Vomit: Packers Hope Deep Receiver Corps Will Make Defenses Sick

The Packers might not have a No. 1 receiver, but they’ve got a bunch of skilled playmakers. “It’s just how do we want to attack somebody and where do we want to put those guys?” coach Matt LaFleur said on Monday.

Green Bay Packers receiver Jayden Reed (11) congratulates receiver Dontayvion Wicks (13) on his touchdown reception against the Cleveland Browns. / Scott Galvin-USA TODAY Sports

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Someone give Matt LaFleur a barf bag.

“I want to vomit every time I hear ‘No. 1 receiver,’ to be honest with you,” the Green Bay Packers’ coach said on Monday. “It drives me crazy. That’s something that you guys talk about.”

The Packers didn’t have a No. 1 receiver but crushed the Dallas Cowboys – who do have a No. 1 receiver – in the playoffs. Their lack of a No. 1 receiver entering this season was time-killing fodder during the offseason.

For Green Bay, the strength of the passing game isn’t having a megastar receiver like Davante Adams or CeeDee Lamb. The strength is in the numbers, with Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs, Dontayvion Wicks and Jayden Reed leading a potentially prolific quartet.

“I feel like we’ve got a bunch of them,” LaFleur continued. “I think the beauty of them is they’re all capable of doing many things, which gives us a lot of versatility from an offensive perspective in terms of how we use these guys and deploy their talents.”

That was evident during the offense’s abbreviated stint at Cleveland on Saturday. On the 65-yard touchdown, Wicks, Reed and Doubs were the receivers. Tight end Luke Musgrave drew the attention of cornerback Kahlef Hailassie, which left a safety Ronnie Hickman on Wicks.

It was the type of mismatch that could play out throughout the season because the Packers simply have more talented receivers than teams have talented cornerbacks. Doubs is a premier route-runner. Wicks might be a step below Doubs as a route-runner but is a step above as a playmaker. Watson is an elite big-play threat. Reed already is one of the NFL’s top slot receivers.

“I would say (our) top-four guys, they’re all capable of being a No. 1 in some capacity,” LaFleur said, attaching air quotes to “No. 1.”

“It’s just how do we want to attack somebody and where do we want to put those guys? Who’s going to get the ball? I don’t know. It could change on a week-to-week basis. We saw it last year, and then we have Bo Melton come in and be our first 100-yard receiver vs. Minnesota. So, I think it just, again, it frees us up from an offensive standpoint and how we attack people.”

There’s no universally accepted definition for a No. 1 receiver, but the elite playmakers at the position have done it over time. The Packers’ receivers are as young as they are talented, with Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs the so-called veterans of the bunch as they enter Year 3.

With youth and depth coupled with Jordan Love’s throw-it-to-whose-open approach, no, the Packers don’t have a No. 1 receiver. That doesn’t mean they don’t have receivers with a No. 1 skill-set, though.

“Eventually, I think it’s going to grow to that,” passing-game coordinator Jason Vrable said. “Guys are going to come up on their fourth year (and) going to have to let a guy go or sign a guy back (in free agency). Typically the No. 1 becomes that when they’ve proven themselves over and over and over again, and then they eventually get paid by our building because we believe in them that much to get us to a Super Bowl. That’s why you do it.

“So, for our guys, they’re still learning and growing. Through your experiences, you mold and you become that to the point where you’re almost unguardable.”

Vrable pointed to Doubs. In 30 career regular-season games, Doubs had zero 100-yard games and only one of 80-plus yards.

In the playoffs, though, it was Doubs and not the All-Pro Lamb who was the best receiver on the field with six catches for 151 yards and one touchdown. He added four catches for 83 yards in the playoff loss at San Francisco.

“They need to dictate coverage to you and, at times, our guys are,” Vrable said. “Romeo was almost unguardable for most of those (playoff) games. So, at times, he’s been there. It’s just consistency. I’d love for two of the four or three of the four to become that throughout this season because, if that’s the case, we’re going to be winning a lot of games with them.”

Fortunately for the Packers, the receivers have kept their egos in check. Reed was No. 1 on the team in receptions and receiving yards last year but ranked only 48th in the NFL in receptions and 42nd receiving yards. It’s possible no Packers player will hit 75 catches or 1,000 yards this year, even if the talent to do so is there.

“No goals,” Doubs said recently when asked to look ahead in the context of his playoff success. “It’s a lot of talent in our room. I think it’s selfish on my end to have goals because if I come up short, I’m not thinking about the team, I’m thinking about myself.”

The Packers plan to use their mentality and talent to full advantage this season.

“I think the biggest thing is you try to find what these guys are best at, and not necessarily what they’re best at, but what does a defense allow you to take from them, and then just piece it all together in a gameplan,” offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich said.

“The good thing is you have a lot of weapons, so you can be pretty creative, and you can change it up a lot and still have all kinds of guys getting the ball. And I think the thing that we were successful with last year was we really didn’t force the ball to anybody. We kind of just let it happen, and everyone gets their touches and it kind of evens out. 

“That’s the one thing that’s nice about what we have, is you really don’t have to say, ‘All right, this play has to go to this guy.’ You just let the play develop and Jordan can read it out. Whoever’s open can get the ball.”

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