Packers Weigh Reliability vs. Potential at Receiver

What was Randall Cobb thinking before Week 1 in 2011? And what will be the keys as Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs focus on Week 1 at the Vikings?

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers’ key rookie receivers, Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs, will be making their NFL debut in about one week.

Eleven years earlier, Randall Cobb was in their same position. What was Cobb thinking?

“I thought I was getting cut,” Cobb said.

No way.

“I really did,” Cobb replied. “I didn’t know how this worked. I look at it like that every year. You have to have something that drives you. My fear was always getting cut. I’ve always had that fear. You never know in this business. I’ve seen some crazy things happen. I’ve seen guys get traded right before the season starts.”

Cobb said that last sentence with a knowing smile. He was traded to Green Bay right before the start of training camp last year.

Being a second-round draft pick, Cobb’s fears were unfounded, of course. Good thing. He had a rather legendary debut to kick off an excellent career. Facing the New Orleans Saints in the 2011 opener, Cobb caught a 32-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter and added a 108-yard kickoff return in the third quarter.

What’s in store for Watson, an ultra-talented second-round pick who sat out the preseason following knee surgery, and Doubs, a fourth-round pick who had a red-hot start to training camp before hitting a few bumps in the road?

Part of a loaded receiver corps in 2011, Cobb didn’t get many opportunities despite his obvious talent. Behind Greg Jennings, Jordy Nelson, James Jones and Donald Driver on the depth chart, Cobb ranked seventh on an all-time great offense with 25 receptions.

Entering 2022, Watson and Doubs figure to be behind the veteran trio of Allen Lazard, Sammy Watkins and Cobb. While those three receivers aren’t exactly comparable to Jennings, Nelson and Jones, the Packers might not be under immense pressure to get Watson and Doubs on the field.

On Wednesday, Aaron Rodgers raved about the string of practices put together by Watkins and Cobb. And the Packers can go other directions other than the modern-day base offense of three receivers, one tight end and one back. They figure to use running backs Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon together in tandem. They figure to use plenty of two-tight-end sets with some combination of Robert Tonyan, Marcedes Lewis and Josiah Deguara. With quality backs and tight ends, the Packers might line up with just one receiver at times.

“We’ve got to play our best 11,” Rodgers said. “We can’t wait around once the season starts. We’ll work these guys in in spots where they feel most comfortable, but the way that Sammy plays, he deserves to be in the first group in. The way Cobby’s played in camp, deserves to be in the first group in. And the way Allen’s played when he’s healthy, deserves to be in the first group. So, those are guys I’m sure we’re going to go with. We’ll work in 87 and 9 to start and go from there.”

For coach Matt LaFleur, it will be about finding the right balance. Who gives the Packers the best chance to win in Week 1? Because of their experience, probably the veteran receivers. And with the NFL being such a week-to-week thing, it might be hard to deviate. But, from the big-picture viewpoint, who gives the Packers the best chance to really explode into the playoffs? Perhaps one or more of the rookies.

“I’m not going to give the game plan away, but certainly I think that you always are going to try to get those guys involved as organically, however it falls out,” LaFleur said. “I take comfort in the fact we do have veterans who’ve played a lot of ball. Each game’s going to be different. I can’t tell you how it’s going to play out. I have no idea right now.”

Thinking back, Cobb pointed to two things from his rookie season. One was maximizing a limited role to show the coaches he was ready for a bigger role. The other was knowing the role every week. With the season here, the playbook is much smaller. Only a fraction of the plays that were learned through the course of the offseason and training camp will be on the weekly menu. Watson and Doubs have to know those plays inside and out.

“I think the biggest thing is understanding that every play matters and you don’t know what play is going to be that play,” Cobb said. “It could be at any point in the game. Anything can happen. Injuries happen in this league. You’ve got to train and be prepared like you’re a starter.

“You’ve got be prepared and know whatever role that may come up because I may be thrust into a different position that I haven’t practiced all training camp. So? Don’t nobody care about that. You’ve got go out there and you’ve got to compete and you’ve got to know what you’re doing. It’s very important. Those guys know that. That’s been a recurring message throughout training camp. We talk about potential. Now it’s applying that potential and we’ll see where they take it.”

Here is the Packers’ Practice Squad

The Green Bay Packers have their 16-man practice squad headed into Week 1 of the regular season.

Quarterback: Danny Etling

Etling, who was drafted by the Patriots in 2018, had a strong preseason as Green Bay’s third quarterback. Had he thrown enough passes to quality, he would have ranked first in completion percentage and second in passer rating. He added a 51-yard touchdown run.

Running backs: Tyler Goodson, Patrick Taylor

In three preseason games, Goodson led the Packers with 107 rushing yards. His eight receptions were one off the team lead. He had a 24-yard touchdown run and a 23-yard reception on his resume. He played exactly to his resume coming out of Iowa.

“It’s very exciting to be able to make those guys in miss in space,” Goodson said of the touchdown run that he punctuated with a spin move. “The fact that I put in the work and it shows up on gameday is a great feeling and is exciting for me to see.”

From Hurricane Katrina to his battle with a major foot injury to his breakout performance vs. Detroit, Taylor was worthy of his own story before training camp.

“I think they’re both guys that are definitely important that could potentially be up and suited up for us on game day,” coach Matt LaFleur said.

Receivers: Juwann Winfree, Travis Fulgham

A sixth-round pick by Denver in 2019, Winfree caught the first eight passes of his career last season, including four at Arizona to help upset the undefeated Cardinals. He entered training camp running with the No. 1 offense and has a "big fan" in Aaron Rodgers.

"There’s a good chance he’d be activated on the 48 in the first game," Rodgers said.

