How the Green Bay Packers' crowded wide receiver room shakes out when rubber meets road has been a persistent question for what feels like forever. Well, the team can no longer kick this can down the road: that time is upon them.
The team's 2023 draft picks, Jayden Reed and Dontayvion Wicks, will be eligible for contract extensions come season's end. Christian Watson is signed through 2026, but has played himself into the Packers' long-term plans. Then there's Romeo Doubs, whose days feel numbered, especially after a harrowing, costly blunder in Green Bay's season-altering loss to the Chicago Bears.
Doubs is currently playing out the fourth and final year of his rookie pact, and recent intel suggests a new deal is unlikely. He's been targeted more than four times or exceeded 36 receiving yards just once over the past five games. That's a far cry from earlier in the campaign, when the Packers treated him as their No. 1 pass-catcher.
The writing appears to be on the wall for Doubs. He's getting phased out of the offense on an expiring salary, and a breakup seems like the next move.
Packers WR Romeo Doubs is running out of time to prove himself in Green Bay
Entering Week 15, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler revealed that the Packers "are expected to part ways" with Doubs this offseason. The wideout is slated for unrestricted free agency and will reportedly "do well on the open market," excluding Green Bay.
The Packers have only supported Fowler's update with their actions. Doubs has been put on the back burner; let's look at his numbers through the first 10 contests of 2025 compared to the ensuing six.
Romeo Doubs: Weeks 1-11 vs. Weeks 12-16 this season
Weeks 1-11 | Weeks 12-16 |
|---|---|
39 receptions | 13 receptions |
499 receiving yards (49.9 yds/g) | 163 receiving yards (32.6 yds/g) |
20.5 percent target share | 12.8 percent target share |
25.0 percent first-read target share | 15.3 percent first-read target share |
4 TDs | 2 TD |
Note: Stats courtesy of Fantasy Points' data suite ($).
Keep in mind that the Packers had star tight end Tucker Kraft available when Doubs was thriving, which only makes his output more impressive. Moreover, half of the wideout's production during this cold streak came against the Bears. The additional context makes the regression more confusing and noteworthy.
You'd think the Packers would lean on Doubs, who's proven capable of stepping up when given the chance, without Kraft, especially down the stretch. Instead, they've scaled back the former's usage, potentially foreshadowing an ostensibly inevitable split.
For whatever it's worth, Watson was returning from a torn ACL as Kraft suffered one. That has also factored into how the pecking order has shaken out. Yet, Doubs ceding the high ground to someone virtually fresh off a serious knee injury also isn't a strong endorsement.