Watson, Doubs Helping Packers Replace Adams

Finally on the field together, Packers rookies Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs provided a glimpse of the future on Monday.

Author:
Bill Huber
Publish date:
Dec 20, 2022 8:48 PM EST

In this story:

Green Bay Packers

GREEN BAY, Wis. – How would the Green Bay Packers replace the unstoppable force that is Davante Adams?

That was the question from the moment they traded him to the Las Vegas Raiders on March 17. On Dec. 19, the answer was delivered in a frosty victory over the Los Angeles Rams.

Rookie Romeo Doubs, back after missing four games with an ankle injury, caught all five targets for 55 yards.

Rookie Christian Watson’s four-game touchdown streak was snapped and he didn’t have any big-play catches, but he caught four passes for 46 yards, drew two penalties and delivered a key block on Aaron Jones’ touchdown.

Veteran Randall Cobb caught three passes for 32 yards. All three receptions came on Green Bay’s first touchdown drive, including two that moved the chains on third down.

Veteran Allen Lazard caught one pass for 7 yards.

The Packers won a lot of games with Adams – including 13 each of the previous three seasons. Now at full strength and with some seasoning, this group is good enough to win games with, too.

“Yes, I think so. I really do,” quarterback Aaron Rodgers said after quietly dissecting a Rams defense that shut down Adams and Co. 10 days earlier, “because they just have such different skill-sets. Christian, obviously, has incredible speed; Romeo’s a real quick-twitch guy; Cobby has his savvy to work in the slot; and Allen does everything well – he’s a good route-runner, he catches the ball with his hands, he’s a great blocker. So, yeah, I think that’s a really good set of guys.”

It might be too little too late for this season. With Watson limited for most of the first half of the season by injuries, Doubs stepped to the forefront. With Doubs on the sideline, Watson emerged as an instant star. Combined, they played only 52 snaps together the first 13 games.

The growth of the rookies, even while injured, could make the Packers a formidable playoff opponent should they somehow fight their way into the dance. Against the Rams, Rodgers was 7-of-7 for 91 yards during the 13 plays in which the rookies were on the field together, according to ESPN Stats and Information.

“I was happy to get him (Doubs) out there,” Rodgers said. “He’s a very crisp route-runner. I was asked about the difference between Christian and Romes this week: Romes has always been a bit more polished as a route-runner. Christian is just so explosive. I though Matt did a good job of giving Romeo some routes where we needed his crispness on the routes and giving Christian opportunities to use his speed, which we’ve basically been doing. I thought Cobby had a few nice plays for us as well and we’ve got to keep finding ways to get Allen the ball, too.”

Doubs didn’t just catch every target, he was wide open on every target. Had he not stumbled on his first couple catches, a good night would have been a really good night. His last catch of the night was a 23-yarder on the final, clock-killing drive. Jet motion by Watson helped open a huge hole in the Rams’ defense.

“It was a tough first half of the season. I’m just glad that the offense was able to get things going now,” Doubs said.

The barrage of big plays produced by Watson has been impossible to ignore. His presence played a role in Doubs finding plenty of open real estate. Given an inch, Doubs has the skill to take a mile.

“I think we’re going to see a lot more going forward,” Watson said.

The trade of Adams might have doomed this season from the start. Due to the injuries, it took too long for Watson and Doubs to become factors. But the future appears incredibly bright for whoever is slinging passes for the Packers in 2023 and beyond.

“Yeah, I thought Rome, it was great to see him back out there,” coach Matt LaFleur said. “You can certainly see his route-running ability, how effortless it is when he catches the football. I think we need to find ways to get Christian involved in the game earlier because he has such a big impact on the game. I thought they did a nice job. They played pretty soft for most of the game, trying not to give up those big plays down the field. But both those guys, they’ve come a long way, but I still think there’s much more in front of them so that’s really, really exciting.”