Packers 2022 training camp preview: Wide receivers
All eyes will be on the Green Bay Packers‘ wide receiver competition this summer.
The Packers moved on from Davante Adams, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, and Equanimeous St. Brown, creating new opportunities for the receivers on the roster.
With the first training camp practice just around the corner, let’s look at the Packers’ wide receivers.
Who’s here?
Allen Lazard could be the Packers’ new WR1. Lazard posted career-best numbers in 2021 and has Aaron Rodgers’ trust. That should lead to plenty of targets in an offense without Adams.
Another trusted target for Rodgers is Randall Cobb, who returns for his 10th season with the Packers.
New addition Sammy Watkins could quickly become a top target in this offense. If he can stay healthy, Watkins could have a great season.
Second-year player Amari Rodgers will be hoping for more opportunities on offense this season, but he will need to show improvements from his rookie year.
Then there are the draft picks.
Christian Watson, selected in the second round, enters with high expectations. Fourth-rounder Romeo Doubs and seventh-round selection Samori Toure will also be aiming to impress at training camp.
There will be plenty of competition for roster spots.
Malik Taylor has made the 53-man roster in the past, mostly due to his special teams work. Juwann Winfree and Danny Davis will also be competing for a roster spot.
Expectations
With Adams and MVS gone, expectations are understandably lowered for the Packers’ wide receivers.
In reality, this group is incredibly difficult to predict.
That is mostly due to the rookies. What if Christian Watson has a rookie season like Ja’Marr Chase? Or Romeo Doubs becomes an instant contributor? It’s not out of the question.
Perhaps Amari Rodgers makes a second-year jump. It’s easy to forget he was a third-round pick only one year ago.
The Packers know what they have in Allen Lazard, Randall Cobb, and Sammy Watkins. But with the addition of the rookies, the upside for this group is sky-high. However, there’s also the possibility the Packers will have one of the NFL’s worst receiving corps in 2022.
We’ll soon find out. At training camp, we’ll get an idea.