13 Days Until Training Camp: Packers Receivers Preview

When the Green Bay Packers hit the practice field for the first time on July 27, all eyes will be on the receivers and how they’ll close the gap created by trading Davante Adams.

Author:
Bill Huber
Publish date:
Jul 14, 2022 10:04 AM EDT

In this story:

Green Bay Packers

GREEN BAY, Wis. – By the time the Green Bay Packers hit the practice field for the first time on July 27, Davante Adams will a week into his first camp with the Las Vegas Raiders. With a huge hole to fill, here is a preview of the receivers.

Packers Receivers Depth Chart

Allen Lazard caught 40-of-60 passes (66.7 percent) for 513 yards (12.8 average) and eight touchdowns last season, the receptions, yards and touchdowns setting career highs. He finished strong. In the first 11 games, he had only one game of more than three catches and never topped 60 yards. In the final six games, he had three games of five-plus receptions for 70-plus yards. Among all NFL receivers, Lazard’s five touchdown catches over the final five games were surpassed league-wide only by Davante Adams.

Randall Cobb was brought back at the urging (demand?) of Aaron Rodgers. He can still play, as he showed with a two-touchdown game vs. Pittsburgh and erupting for four receptions for 95 yards and one touchdown in the Rams before suffering a core-muscle injury. He caught 28-of-39 targets (71.8 percent) for 375 yards (13.4 average) and five touchdowns in 12 games. It was his most touchdowns since scoring six times in 2015 but also the fewest receptions since his rookie season.

Sammy Watkins was the veteran addition to help fill the void created by the trade of Adams. The fourth pick of the 2014 draft, he opened his career with seasons of 65 receptions for 982 yards and six touchdowns and 60 receptions for 1,047 yards and nine touchdowns. The past six seasons, he topped 40 receptions only once (52 for the Chiefs in 2019). He did score eight times with a 15.2-yard average for the Rams in 2017, when Matt LaFleur was offensive coordinator.

As a third-round pick, Amari Rodgers was supposed to be the pure slot receiver the Packers had lacked since Cobb’s prime seasons. Instead, the Packers brought back Cobb before the start of training camp and Rodgers’ chances of contributing on offense were reduced to zero. He caught 4-of-8 targets for 45 yards in 103 offensive snaps. As a punt returner, he made some plays when he caught the ball.

The Packers traded up in the second round to land North Dakota State’s Christian Watson. The son of Tim Watson, a safety drafted by the Packers in 1993, Christian Watson had the best size-speed combination in the draft class. He dominated the FCS ranks with a barrage of big plays against a bunch of defenders who’ll never see the light of an NFL day. Playing in a run-first offense, Watson caught 43 passes for 801 yards (18.6 average) and seven touchdowns as a senior.

Romeo Doubs (pictured) was drafted in the fourth round after catching 224 passes for 3,322 yards and 26 touchdowns at Nevada. He had 40-plus receptions in every season and 1,000-plus yards as a junior and senior. During his final season, he caught 80 balls for 1,109 yards (13.9 average) and 11 touchdowns. Plus, he averaged 12.5 yards per punt return with one touchdown in four seasons. Like Watson, he’s got stretch-the-field speed.

Juwann Winfree, a smooth route-runner with some speed, is coming off a second consecutive strong offseason. It didn’t equate to production last year but the opportunity is there to contribute this season. A sixth-round pick in 2019, he caught the first eight passes of his career for 58 yards last year but had the only two fumbles by a Packers receiver.

Malik Taylor dominated the preseason, finishing second in the NFL with 14 receptions and first with 185 yards. He caught two passes for 14 yards in the opener but never saw the ball – and rarely saw the field – the rest of the season. His only noteworthy play was fumbling a kickoff out of bounds at the 5 in Week 14 against Chicago.

Samori Toure was drafted in the seventh round out of Nebraska via Montana. In his one season against Big Ten foes, he caught 46 passes for 898 yards (19.5 average) and five touchdowns. In total, he caught 201 passes for 3,386 yards and 25 touchdowns. He made some plays during a few offseason 2-minute drills.

Danny Davis, an undrafted free agent, had a solid career with 131 receptions for 1,642 yards (12.5 average) and 14 touchdowns in Wisconsin’s run-first offense. He’s got decent size and below-average athleticism (4.62 in the 40 and a 31.5-inch vertical leap), but good route-running ability and excellent hands (six career drops, including only one in 2021).

