How Sammy Watkins Can Help The Packers Offense

The Sammy Watkins signing isn’t a solution to everything for the Green Bay Packers offense. He has handled a series of injuries and hasn’t been a great producer, but Watkins can absolutely be a contributor. First, because the Packers had lacked a boundary option – Allen Lazard, Randall Cobb, and Amari Rodgers played the majority of their snaps from the slot in 2021. And also because the former Baltimore Ravens receiver is a good fit for what Matt LaFleur likes to run schematically.
Take a look at some plays that are examples to show areas in which Sammy Watkins can help the offense transition from the Davante Adams Era to a new style, with different passing goals, run-heavier and with younger players.

Experience to read defenses

4&19 and lamar makes a beautiful play with his arm to Sammy Watkins. pic.twitter.com/spGTVNHsxw

— Mace (@realmaceblack) April 15, 2022

Sammy Watkins has been in the NFL since 2014. As a veteran with experience playing under different systems and coordinators, he has a good knowledge on how to read defensive zones and explore them. That’s something especially important to get along with Aaron Rodgers. In this play, Watkins fits right in the middle of the Detroit Lions defensive zones to get a chunk play in a pass from Lamar Jackson, helping the Baltimore Ravens to get a win coming from behind.

Red zone target

#Rams Goff to Watkins touchdown pic.twitter.com/go5bfXKgWK

— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) November 26, 2017

Davante Adams had 31 regular season plus postseason touchdowns between 2020 and 2021. That’s how amazing he was in the red zone – and that should be one of the most important things the Packers offense will miss after trading him. Sammy Watkins has never been so productive touchdown-wise, but he had eight touchdowns playing for Matt LaFleur as his offensive coordinator with the Los Angeles Rams in 2017. Watkins is a relatively physical player and uses his body well to gain angles and leverage against defensive backs.

Run blocker

Alright there, Sammy Watkins! LaFleur can work with this! Just a littleeee effort, fight, willingness is all it takes pic.twitter.com/fyukVgPPDw

— Ben Fennell (@BenFennell_NFL) April 14, 2022

Among players with at least 500 opportunities, no other wide receiver in the entire NFL was better than Sammy Watkins in run blocking between 2019 and 2021 according to Pro Football Focus. He averaged a 85.7 PFF grade in run blocking, topping Cooper Kupp (81.1), Miles Boykin (77.2), Julio Jones (75.1), and Allen Lazard (74.5). Obviously, that’s a limited-impact ability, but it’s one more important to LaFleur’s offense than for most of the other systems. It will be an especially important strength considering the Packers should use more heavy personnel.

YAC

Coming 🔜 to Green Bay! @sammywatkins | #GoPackGo pic.twitter.com/uYNe3qaBQ9

— Green Bay Packers (@packers) April 14, 2022

Watkins didn’t have a productive season with the Baltimore Ravens in 2021, because of injuries, and also because it’s the run-heaviest offense in the league. But one stat draws significant attention. While having just 394 total yards, Watkins put up 97 yards after the catch. The yards after catch numbers were much higher when he was the third option in the Kansas City Chiefs’ offense in their Super Bowl run. Watkins has 295 yards after catch in 2019 (43.83% of his total yards), the 25th-ranked player in the NFL, while being just the 46th in total receiving yards.

Deep threat

Jackson hits Watkins for 59 yard BOMB as he gets matched up on a LB and #MNF is killing it #BALvsLV | #Raiders | #RaiderNation | #NFL2021 | #Ravens | #NFLTwitter | #SportsTalkLine pic.twitter.com/Omoj721xuB

— 🏈 🗳️ Steven Van Over (@StevenVanOver) September 14, 2021

While Watkins was just the 88th and 97th player in receiving yards last season, he was 19th in yards per reception, with an average of 14.6. Moreover, his average depth of target was 13.1, 12th in the NFL. Those numbers show that Watkins was used primarily as a deep target with the Ravens, a type of weapon the Packers offense lacks after losing Marquez Valdes-Scantling to the Chiefs in free agency.