Packers Need Veteran Receivers to Find Consistency
If you've heard it once, you've heard it 1,000 times.
The Green Bay Packers did not draft a pass catcher in the first round.
In fact, they haven't done that since Mike Sherman traded up to pick Florida State's Javon Walker in 2002.
When the team traded Davante Adams to the Las Vegas Raiders for first- and second-round picks, conventional wisdom was that the 2022 NFL Draft would mark the end of that streak.
There even were thoughts the Packers could make a bold trade for a receiver to make a Super Bowl push with Aaron Rodgers recently signed to an extension.
Instead, the Packers took two more defensive players in the first round with Georgia's Quay Walker and Devonte Wyatt.
When asked if he felt he had to take a receiver early on Day 2, general manager Brian Gutekunst shrugged it off with a one-word answer.
No.
Within the first two picks of the second round of the 2022 draft, it was clear Gutekusnt was trying not to give away his position. He traded the 53rd and 59th picks to select North Dakota State's Christian Watson.
Later, with a fourth-round pick, he selected Romeo Doubs.
Neither came with the label of a first-round pick, but the investment in both players was significant, and doth had bright moments as rookies.
When Rodgers was traded this spring, a youth movement began across the entire roster.
That is especially true in terms of the pass-catchers. Receivers Allen Lazard and Randall Cobb and tight ends Robert Tonyan and Marcedes Lewis were allowed to leave in free agency. In the 2023 NFL Draft, the Packers selected three receivers and two tight ends, including tight end Luke Musgrave in the second round, receiver Jayden Reed in the second round and tight end Tucker Kraft in the third round.
Last year, the Packers did dip into the free agent pool, signing Sammy Watkins in free agency. Watkins paired with Lazard and Cobb to give Watson and Doubs time to acclimate to the NFL.
No such move was made this year. The most tenured receivers in the Packers' pass-catching group were Watson, Doubs and last year's seventh-round pick, Samori Toure, who was not a sure bet to make the team.
The emphasis, however, was on Watson and Doubs to help lead the room.
As the Packers' offense is in free fall, the two leaders of the room need to start making more plays.
“I think my number was called way too many times tonight for the plays that I made. I have to make more plays than that." Watson said after nine targets yielded just three catches during the 17-13 loss at the Raiders on Monday night.
To be sure, Watson did make a reception that resulted in 77 yards, far and away the Packers' most explosive play of the night.
The play, however, came on a busted coverage. That might happen against the Raiders, but it's not going to happen against the league's better teams.
Prior to that play, the Packers' receiving corps had two catches for 13 yards.
None of those catches belonged to Doubs.
Doubs is the team's leading receiver with 228 receiving. He has 37 targets with 21 catches. After setting career highs with nine receptions for 95 yards against Detroit, he mustered only one catch for 4 yards against the Raiders.
Perhaps what is more alarming is that it wasn't as if Doubs was being ignored by quarterback Jordan Love. Rather, it’s as if he was wearing Raiders' defensive backs like a jacket.
His one catch on the night was on a smoke screen. He was targeted only three other times. One was intercepted when he didn’t create much, if any, separation.
Romeo Doubs has struggled to create separation
Photo by Stephen R. Sylvanie/USA Today Sports Images
That’s been Doubs' biggest issue.
Through Week 5, Doubs is in the bottom third of the NFL in separation created, according to NFL's Next Gen stats.
Asking a receiver to continuously make contested catches is a tough way to live. The closer a defender is, the more likely a ball is to be affected, if not intercepted, by the defense.
The idea of having the young receivers grow together with Jordan Love was to give him his own version of Greg Jennings, Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb.
However, the Packers have yet to top 300 passing yards in a game. They've been under 200 yards passing twice.
When the offense was at its best, it had a go-to player. Rodgers inherited Donald Driver and Jennings. The baton was passed to Jordy Nelson, and he passed the torch to Adams.
Is there a guy like that on this roster? Watson has made big plays in his career but has struggled with consistency. Doubs’ play has been up and down, as well.
"We've got a bye week with a full chance to flush this out of our bodies and come back to work next week," Doubs said after the loss to the Raiders. "We've got to figure out a way to get our players in the backfield the ball, allow Jordan to play his position, and allow receivers on our end to be playmakers."
Doubs is right. With an offense that's scuffling, scoring 20 points or less in four straight games, the Packers need their playmakers to start making more plays.
That starts with the two receivers they built their passing game around.
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