-to-day successes in Green Bay date back to organized team activities.
In fact, it’s getting harder and harder to believe Heath won’t make the 53-man roster, even if he’s directly competing with recent draft picks at the wide receiver position.
The Packers finish up the preseason next Saturday against the Seattle Seahawks. Can Heath make one more strong case for a spot on the roster? At this point, it’d be hard to argue he isn’t one of the 53 best players on Brian Gutekunst’s roster.
