Packers Receiver: How much playing time do the rookies get?
Aaron Rodgers has made it clear for much of the summer that this Packers offense — at least right away — is going to lean on the team’s veteran receivers, Allen Lazard, Randall Cobb, and Sammy Watkins.
So how much of Romeo Doubs and Christian Watson do we see?
Both will have opportunities and can fill specific roles. Doubs as a downfield threat, and Watson, also as a downfield threat, but on gadget plays as well. With
With Doubs’ play this summer, it will be difficult keeping him off the field, and that becomes an impossible task if Allen Lazard can’t play, but we all know how important having that trust is with Aaron Rodgers. With a healthy Lazard, Doubs is the fourth wide receiver option, plus the Packers have Jones, Dillon, and possibly Robert Tonyan.
In short, the targets and opportunities for these rookies could be somewhat limited, but again, I’m excited to see how that all plays out.
Packers Offensive line: Who starts, and how well can this group hold up?
David Bakhtiari and Elgton Jenkins were both limited participants again on Thursday, putting Sunday in jeopardy for them. As I discussed in a recent article, if neither can go, I would expect the Packers to use the same starting offensive line we’ve seen all summer.
But what if Jenkins can play and Bakhtiari can’t? Then my guess is that Yosh Nijman stays at left tackle, and Jenkins slides into right tackle with Royce Newman moving to right guard. If Bakhtiari can play but Jenkins can’t, then we run into some unknowns. Would Newman stay at right tackle? Or would Nijman take over at that spot, despite taking very few reps there this summer?
The other question is, how well will this group hold up against a good Vikings defensive front? For this offense to find consistent success, it is going to start with the play up front. Finding some success on the ground will be important, and I also suspect that we see a lot of quick passes and tight end chips to help keep Rodgers clean.
Packers Tight end: Does Robert Tonyan play?
There are many answers to most questions in football, but one of the big reasons why this Packers offense took a step back in 2021 was because they didn’t have Robert Tonyan.
Tonyan is a trusted target of Rodgers, and without him, there isn’t another tight end on the roster who can impact the passing game like he can–and having an effective tight end in this LaFleur offense is important.
Tonyan has practiced the last two days, but he is listed as a limited participant. For the reasons just mentioned, having Tonyan in Minnesota will be a major boost for the Packers’ offense, especially without Davante Adams.