Jaire Alexander and Rasul Douglas test Packers young WRs in minicamp
By Paul Bretl
During OTAs, the Green Bay Packers receivers were primarily going up against cornerbacks Shemar Jean-Charles, Corey Ballentine, or Carrington Valentine on the boundary. This week, however, with mandatory minicamp taking place, Jaire Alexander and Rasul Douglas are present to test these young pass catchers.
In terms of snaps played in the NFL, Romeo Doubs and his 529 make him the most experienced receiver on the team. In terms of time spent in the NFL, Jeff Cotton is the eldest as a 2020 undrafted rookie, although he has just one career NFL snaps.
While Brian Gutekunst has left the door open in regards to the Packers making a free-agent addition at the position, the team is largely going to be relying on the current group of receivers that they have, and with that, ups and downs are to be expected. The rookie years for Doubs and Christian Watson are prime examples of just how volatile that first season can be.
Tuesday’s first minicamp practice was held inside the Don Hutson Center due to rain, so we did not see full-speed 11-on-11 drills as we had during OTAs. But nonetheless, we caught a glimpse of the added challenges that Alexander and Douglas bring for this young offense during 7-on-7s.
In the first drill, Jordan Love rarely had anywhere to go with the football and was forced to try to put the ball into some tight windows, which led to a few pass breakups and tipped passes by defenders. During the second session, Love was able to find more success but he was also more reliant on the running backs and tight ends in the passing game to do so.
However, it’s not as if the Green Bay receivers were completely shut down either. The plays of the day came on completions to Doubs and Watson with Alexander in coverage. The first was in the red zone as Doubs ran a corner route to the back left boundary, where Love dropped the ball in over Doubs’ head, as he made a sliding catch with Alexander close by.
During the second 7-on-7 session, Watson showcased his playmaking abilities, running a go-route down the left sidelines, with Love hitting him in stride. The nearest defender was Alexander, although he wasn’t all that near.
"“When i first got here,” said Alexander on Tuesday via Packers.com, “that’s the first thing I told Christian and Romeo, just keep doing what you’re doing because we are going to need you at the end of the day. There’s no ego with me because at this point, I want to see what’s best for the team. I told them, just keep doing what y’all doing. Doubs caught at touchdown on me today and I gave him a hug almost, good stuff man, because last year he didn’t catch anything on me.”"
Wednesday’s minicamp practice was a mostly quiet day for Watson and Doubs. Watson caught a pass during the two-minute drill on an out-route along the sidelines, but Alexander came away with an interception a few plays later, when it looked like Watson and Love weren’t on the same page. Meanwhile, Doubs was targeted on a few quick passes, one of which was broken up by Alexander. Toure was able to make a catch down the seam in 7-on-7, but Jayden Reed had a very quiet few days.
Although we didn’t see the same full-speed 11-on-11 drills this week as we did during OTAs, you could tell that moving the ball through the air was more difficult for the offense.
Challenging the Packers young players is nothing new for Alexander. About this time a year ago, he said he was going to make it as hard as he could for then rookies Watson, Doubs, and Samori Toure. Alexander also spent a number of practices his rookie season in 2018 facing Davante Adams, and then Adams did the same to Eric Stokes in 2021. As the old saying goes, iron sharpens iron, and the hope is that by going up against an elite cornerback like Alexander or Douglas, shortens the learning curve for the young receivers, allowing them to produce at a high level more sooner.
Given the makeup of the receiver room, Doubs, Watson, and even Toure, have had to take on leadership roles. Watson and Doubs are also going to see their roles expand on the football field, not only in targets, but in the variety of routes they are expected to run. A Year 2 leap, something we often see from successful NFL players with the game slowing down and there being a better grasp on the playbook, will be a must for both players if this Packers’ offense is going to find regular success.
While the defense got the best of the offense, especially during Wednesday’s practice, which also isn’t uncommon during this time of the year, you could still see the growth that Doubs and Watson have experienced as well. As Alexander said when talking with reporters on Tuesday, those big plays that Doubs and Watson made probably don’t happen a year ago. Perhaps as the summer progresses, it won’t just be Alexander and Douglas who are challenging the Packers young receivers, but maybe Doubs and Watson can return the favor.
"“These are the guys are on team that we’re going to be rocking with. It’s good to challenge them,” Alexander said via Packers Wire. “I want to see the best for the team.”"