Rodgers, Adams See ‘Special’ Group of Receivers
GREEN BAY, Wis. – For the past few draft cycles, there has been a clamoring to give Aaron Rodgers help at receiver.
Turns out, maybe through patience and some relatively understated moves, the Green Bay Packers will be taking a high-quality receiver corps into the 2021 NFL season.
With Davante Adams serving as the headliner, the Packers have arguably the best receiver in the NFL. He is coming off a season in which he led the NFL in catches, yards and touchdowns on a per-game basis. Including the two playoff games, he scored a ridiculous 20 touchdowns.
It's not just Adams, though. To use the phrase “role players” to describe Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Allen Lazard, Randall Cobb, Amari Rodgers and whoever else survives the roster cuts might seem like a back-handed compliment but they are excellent in their roles.
Perhaps this group doesn’t measure up to the one from a decade ago, when the rookie Cobb joined the established group of Jordy Nelson, Greg Jennings, James Jones and Donald Driver, but, as Rodgers said on Adam Schein’s SiriusXM Mad Dog Sports Radio show on Friday, “This group is special in its own right for so many reasons.”
Valdes-Scantling has had a maddening first few seasons. Other than Kansas City’s Tyreek Hill, he might be the best deep threat in the NFL. On the other hand, he had one of the worst drop rates of any receiver in the NFL last season. It’s been a different Valdes-Scantling this summer, though. He’s been sensational and probably the most productive receiver on the roster. That he dropped a long touchdown pass from Rodgers during a 2-minute drill on Thursday was noteworthy not because it was yet another lost opportunity but because he’s caught just about everything in sight.
“I’m really, really proud of him,” Rodgers . “It’s not surprising to me that his growth on the field has really come with growth off the field. I think the word ‘maturity’ is probably overused at times and maybe has a negative connotation, like there was some sort of immaturity before. But he definitely has a calm way about him now that he might not have had as a younger player. In and around the locker room, in the meeting room, he's become a leader in the room.”
Without Adams at New Orleans last season, it was Lazard to the rescue. While he’s got sneaky speed, there’s nothing sneaky about his size and physicality. He’s gone from undrafted free agent to late-season addition to the practice squad to a dual-threat receiver and blocker.
“Allen Lazard has gone from a guy on the other [side of the practice] field working with the 3s and 2s to an integral part of what we’re doing,” Rodgers said. “He does the dirty work. He’s a tough, gritty player, great human being, super-interesting guy off the field and just a true pro on the field.”
Green Bay traded up in the third round to select Amari Rodgers to provide the slot threat it had lacked since Cobb left in free agency following the 2018 season. Maybe Amari Rodgers will develop into that type of dynamic weapon but, for now, the slot will be Cobb’s domain after general manager Brian Gutekunst traded for him at the urging of Aaron Rodgers.
Cobb’s return runs deeper than production. Rodgers said he and Cobb have “cried a few times together” about what it means to be reunited. As the leader of the receiver room, Adams is thankful, too, to be back together with his teammate from his first five NFL seasons.
“First and foremost, just having one of my good friends there is just comforting for me, makes my job a hell of a lot easier as far as leading in the room,” Adams said on Thursday. “The reason why I think about ball the way I do and the way I’m so tough on myself, just my whole mental process when I’m watching film and stuff like that is a lot because of what he and Jordy (Nelson) showed me when I first got here. So, a lot of times I don’t have to even say that much because he’s saying the same thing. Sometimes, I’ll look over to him and we’ll be like, ‘You want to say it or me?’ And he’ll jump in and give his two cents.”
Tough roster moves await Gutekunst when it’s time to round out the depth chart behind Adams, Valdes-Scantling, Lazard, Cobb and Amari Rodgers. When healthy, towering Devin Funchess regularly has made his presence felt. Malik Taylor, who beat out Jake Kumerow for a roster spot last year, has found his stride the past couple weeks. Juwann Winfree had a superb offseason and start to camp before suffering a shoulder injury.
“I like it. I like it a lot,” Adams said of the depth that’s emerged. “I think that this year has been the most competitive that room has been probably since I first got here. I felt like before it was kind of like, everybody looked like Tae’s up there and then we just kind of all fighting with each other like whatever. But it’s real competitive. I feel like coaches made it pretty apparent they were going to let guys duke it out and see what happens based on how they performed, how they picked up the offense and all of that. So, it’s been good, man. It’s been a lot of fun. It’s been more fun for me just kind of seeing a little more competition in there.”
