Buccaneers Sign Julio Jones; Packers Signed Someone from USFL

The Green Bay Packers made official their signing of USFL receiver Osirus Mitchell moments after the Tampa Bay Buccaneers signed the legendary Julio Jones.

Author:
Bill Huber
Publish date:
Jul 26, 2022 5:00 PM EDT

In this story:

Green Bay Packers

GREEN BAY, Wis. – If there ever was a perfect case-in-point example of the Green Bay Packers’ roster-building preferences, it was delivered with Picasso-like style on Tuesday.

The Packers, a top contender to reach the Super Bowl in the NFC with a legendary quarterback, made official their signing of receiver Osirus Mitchell.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, also a top contender to reach the Super Bowl in the NFC with a legendary quarterback, signed receiver Julio Jones.

Mitchell entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent in 2021, has never played in a regular-season game and is coming off a season with the USFL’s Birmingham Stallions.

Jones is a sure-fire Hall of Famer and one of the most dominant receivers of the era. In NFL history, nobody has averaged more than Jones’ 91.9 yards per game. In a 2014 game at Green Bay, he piled up a staggering 11 receptions for 259 yards and one touchdown. Not to be outdone, in the NFC Championship Game two years later, he destroyed the Packers’ depleted secondary for nine receptions, 180 yards and two touchdowns.

Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady officially has an embarrassment of riches at receiver. He’s got two premier targets in Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. Plus, the Bucs signed slot Russell Gage in free agency. In reserve are recent draft picks Tyler Johnson and Jaelon Darden, and the man who helped beat the Packers in the 2020 NFC title game, Scotty Miller.

If Brady will be throwing to a who’s-who list of pass catchers, Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers who be throwing to a who’s-that group. Allen Lazard, previously known as Matt LaFleur’s “goon,” will be the No. 1 receiver, followed by Randall Cobb and Sammy Watkins, two veterans who are long past their prime seasons.

Rodgers and Brady are great quarterbacks capable of bringing out the best in whoever’s running routes, but which one will have the better chance of finding someone open on third down in a key moment of a big game?

That doesn’t mean the Packers erred in not signing Jones. The 33-year-old has played in only 19 of a possible 33 games the last two seasons. In 10 games last year with Tennessee, he caught 31 passes for 434 yards and one touchdown. His 43.4-yard average was down 42 yards from 2020 and 61 yards from 2018, when he averaged a league-high 104.8 yards.

But he’s still 6-foot-3 and 220 pounds. Last season, he forced six missed tackles on his 31 catches, or one for every 5.2 receptions. Lazard (four out of 40 catches), Watkins (three out of 27 catches) and Cobb (two out of 28 catches) combined to forced nine missed tackles on their combined 95 catches, or one out of every 10.6 receptions. He knows coach Matt LaFleur and the Packers’ scheme.

With that, the Packers, with the clock winding down on Rodgers’ career, will sink or swim with Lazard, Cobb, Watkins and some draft picks. And Brady, seemingly, is loaded with the talent to make a run at an eighth Super Bowl ring.

Ten Players I Want To Watch at Packers Training Camp

From potential starters to high-profile rookies to under-the-radar veterans, here are 10 players who could make a splash when Packers training camp starts on Wednesday.

Packers Training Camp Starts Wednesday

Get ready for July 27, the first practice of training camp, with this unique series of features.

Part 1 (30 days): All Matt LaFleur does is win (in the regular season)

Part 2 (29 days): Dominant Rasul Douglas

Part 3 (28 days): Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon

Part 4 (27 days): 27 is the magic number

Part 5 (26 days): Rich Bisaccia’s brilliance on special teams

Part 6 (25 days): Aaron Rodgers vs. the NFC North

Part 7 (24 days): Can defensive live up to hype?

