32 Days Until Training Camp: Biggest Question at Receiver

There might not be a position group in the NFL more shrouded in mystery than the Green Bay Packers’ receiver corps.

Author:
Bill Huber
Publish date:
Jun 24, 2023 10:03 AM EDT

In this story:

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers’ receiver corps entering their 2023 training camp is one giant question mark.

At least at this time last year, you knew Allen Lazard would be a solid all-around player but most likely not a true No. 1. You knew Randall Cobb would deliver key plays here and there. You knew veteran addition Sammy Watkins would get hurt. You knew the rookies would have growing pains, especially while learning on the fly with demanding Aaron Rodgers at quarterback.

All of those played out exactly as everyone predicted.

Now what? With Lazard and Cobb having joined Rodgers with the Jets, are those rookies-turned-second-year receivers ready to team with Jordan Love to be the next generation of Packers passing stars?

Or is this one of the worst receiver corps in the NFL, as pegged by Pro Football Focus?

The great hope for greatness is Christian Watson. A second-round pick last year, Watson had an incredible hot stretch that started with his three-touchdown game vs. Dallas. From Week 10 vs. Dallas through Week 13 at Chicago, Watson joined Randy Moss as the only rookies in NFL history with eight touchdowns in a four-game span.

During those final eight games of the season, Watson among all receivers ranked 32nd with 31 receptions, 17th with 523 receiving yards, sixth with a 16.9-yard average and first with seven touchdowns. Put that over 17 games, Watson wound wind up with 66 receptions for 1,111 yards and 15 touchdowns.

So, the potential is there. He’s just so big and so fast, as cornerback Jaire Alexander was reminded during minicamp. Now, can he do it at a consistent level? Watson had three games of more than 100 yards. However, those were his only games of 50-plus yards. In fact, Watson had as many 100-yard games as games of less than 10 yards.

Christian Watson (Tork Mason/USA Today Sports)

“Christian, certainly, you can feel his speed out there,” coach Matt LaFleur said during minicamp. “Just where he is at just in terms of his knowledge of the offense is night and day. He’s a real leader in that room. He does an outstanding job.”

The top receiver during the offseason practices was Romeo Doubs, with some chemistry with Love built from offseason workouts in California. A fourth-round pick last year, Doubs had his moments as a rookie – he caught all eight targets for 73 yards and his first career touchdown at Tampa Bay in Week 3 – but ran hot and cold. A midseason ankle injury at Detroit didn’t help matters.

Last season, 68 receivers were targeted at least 60 times. According to Pro Football Focus, Doubs forced the second-fewest missed tackles (one), had the fifth-highest drop rate (10.6 percent) and the fourth-lowest contested-catch rate (33.3 percent).

Of 73 receivers targeted at least 10 times on deep passes (20-plus yards), Doubs’ 4.50 yards per target was third-worst.

Doubs has an obvious connection with Love. He’s got the physical tools and demeanor. Will Doubs take that cliched second-year jump and become more explosive downfield, more elusive after the catch and more sure-handed with his opportunities?

“There’s some times we almost got to pull him back because he’s so invested into it and he puts so much time into it that I think sometimes you can almost wear yourself out,” LaFleur said. “I think that’s one thing with him, you never have to worry about whether or not he’s working. I know from when we get out of here and the time that he spends away from here, he will be very deliberate with what he does. So, I expect him to be able to pick up right where he left off.”

The questions continue.

Samori Toure, a seventh-round pick in 2022 who turned heads with a new physique, caught five passes as a rookie. Can he become at least a solid contributor? Same goes for Bo Melton, a seventh-round pick by Seattle last year who joined the Packers late in the season.

“He’s a guy that we definitely have high hopes for,” LaFleur said of Toure. “He has the tools necessary that you look for in terms of being able to separate.”

Jayden Reed, a second-round pick in 2023, got a lot of action with the No. 1 offense during the offseason practices. Can he become an instant sensation in the slot, the domain of Cobb for so many years?

Fellow rookies Dontayvion Wicks (fifth round) and Grant Dubose (seventh round) were slowed by injuries through the offseason; Dubose missed the two rookie practices, nine OTAs and two minicamp practices. Can either emerge as rookies?

Added together, is this young group going to be good enough to lead the Packers not just through 2023 but into the future?

“The exciting thing about the youth is there’s a lot of upside going on with these guys when they grow and click and get better,” receivers coach Jason Vrable said at the start of OTAs. “They have the athletic skill-set, so we’ll see where this thing goes.”