Leader of the Pack

By experience and wisdom, the leader is Randall Cobb. By play, it’s Allen Lazard. “Excited about Allen Lazard,” quarterback Aaron Rodgers said. “He’s been our dirty work guy for most of his career here. Now he’s getting an opportunity to be a No. 1 receiver, so I’m not worried about him at all stepping into that role.” No, Lazard is not a No. 1 receiver by definition. But he’s the best the Packers have headed into camp. He’s a tremendous blocker, which helps to open things up as a receiver. He’s got to catch the ball more consistently (career drop rate of 9.2 percent, according to PFF) but has 109 career catches and zero fumbles.

Rising Star

It’s got to be Christian Watson. It just has to be. The Packers didn’t just trade away their two second-round picks to move up to No. 34 overall. They traded those picks to the rival Minnesota Vikings. Everyone knows the Packers’ history of second-round receivers, with Greg Jennings, Jordy Nelson, Randall Cobb and Davante Adams all having superb careers. Watson has to be the next in line. He’s got the physical tools to be great – height to win jump balls, speed to run past cornerbacks, hands to pluck the ball. Watson is going to play, ready or not. If nothing else, while he gains experience and trust, coach Matt LaFleur can scheme him some quick passes to get him involved and send him deep to occupy defenses.

The Training Camp Battle

Obviously, without Davante Adams, everything is up for grabs, from the No. 1 spot to the last man on the depth chart. One interesting battle will be in the slot, with Randall Cobb vs. Amari Rodgers. Cobb took a pay cut to stay with the Packers. He’s got the trust of Aaron Rodgers through countless thousands of snaps during games, reps during practices and conversations in the meeting rooms. That’s a huge advantage. But the upside is with Amari Rodgers, who has the short-area quickness and thick build to be a real weapon after the catch. Between preseason and regular season, Rodgers caught 17 passes and forced four missed tackles last year. The past two regular seasons, Cobb caught 64 passes and forced three missed tackles.

The Big Question

Allen Lazard is the best of Green Bay’s returning receivers. During the final five games of last season, he caught 21-of-28 passes (75.0 percent) for 290 yards and five touchdowns. If Lazard could carry that through 17 games, he’d finish with 71 receptions for 986 yards and 17 touchdowns. The Packers would be thrilled to get almost 1,000 yards and double-digits touchdowns. Lazard will get more opportunities, and that should help the production. At the same time, he won’t have Davante Adams attracting so much attention. So, how will Lazard handle facing more No. 1 corners?

Best-Case Scenario

On paper, this sounds great. Allen Lazard really is a No. 1-style receiver and gets to that aforementioned 1,000-yard projection.

Sammy Watkins turns back the clock to 2015, when he topped 1,000 yards. “I told the coaches, ‘My back is against the wall,’” he said during minicamp. “My career hasn’t been what I projected it to be, and it’s a great opportunity for me to come here, play hard, catch a ton of balls, compete at the highest level and win games and fight to stay healthy. That’s been the knock on my career – to stay on the field. I think this is the best place to stay healthy, stay on the field and catch a lot of ball.”

In the slot, Randall Cobb produces in spurts, like he did last year, and Amari Rodgers becomes the player the Packers thought they were getting in last year’s draft. “I feel like I have a year in the system, a year in the league. I know what it takes,” Rodgers said. “I know what it takes to get out there and be successful. I’m planning on doing that now.”

Rookie Christian Watson, as the season progresses, becomes a bigger contributor and an X-factor for the playoffs. And fellow rookie Romeo Doubs did what he did during the offseason – ran past defensive backs and hauled in deep passes.

Voila, the Packers have replaced Davante Adams and are rolling into the playoffs with a fearsome passing attack.

Worst-Case Scenario

On the other hand, Aaron Rodgers could drop back in the pocket on a hugely important third-and-10 of a playoff game against the Los Angeles Rams or Tampa Bay Buccaneers and not find anyone with even a hair of separation against those teams’ high-quality cornerbacks. Rodgers gets sacked, the Packers punt and the season is over. Yes, that’s dramatic, but can anyone get open in a key moment? Davante Adams usually could; can Allen Lazard, Sammy Watkins or Christian Watson? A great quarterback and a great scheme are, well, great. But there are opponents with great cornerbacks, great pass rushers and great schemes, too. At some point, somebody just has to win.

One Superb Stat

When you think of deep threats, you think of Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Tyreek Hill – receivers with the type of big-time speed that is consistently feared by defensive coordinators. You don’t think of Allen Lazard, who at 6-foot-4 5/8 ran his 40 in 4.55 seconds at the 2018 Scouting Combine. He’s not a tortoise but he’s not exactly a hare. Nonetheless, when targeted on passes thrown at least 20 yards downfield, Lazard caught 5-of-10 and scored two touchdowns. His 135.4 passer rating not only was the best among Packers receivers but tied for fifth-best among all NFL receivers who were targeted with at least 10 deep passes, according to Pro Football Focus.