Former Green Bay Packers wide receiver Romeo Doubs, who bolted in free agency, had just about the worst debut possible as his New England Patriots fell 13-10 to a Drew Lock-led Seattle Seahawks team. He failed to catch a pass while helping ignite the Pats' momentum on fire.
Perhaps the two plays that changed this contest more than any other came when targeting Doubs. One of Drake Maye's three brutal interceptions came when Doubs was outmuscled for the football deep in Seattle territory. Doubs also dropped a beautiful Maye pass when he was wide open in the fourth quarter, and Maye was picked off soon after.
Doubs made matters worse by sticking his foot in his mouth, saying that he wasn't "locked in" when he dropped that pass. Are we to believe that in the fourth quarter of Week 1 after signing a four-year, $68 million contract in the offseason, Doubs wasn't "locked in" on the field? The Doubs supporters in this fanbase may be pulling a Homer Simpson and retreating into the shrubbery as we speak.
Green Bay Packers' decision to dump Romeo Doubs looks smart after Week 1 disaster
Doubs had a shockingly low EPA per play of -1.99 (three total gradable plays) in the Seattle game. Essentially, the Patriots lost two hypothetical points every time they tried to target Doubs. That amounts to just under six points in a three-point loss.
Outside of Maye melting down and a strangely conservative game plan, Doubs is one of the main reasons they blew a 10-0 lead to Drew Lock.
Before AJ Brown suffered an ankle injury that knocked him out of his own subpar Patriots debut, Doubs was fourth on the team in snaps behind Mack Hollins and DeMario Douglas. Fans were questioning his sparse usage, and then were immediately shown why he was relegated to such a small role.
The Green Bay Packers likely don't regret losing Romeo Doubs
Doubs certainly made some big catches in Green Bay, but $17 million is quite a lot of money for someone who had one season out of four with 700 yards receiving. With Brown out, Doubs will likely be elevated to an even more prominent role, which he wasn't always able to star in when injuries put more of a burden on him as a Packer.
By letting Doubs go, the Packers were able to keep a player they view as superior in Christian Watson while promising a bigger role for first-round pick Matthew Golden. With both Jayden Reed and tight end Tucker Kraft returning from injuries, the Packers' pass-catching room is still quite strong, even without Doubs in the fold.
Signing Doubs was a reasonable gamble by the Patriots, as they believed that a firm No. 2 role alongside Brown with a quarterback like Maye could help him exceed what he put on display in a Packers uniform.
However, New England is very quickly learning what Packers fans already knew. The idea of what Doubs could be is often better than what he is on the field.
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