Packers WR depth chart: How Romeo Doubs, Allen Lazard and Sammy Watkins project without Davante Adams
It’s a new dawn for Packers wide receivers. All-Pro wideout Davante Adams is gone, opening the door for a fairly untried group of pass catchers to make their mark.
The concerns are obvious. Adams accounted for a third of Green Bay’s total receiving yards in 2021. Only one other player – Allen Lazard – cracked 500 receiving yards.
That said, there’s plenty of room for growth for the Packers’ wide receiver room. With a host of new arrivals, namely rookies Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs and free-agent signing Sammy Watkins, it’s a new entity in more ways than one. And as long as Aaron Rodgers is under center, there will be more than enough opportunities for Green Bay receivers to shine.
The Sporting News breaks down the Packers’ options at receiver in 2022. This depth map was published on Green Bay’s official website and is subject to change during the 2022 NFL season.
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Packers WR depth map
1. Allen Lazard
With the departure of Adams, Lazard steps into the role of WR’s No. 1 for now. The 26-year-old has only surpassed 500 yards once in his career (last year at 513), but he snagged eight touchdowns in 2022 and became a key target for Rodgers in the red zone.
Lazard is of a bulky build (6-5, 227 pounds) and seems best prepared for a breakout in a WR crowd without Adams’ presence. It’s no surprise he’s being projected as Rodgers’ #1 target for the upcoming season.
2. Sammy Watkins
Watkins isn’t the player he used to be. Still, he’s an experienced wideout with top line speed. That should result in a Rodgers-led offense.
2021 was an underwhelming season for Watkins, who rushed for just 397 yards in 14 games. There is one caveat though; Baltimore’s offense has been plagued by injuries in both the running and passing games. Despite Tyler Huntley’s best efforts, he just wasn’t able to reproduce Lamar Jackson’s Razzle Dazzle.
With Rodgers, Watkins gets a chance in a true pass-first offensive.
A speed demon with skills similar to Watkins’, Marquez Valdez-Scantling has had some success with the Green-Yellows. He’s amassed nearly 700 receiving yards and six touchdowns in just 12 starts in 2020. Perhaps Watkins can have a similar impact at Lambeau Field.
3.Randall Cobb
Cobb is the group’s old man, having played 11 years in the NFL, nine of them with the Packers. He’s far from his best — Cobb amassed nearly 1,300 receiving yards with Rodgers and the Pack in 2014. But Cobb still has something to offer on and off the field.
Cobb made just 28 catches for 375 yards in 2021. But five of those hooks were touchdowns, meaning Cobb was something of a red-zone specialist for the Packers. Lazard will likely see most of the coverage there given its strength and size. Maybe that will open the door for Cobb to show off his playing skills. He will play a role on the Green Bay offense in 2022.
4.Juwann Winfrei
Winfree is something of an unknown commodity at the NFL level. The Colorado alum was picked up by the Broncos in the sixth round of the 2019 draft but didn’t make a catch during his time at the Mile High City. Winfree had just eight catches and 58 yards in his sophomore year at Green Bay in 2021.
However, Winfree has apparently been one of the highlights of camp so far, impressing the Packers coaching staff with strong distance running and impressive athleticism.
Rodgers praised the third-year wideout for his skills in training camp.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if [Winfree] over there says, ‘Hey, I’m a hell of a football player, don’t forget me,'” Rodgers said. “I think he’ll definitely put himself in a position to make an impact.”
5.Romeo Doubs
Doubs has been the talk of the town at Packers training camp. Doubs shone against star cornerback Jaire Alexander. Matt LaFleur has even referred to Doubs as one of the “better players” on the team.
Matt LaFleur asked if they used Jaire Alexander 1-on-1 against Romeo Doubs for the first time yesterday, perhaps to humiliate the rookie after his hot start.
“Surely you want your better players to compete against each other.”
– Matt Schneidmann (@matt Schneidmann) August 9, 2022
That’s certainly high praise for the rookie wideout.
MORE: Who is Romeo Doubs? Meet the Packers rookie impressing Aaron Rodgers at camp
In recent years, first-year pass catchers have established themselves as legitimate first options. Think Ja’Marr Chase or Justin Jefferson. Doubs, a second-round pick, has a long way to go before cementing himself as a receiver on the caliber of these two. But all the whispers from the training camp were encouraging. He should have a chance to make a big difference in LaFleur’s airstrike.
6.Amari Rodgers
Rodgers showed some flash last season, hitting 20 punt returns and 11 kick returns in 2021.
However, he wasn’t quite able to make the note a wideout; Rodgers caught just four balls in 16 games last year.
Rodgers seems to be something of a workout warrior and has earned glowing praise from those who watch him day in and day out.
Brian Gutekunst: “We are very, very optimistic about Amari Rodgers and what he can do for this football team.”
— Ryan Wood (@ByRyanWood) August 3, 2022
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7.Malik Taylor
Taylor hasn’t been a big part of Green Bay’s offense since scoring the touch for the Packers in 2020. He tended to have more influence on the special teams and has had 14 kickoff returns over the past two years.
He has one that receives a touchdown. However, don’t expect Taylor to make too much noise in the pack’s passing game. If he stays on the roster it would likely be as a returning specialist.
8. Danny Davis
Davis looks like an unlikely bet on the squad. The Wisconsin product has a solid if unspectacular frame (6-1,188 pounds). However, he lacks his athletic tools. With a 4.62 40-yard dash time and a 31.5-inch vertical jump, Davis just doesn’t have the physical tools needed to play at the next level.
It will be a steep climb for Davis to make the 53-man roster.
9.Osirus Mitchell
Mitchell, formerly of the USFL’s Birmingham Stallions, signed a deal in late July to join the pack. But while it would be mighty cool for Mitchell to earn a spot in the NFL’s big boys, it doesn’t seem all that likely. Mitchell suffered a quad injury last week that forced him out of practice on Wednesday. It remains to be seen what impact this illness may have on Mitchell’s future prospects.
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10. Samori Toure
Toure, a seventh-round pick from FCS Power Montana and Big Ten newly-promoted Nebraska, had plenty of opportunities to show off his skills at camp. The jury is still out, and Toure has impressed some at the pack’s drills. He even made a Lambeau leap and stuck to the traditions of the iconic area.
“I wasn’t really planning on doing it, but all the fans motioned for me to come over, so I just did it, and yeah, it felt good,” Toure told reporters, according to the Lincoln Journal star’s Luke Mullin.
11. Ishmael Hyman
Hyman is the final wideout on the Packers depth chart. He has not played in the league since the 2019 season with Tampa Bay. Maybe Hyman can get a spot on the practice team. But the chances of him cracking the 53-man roster seem slim.