Part 8 (23 days; July 4): These players will provide the touchdown-scoring fireworks

Part 9 (22 days): Homefield dominance

Part 10 (21 days): Christian Watson and history of FCS receivers

Part 11 (20 days): 20 reasons why Packers will win Super Bowl

Part 12 (19 days): Packers excel at avoiding turnovers

Part 13 (18 days): Why Packers could lead NFL in interceptions

Part 14 (17 days): How Packers will replace No. 17

Part 15 (16 days): Mason Crosby kicking into NFL record book

Part 16 (15 days): Positional preview No. 1 – Quarterbacks

Part 17 (14 days): Positional preview No. 2 – Running backs

Part 18 (13 days): Positional preview No. 3 – Receivers

Part 19 (12 days): Positional preview No. 4 – Tight ends

Part 20 (11 days): Positional preview No. 5 – Offensive line

Part 21 (10 days): Positional preview No. 6 – Defensive line

Part 22 (9 days): Positional preview No. 7 – Outside linebackers

Part 23 (8 days): Positional preview No. 8 – Inside linebackers

Part 24 (7 days): Positional preview No. 9 – Cornerbacks

Part 25 (6 days): Positional preview No. 10 – Safeties

Part 26 (5 days): Positional preview No. 11 – Special teams

Part 27 (4 days): 10 biggest questions of training camp

Part 28 (3 days): 15 biggest battles of training camp

NFC North Insiders

Part 1: Team MVPs for each team on both sides of the ball

Part 2: The biggest addition and loss for each team

Part 3: Most overrated player for each team

Part 4: Most underrated player for each team

Part 5: Best-case scenarios

Part 6: Worst-case scenarios

Part 7: Players most likely to surprise

Part 8: Players most likely to disappoint

Part 9: Biggest remaining question

Part 10: Most important rookies

Part 11: All-NFC North offense

Part 12: All-NFC North defense

WR Sammy Watkins

Hopes are high for Sammy Watkins. The fourth pick of the 2014 draft had his two best seasons with the Bills, when Packers passing game coordinator Jason Vrable was on the staff. In 2017, Watkins scored eight touchdowns for the Rams, when Packers coach Matt LaFleur was offensive coordinator. Watkins himself recognizes that his career has fallen short of expectations and is driven to write a new chapter.

That’s nice. I’d like to win a Pulitzer Prize as one of the best journalists in America but that’s not going to happen.

“When I’m on the field, I can ball, I can catch balls, I can score and I’m a dominant player,” he said.

Let’s see it.

WR Christian Watson

I could list Romeo Doubs and Samori Toure here, too, but let’s focus on Christian Watson, the second-round pick. He’s got rarest-of-the-rare tools. Of the 40 receivers at the Scouting Combine, he was the second-tallest (6-foot-4) and sixth-fastest (4.36 in the 40). His Relative Athletic Score ranks right up there with two of the greats, Calvin Johnson and Julio Jones.

A star at North Dakota State, there are questions about level of competition and hands. The competition concerns will be taken care of by countless reps against Jaire Alexander and Co., and he caught the ball well during the second half of the offseason practices.

Are the Packers good enough to win the Super Bowl because of quarterback Aaron Rodgers, running backs Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon, a potentially elite defense and the potential of a vastly improved special teams? Yes. But they’d be in a much better position if Watson can turn his immense potential into production by late in the season.

TE Tyler Davis

With the possibility that Robert Tonyan will be limited (or not playing at all) to start the season, Tyler Davis could be in line for a major role.

The former UConn quarterback joined the Packers early last season and immediately impressed. “You could see the speed. That stuff kind of jumps out to you,” coach Matt LaFleur said. By season’s end, he was playing more than 20 snaps per game.

Now that he’s comfortable in the offense, can he be a difference-making receiver and blocker once the pads go on next week?

G/T Sean Rhyan

With David Bakhtiari and Elgton Jenkins sitting out the offseason practices due to their torn ACLs, the Packers lined up with Yosh Nijman at left tackle and Cole Van Lanen at right tackle with the No. 1 offense. Presumably, that’s how they’ll go for Day 1 of training camp.

