Packers Veteran Receivers Full of Potential and Questions

The Green Bay Packers will have a new group of wide receivers this year. With Davante Adams traded to the Raiders and Marquez Valdes-Scantling now with the Chiefs, GM Brian Gutekunst signed veteran free agent Sammy Watkins and then drafted three receivers in Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs and Samori Toure.

We know quarterback Aaron Rodgers tends to take time to develop trust in your receivers and he indicated this week when he told reporters, “I like production over potential. We have some production. We have a lot of potential, so we need to temper expectations and heighten the accountability.”

The Packers do have a group of returning veterans at the receiver position. While that group has experience, there are questions surrounding each of the returning players on the roster. Here is a look at the veteran receivers on the Packers roster as we wrap up mandatory OTAs and what questions surround each player:

1. Allen Lazard

Lazard has come a long way since signing with the Packers late in the 2018 season. He set new career highs in catches (40), yards (513) and touchdown catches (eight) in 2021 and has improved each year since joining the Packers. He has great size and is one of the better blocking receivers in the NFL right now. He also runs precise routes and has earned Rodgers’ trust.

But Lazard has yet to sign his second-round tender offer and is the only player on the Packers 90-man roster not at mandatory OTAs as a result.

In addition, the former Iowa State star needs to show he can carry the responsibility of being the team’s number one receiver and that he can get the job done without Adams lining up on the other side of the ball and getting the bulk of the attention from opposing defenses.

Lazard did step up in the 2020 season in New Orleans when Adams was out of the lineup but doing it in one game and doing it for a season are two different things. Lazard needs to show he can step up and perform consistently under these circumstances.

2. Sammy Watkins

Watkins’ biggest issue is staying healthy. The former Clemson star played in every game during his rookie season in 2014 but hasn’t done so since.

He’s coming off a career low 27-catch, 394-yard season in 2021 that saw him grab only one touchdown pass in 13 games.

Packers head coach Matt LaFleur indicated he feels Watkins hasn’t lost a step since 2017 when LaFleur was on the Rams coaching staff.

If Watkins can stay healthy, he could have a strong season with Rodgers throwing him the football but he needs to prove he can stay healthy.

3. Randall Cobb

Cobb is the Packers veteran slot receiver and a player Rodgers asked the team to reacquire last year before the start of training camp. He finished 2021 with 28 catches for 375 yards and five touchdowns in his return to Green Bay.

Cobb will turn 32 in August and he has not played in every game in a season since 2015. His biggest challenge will be staying healthy enough to be on the field. If he can do that, Cobb has been productive during his career, but he is past his athletic prime and it is not clear how much he can contribute over the course of a 17-game NFL season.

4. Amari Rodgers

Rodgers is coming off a disappointing rookie campaign that saw him catch just four passes for 45 yards all season. He also struggled as a punt returner and kick returner.

This year, Rodgers seems to be making the adjustment to the NFL and he came into OTAs a bit lighter and showing more of the quickness that made him so successful in college.

The Packers are hoping Rodgers can make a second-year leap and become a steady contributor to the offense this season.

5. Juwann Winfree

Winfree has been Mr. Training Camp and Mr. Preseason thus far in his three years with the Packers. This year he has again made a strong impression on the coaching staff and the media with his performance at OTAs.

It’s time for Winfree to prove he can get the job done once the games count. He’ll turn 26 when the season gets started and the potential he has showed has to be turned into production this year or he may not make the final roster.

6. Malik Taylor

Taylor has caught a total of seven passes in his two seasons with the Packers. His contributions on special teams and his strong training camps have earned him a roster spot the last two years but he has to show he can contribute to the offense to make the roster in this year’s crowded receiver room.

Each of these veterans has skills and experience but each of them also has questions that need to be addressed. If at least two of them come through with solid seasons, the Packers should have a productive receiving unit this year even without a star like Adams in the lineup.