On Aug. 10, 2020, the Packers claimed Fulgham off waivers. On Aug. 17, 2022, they did it again. In 2020, he landed with Philadelphia and caught 37 passes for 539 yards (14.2 average) and four touchdowns in 13 games. During one four-game stretch, he caught 27 passes for 378 yards and three touchdowns.

Tight end: Shaun Beyer

Beyer caught 18 passes for 275 yards (15.3 average) and one touchdown in 35 career games at Iowa. While he didn’t catch many passes, he was a reliable blocker. That comes from his high school wrestling background.

Offensive line: OT Caleb Jones

An undrafted free agent, the 6-foot-9 Jones got his weight under control and had an excellent training camp.

“I thought Caleb had a great camp and deserved to be on the 53,” quarterback Aaron Rodgers said. “Lucky to get him back on the p-squad. Looks like he has a bright future in this league. You can’t teach that kind of size. But, take the 6-9, 340 out of the way, the way that he worked from spring to fall camp and then throughout fall camp, he has what it takes to be a player in this league. I told him that a couple weeks ago.”

Defensive line: Jack Heflin, Chris Slayton

Heflin made it last year as an undrafted free agent, and he had put himself in a strong position with three high-quality preseason performances even with the additions of veteran Jarran Reed, first-round pick Devonte Wyatt and seventh-round pick Jonathan Ford.

Slayton, a 2019 seventh-round draft pick who has never played in a regular-season game, had an excellent camp, too. He had 13 tackles in the three games, second on the team and 12 more than the first-rounder Wyatt.

Ultimately, both players lost out to Ford for the final spot. “Big upside with Jonathan,” Gutekunst said. “We’re excited about developing him, along with the other guys. Those guys have been in the league for a couple years. We’re excited about our defensive line group. I think it’s very deep. If we have to dig into that depth this year, we feel pretty good about it.”

Outside linebackers: La’Darius Hamilton, Kobe Jones

Hamilton and Jones were part of the wide-open derby at outside linebacker.

An undrafted free agent in 2020, the Packers added Hamilton early last season. He played 64 snaps on defense in six games and contributed three tackles (all against the Rams), two quarterback hits and three pressures in 36 rushes.

“I just come in every day, put my head down, and go to work,” he said. “I’ve never been the frontrunner, never been the top dog. I’ve always been the underdog, so it’s nothing new to me. I just come in and go to work like always.”

Jones had seven sacks and 22 tackles for losses in four seasons at Mississippi State. He went undrafted in 2021 and won a spot on the 90-man roster as a tryout player at rookie camp following the 2022 draft.

“Right now, I’m just trying to continue to clean my game up, detail it out one thing at a time and keep pressing on the gas and showing these guys I could be somebody who can help them win,” he said.

Inside linebacker: Ray Wilborn

An undrafted free agent in 2020, Wilborn signed a futures deal with the Packers in January 2021. With size and speed (4.56 in the 40-yard dash) and a bit of a background at safety he remains an intriguing developmental prospect.

Cornerbacks: Kiondre Thomas, Benjie Franklin

Thomas had a strong preseason to put himself in position to make the roster. According to Pro Football Focus, he allowed just 1-of-7 passing and provided strong run support. Thomas spent training camp with the No. 3 defense while Rico Gafford was with the second unit. However, it's Thomas who is the last man standing on the practice squad.

“We’ll see,” Thomas said if his hard work had been paying off. “I can’t really tell you right now. If I don’t make the 53, then I don’t think it paid off.”

At Tarleton State, Franklin intercepted eight passes with two pick-sixes in three seasons. He went undrafted and spent training camp with the Jacksonville Jaguars. At 5-foot-11 1/2, he ran his 40 in 4.32 seconds.

“That guy is really twitchy and when he breaks, he is going to break on that ball and he is going to get there and close fast,” Jaguars cornerback Shaq Griffin said. “I love the way Benjie has been attacking this field. The way he has been practicing. He is definitely a sponge.”

Safety: Micah Abernathy

A starter for the Houston Gamblers of the USFL, Abernathy was signed midway through training camp after one injury after another wiped out the depth at safety. He wound up being a lot more than a fresh set of legs to take some of the strain off Adrian Amos. He had one interception against the Saints and probably would have had another against Kansas City had he not been grabbed by a Chiefs receiver.

“It meant a lot. It was another opportunity to showcase what I can do on the field,” Abernathy said of his season in the USFL. “Special teams-wise, I was in a leadership role. It felt really good to be one of those guys on the team and to be a starter for the whole season. I hadn’t started since college, so it was pretty cool to get some more experience. And I got my wind back, and that’s going to help me. While I’m coming into training camp late, I already played a season. Although a lot of people might say that’s hindering some of the USFL players, I feel like it’s helping us because we’ve got 10 games that we played a little over a month ago so we’ve got our wind.”

He made the 53-man roster on Tuesday, only to be released a day later so the team could sign veteran Rudy Ford.

“Talk about a guy that took advantage of his opportunities,” general manager Brian Gutekunst said

Kicker: Ramiz Ahmed

This signing is not official but is expected. Ahmed, who made a 61-yard field goal in the USFL, was signed for the final two weeks of training camp. He was exceptional, making all his kicks in the two games and only missing a couple at practice.

“We’re very hopeful Mason’s going to be back in time,” Gutekunst said of veteran kicker Mason Crosby, who spent training camp on PUP. “We still have a little ways to go, so the plan is to bring Ramiz back to the practice squad and have him there in case we don’t get there. But he’s progressing very nicely and we expect him to kick Game 1. But we’ll be prepared if he doesn’t.”