Latest Packers moves indicate they are preparing for life without Christian Watson

Let's speculate!
New Orleans Saints v Green Bay Packers
New Orleans Saints v Green Bay Packers | Todd Rosenberg/GettyImages

One of the downsides of having a wide receiver room full of talented, ascending guys is that you inevitably end up speculating on which ones won't stick around.

And while the Green Bay Packers' receivers probably didn't totally develop quite like fans expected them to last season, Jayden Reed, Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs, and Dontayvion Wicks are all still under 26, with Watson being the oldest (25).

There are certainly worse problems than figuring out which of the young, 700ish-yard receivers on your roster are worth extensions, but it does kinda take the fun out of the situation when all offseason is spent thinking about who's headed elsewhere.

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So with that in mind, here's some speculation about who's headed elsewhere. Thanks to the real Packers draft wonks among us, we're getting an interesting look into where Brian Gutekunst and the rest of Green Bay's front office are prioritizing their time in the final weeks ahead of their homefield draft later this month. And right now, it sure seems like maybe they're starting to consider life after Christian Watson. Take this example from writer and Packers Report's Easton Butler.

According to Butler, the Packers have met with 18 receiver prospects, more than any other position.

Packers meet with perfect Christian Watson replacement Matthew Golden

That is ... a lot of wide receivers! I guess it shouldn't be all that surprising, but it's still funny to see the Packers so obviously tip their hand on what their draft priorities have been this offseason. Maybe they are reading our mock drafts?!

On top of the fact that they've basically met with half the draft-eligible wide receivers in this year's class, some of the guys they're bringing in for pre-draft visits also sure do seem a lot like convenient replacements for Watson and his role in the Packers' offense. Take, for example, Texas' wide receiver Matthew Golden. Golden's the fastest receiver in this year's class (4.29!), which would be awfully useful in the Packers' offense while their fastest receiver recovers from ACL surgery.

Maybe there's some grasping at straws happening here, but that's the name of the game this time of year. Eighteen receivers are a lot of receivers. Maybe they'll take a cornerback and we'll all come back here to have a nice laugh about it, but that's a lot of receivers. In my defense, I did warn you that this wasn't going to be any fun.

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