If Bakhtiari’s injury is so bad that his availability for the first game (or any game) is in jeopardy, the development of Sean Rhyan, this year’s third-round pick, could be critical. A three-year starting left tackle at UCLA, he boasts a powerful frame and above-average athleticism. Once the pads are on and he has to block the likes of Rashan Gary, it will be interesting to see if he can push for immediate playing time at right tackle … if the worst-case scenario with Bakhtiari become reality.

DT Devonte Wyatt

As is the case on the offensive line, nothing that happened during OTAs and minicamp means a thing for the defensive linemen. The trenches are where the tough guys line up, and the only way to see who’s who is during those violent padded practices.

Can first-round pick Devonte Wyatt, with his incredible athleticism for the position, push for immediate playing time or even a spot in the starting lineup at a loaded position group? Jarran Reed and Dean Lowry are solid veterans but Wyatt is where there’s a chance to really upgrade the defense. Running through an undrafted rookie during the no-pads OTAs is one thing. Beating Royce Newman in a physical run-game drill will be quite another.

LB Quay Walker

The Packers lined up with incumbent starters De’Vondre Campbell and Krys Barnes as their starting pair for most of the offseason. When will Walker, the first-round pick with the elite combination of size and athleticism, surge past Barnes? And can he be more productive in terms of splash plays? That’s where there was a major hole on his collegiate resume.

OLB Kingsley Enagbare

Somebody has to be the No. 3 outside linebacker behind Rashan Gary and Preston Smith. Of the returning candidates – Jonathan Garvin, Tipa Galeai and La’Darius Hamilton – none made any sort of consistent impact last season.

Could one of them take a big step forward under new position coach Jason Rebrovich? Sure. But perhaps the best hope is that the fresh face, fifth-rounder Kingsley Enagbare, can be that player. Playing at South Carolina, he had eight sacks as a junior and 4.5 as a senior. Playing without pads in May and June, he looked a lot faster than his Combine 40 time of 4.87 seconds. Let’s see how he does against Yosh Nijman at practice and if he can beat quality offensive tackles in the preseason.

CB Rico Gafford

Gafford is one of the most fascinating players on the roster. With elite speed, he was a playmaking cornerback at Wyoming. When he signed with the Raiders in 2018, he was moved to receiver. His first career catch came in 2019, a 49-yard touchdown.

The Packers signed Gafford to a futures contract in January with the intention of having him compete at receiver. When they signed Sammy Watkins and drafted three more receivers, the team decided to move Gafford back to corner.

At 5-foot-9 5/8, he is significantly shorter than Green Bay’s historic parameters. His 4.22 speed in the 40, though, will make him the fastest player on just about any football field. The Packers have no depth beyond their elite starting three so there is a huge opportunity.

“Honestly, I was contemplating doing that, anyway,” Gafford said in a phone interview last month. “I had a few teams call me before I signed with the Packers to see how I felt about going back to defense. It’s been a long road. I appreciate Jon Gruden for helping me make the transition to wide receiver and all the coaches with the Raiders that helped me along the way. But I’m going into Year 5 and I haven’t really made a splash or anything in the league. So, I’m like, ‘If I go back to corner, I can really showcase what I can do on the field and what I really am and who I really am at heart, and that’s a DB.”

S Shawn Davis

Somebody’s got to be that third safety. Last year’s No. 3, Henry Black, played more than 15 snaps per game, so that’s a significant role. Davis, a fifth-round pick by the Colts in 2021 after intercepting five passes in 37 games at Florida, was that guy during the offseason. I want to see why.

Physicality is his calling card.

“I'd say that's a (big) part of my game, just because the position that I play, you have to be very physical because you're the last line of defense," Davis said after being drafted. "If you're not physical, then it's all going to be touchdowns coming from the back end on your part. So, I make being physical a part of my game and one of my strengths.”