The Clock Is Ticking And The Packers Need To Make This A Priority
Let's Go Brian
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We are now almost a month and a half into the off-season for the Packers.
Nothing has really changed for the Packers since then.
Free agency begins in a little less than 3 weeks on March 15th.
We are still awaiting Aaron Rodgers' decision which is the main domino that first needs to fall. Once that decision is made the Packers can begin to make decisions pertaining to the rest of the roster.
There is one area of the Packers roster that we are going to learn a lot about in the next couple weeks and that is the wide receiver group. Right now things are up in the air because Aaron Rodgers has not made his decision.
On one hand we have Allen Lazard who sounds very excited about entering free agency.
This is what he had to say a couple days ago when asked if he’s had talks with the Packers.
"My agent, I believe, has started to talk to them a little bit in recent weeks, but they haven't said anything as far as preventing me from going to the open market”
It does not seem like the Packers are going to bring Allen Lazard back. Maybe they swoop in at the last moment before free agency begins on March 15th and make a bigger offer, but right now all signs are pointing to Lazard leaving Green Bay. I will miss you if you leave Allen. I hope you get a massive bag.
That does present a slight problem…Allen Lazard was the Packers leading receiver last year. He finished with 60 receptions for 788 yards.
Now I know he is no Davanate Adams but he is still a productive player in many aspects of the game. My question is what is Packers GM Brian Gutekunsts’ plan for this receiver group?
Another player whose future is likely tied to Aaron Rodgers is Randall Cobb. If Rodgers returns to Green Bay in 2023 I assume Randall Cobb will return as well. If Rodgers leaves I don’t see the Packers keeping Cobb.
So there is a chance both veterans wideouts in Allen Lazard and Randall Cobb will be gone. That leaves us with three 2nd year players in Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs, and Samori Toure. The Packers also made the decision in December to sign Bo Melton who was drafted in the 7th round of the 2022 NFL draft.
I have all of the hope in the world that Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs can become one of the best wide receiver duos in the NFL, but we don’t know how long that will take. While they could be the glue that holds this receiver room together, I think it needs to be a priority this off-season to add another weapon to this room if both veterans end up leaving.
You can never have too many talented wide receivers, but if the Packers end up moving to Jordan Love in 2023 they need to do the best they can to give him a supporting cast that can allow him to develop and grow. We don’t need Love struggling because the Packers didn’t try hard enough to give him the support he needs.
For years the Packers have been criticized for not giving Aaron Rodgers more help, and the defense for them is that Aaron Rodgers lifts the play of any player around him. That is true. As a fan would I have loved to see the Packers give Rodgers more weapons over the years? Yes 100%. Around the trade deadline each year I've always been rooting for them to make a big splash.
Last year the Eagles traded a first round pick to snag AJ Brown and they ended up in the Super Bowl. Sure they had lots of other meaningful pieces on their roster but they wouldn’t have been in the Super Bowl if it weren’t for AJ Brown.
The Packers are pretty tight against the salary cap (about $5 mil over currently) which will make it hard to go out and get any big names. They may have to sign a lower tier free agent because they don’t have the big bucks for someone more elite. We also have the draft. The Packers need to draft a receiving weapon with one of their first 2 picks. Because we don’t have that much moolah to throw around that could be how they build a solid receiver room going forward.
If Love takes over this year and the Packers steal another great receiver in the first or second round the Packers offense could be dangerous going forward as the years go by. But it will take time for a young receiver to develop, and that’s why adding some kind of veteran presence is also a need.
Lots of times Brian Gutekunst likes to let the dust settle and then try to find value. If he lets Lazard leave I doubt he makes a big splash when free agency begins, but who knows, people can change.
We’ll find out soon enough what is going to happen with Aaron Rodgers and then we will see the Packers plan for the receiver room begin to show itself.
Until then all we can do is watch everything unfold. Grab your popcorn.
Let’s hope we can win the next 5 Super Bowls. Always dream big. Don’t let people tell you that’s not realistic. Why not us!