The Green Bay Packers made waves around the NFL when they traded future Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers to the New York Jets in an effort to allow Jordan Love to take over as the starter. While much of the focus was on the quarterback position last year, it is also worth noting that the Packers also gave their wide receiver room a major facelift.
In 2023, the Packers deployed the youngest offense in the NFL, thanks in large part to the fact that every single one of their wide receivers and tight ends were either rookies or second-year players. Due to the team’s lack of NFL experience, many did not predict the Packers go to very far in 2023.
However, Love and his young offense overcame a slow start to the season, winning seven of their final ten games and finished with a 9-8 record. They upset the Dallas Cowboys in the Wild Card Round and took the San Francisco 49ers down to the wire in the Divisional Round before finally losing.
The Green Bay Packers Had a Balanced Wide Receiver Group in 2023
In addition to trading Rodgers away prior to the 2023 NFL Draft, the Packers also allowed veteran wide receivers Allen Lazard and Randall Cobb to leave in free agency. The year prior, they had traded Davante Adams to the Las Vegas Raiders after he informed the team that he would not play on the franchise tag.
Instead of following the advice of the national media and signing a veteran wide receiver, the Packers used a total of six NFL draft picks in two years to replenish their depth at the position. In 2022, the selected Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs, and Samori Toure. Last year, they picked Jayden Reed, Dontayvion Wicks, and Grant DuBose.
DuBose did not play in 2023 due to an injury he suffered during training camp, but the Packers trotted out the rest of their young wide receivers (and rookie tight ends) as the primary weapons Love had in his first year as a starter.
And to the shock of many people, it worked:
| Player | Receptions | Yards | Touchdowns |
| Romeo Doubs | 59 | 674 | 8 |
| Christian Watson | 28 | 422 | 5 |
| Jayden Reed | 64 | 793 | 8 |
| Dontayvion Wicks | 39 | 581 | 4 |
| Malik Heath | 15 | 125 | 1 |
| Bo Melton | 16 | 218 | 1 |
| Luke Musgrave | 34 | 352 | 1 |
| Tucker Kraft | 31 | 355 | 2 |
| Ben Sims | 4 | 21 | 1 |
As seen above, Jayden Reed led the team in receptions and receiving yards as a rookie last season. He tied with second-year wide receiver Romeo Doubs for the team lead in touchdowns as well.
Christian Watson had five touchdown receptions, the second-highest total on the team, despite playing in just nine games. Dontayvion Wicks put together a solid rookie campaign and has drawn comparisons to Davante Adams for his route running.
Green Bay Packers Head Coach Matt LaFleur Is Tired of the Wide Receiver One Debate
The big question on the minds of many fans and analysts has been which of the Packers’ young wide receivers will emerge as the traditional wide receiver one on the roster. All offseason, Love and head coach Matt LaFleur have stated that they feel they have multiple top-tier wide receivers on the team.
Earlier today, LaFleur was once again asked about which player he thinks can be the Packers’ wide receiver one. He responded, “I want to vomit every time I hear No. 1 receiver. It drives me crazy. That’s something you guys talk about. I think we’ve got a lot of them.”
Matt LaFleur: “I want to vomit every time I hear No. 1 receiver. It drives me crazy. That’s something you guys talk about. I think we’ve got a lot of them.”
— Ryan Wood (@ByRyanWood) August 12, 2024
Having so many talented wide receivers is a great thing for Green Bay, but what makes it better is that none of them have a massive ego. They route for each other knowing that any one of them could be the top target on any given week.
They are truly a team-first group.
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