6 Wide Receivers or 7 for the Green Bay Packers?
By Paul Bretl
During Matt LaFleur’s first three seasons as head coach of the Green Bay Packers, each year, there have been at most six receivers kept on the initial 53-man roster–including just five in 2020. And if that’s the case once again in 2022, then even with all of the unknowns at this position, the roster seems pretty well set.
While you can always leave the door cracked open for the anything can happen scenario, Sammy Watkins, Christian Watson, Amari Rodgers, Randall Cobb, Allen Lazard, and Romeo Doubs all seem to be roster locks–or at a minimum, very close to it.
To roster six wide receivers or seven–that is one of the big questions facing the Green Bay Packers this upcoming summer.
However, that aforementioned group of six does not include Samori Toure, and while there is never a guarantee that a seventh-round pick is going to make the roster, he does bring a downfield presence to this offense, averaging nearly 20.0 yards per catch at Nebraska, and he could also be a special teams contributor, specifically as a gunner.
Then there are the incumbents, Juwann Winfree and Malik Taylor. The two would combine for only 16 targets last season, 13 of which belonged to Winfree, but there is something to be said for being familiar with the offense, and both would contribute on special teams as well–which is an important element for any back-end of the roster player.
"“Right now, I’ve seen Malik (Taylor) and Juwann (Winfree) and Amari (Rodgers), who look night and day compared to what they did last year,” said WR Coach Jason Vrable via Packers.com. “I think it’s all the way they worked in the offseason, the way they understand the playbook and the way they’re flying around out there. It’s a totally different speed. So I feel really good about them right now.”"
A free agent addition at the receiver position would almost certainly mean that the Green Bay Packers are going to keep seven receivers, and the three players just mentioned would be on the outside looking in. In regards to the salary cap, the Packers do have some wiggle room — although I wouldn’t expect a big money addition — and post-June 1st last summer, Green Bay would still add De’Vondre Campbell, Dennis Kelly, and Corey Bojorquez, so it’s not as if it’s too late in the offseason to find someone.
With that said, I have my doubts that this will happen. This is already a fairly crowded receiver room, and it’s not as if there are a ton of game-changers available in free agency–so unless the player is a significant upgrade over who Green Bay already has on the roster, why make an addition to an already full room?
Now, two players who would provide a significant upgrade are Odell Beckham and Julio Jones. But Beckham is still recovering from his second ACL injury since 2020, while Jones could very well be out of Green Bay’s price range—so again, I remain skeptical.
Without Davante Adams receiving a large portion of Aaron Rodgers’ targets, there will be more opportunities to go around, which could require a deeper rotation, thus potentially needing seven receivers instead of six.
Also, given the question marks at the position, LaFleur may also prefer a seventh receiver this year as opposed to past seasons, simply to give him an additional option, as the Green Bay Packers work to solidify their receiver rotation over the summer and into the season.
On the flip side, while a seventh receiver adds to that position, it also means taking away from another in order to make the math work out and the roster equaling out to 53 players. Two positions where the Green Bay Packers could choose to make a subtraction is along the interior defensive line, where they kept six players in 2021, and also inside linebacker, where they rostered five.
Ultimately it’s going to come down to how training camp and the preseason unfolds. Whether it be Toure, Taylor, Winfree, or an outside addition, for the most part, they will have to earn that roster spot. It’s not as if LaFleur is going to keep seven receivers just for the sake of doing so—even with the unknowns at the position.
This is going to end up being one of the more intriguing positional battles to watch this summer.