The one Packers WR nobody is talking about

The Packers WR room is currently a crowded one. Pass catchers such as Juwann Winfree, Samori Toure and Ishmael Hyman all have a chance to make the 53 man squad. Once the Tuesday deadline passes for teams to have their official rosters in place, we will have greater clarity on who will be suiting up on Sundays this fall.

We assume that Allen Lazard will be Aaron Rodgers’ favorite target heading into the season opener, and rightfully so. As Zach Kruse points out, Lazard could very well have an 80 catch, 1,000 yard, 10 touchdown type of year when factoring his past production coupled with additional anticipated targets in the offense.

Rookie WR Romeo Doubs has received headline after headline this August and all Packer fans eagerly await to see what #87 can do with #12 in their first season together. The Packers other rookie, the higher drafted one in Christian Watson, shouldn’t be slept on either and figures to get plenty of opportunities to make an impact with his elite potential.

Veteran addition Sammy Watkins, 29, brings 8 years of NFL experience with him and when on the field, should be a player Aaron Rodgers trusts and looks to often. Lastly, it remains to be seen if second-year slot receiver Amari Rodgers is someone who can be counted on after a brutal rookie campaign. The former Clemson Tiger had an improved, yet still up and down preseason.

Oh, and Randall Cobb.

YES, that’s right. If there’s a feeling I’ve had through out the summer and especially training camp when it comes to the Packers receivers, “Oh, and Randall Cobb” is just about a bullseye. Why would there be chatter around a veteran receiver going into his 12th NFL season who’s body is seemingly failing him more and more every year? If Romeo Doubs and Christian Watson are the new model Corvette’s, Cobb is a Ford F-150 with 150,000 miles (Sorry, Chevy Stans).

Aaron Rodgers and Randall Cobb have a connection that dates back to 2011, when Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep” was the top song in the U.S. and the Packers were the defending Super Bowl champs. The two of them together have a combined 462 completed passes, 5,526 yards and 44 touchdowns over 9 seasons. On a per year basis, that equates to 51 receptions, 614 yards and 5 touchdowns.

As someone who just turned 32 five days ago, Cobb still plans to be impactful in the upcoming season.

“My goal was always 12 years”, Cobb said in an August media session. “But I’ve always been one to focus on the moment and put everything into the moment. I try to do everything I can to pass along to other guys but at the same time, I’m competing to play too. I’m not just out here just to be here. I still got aspirations that I want to do this season”.

Dating back to 2018, Cobb has appeared in 9, 15, 10 and most recently 12 games, in 2021. In a diminished role last year, Cobb had 28 receptions, 375 yards and 5 touchdowns. However, he showed that the talent is still there.

In a game where he had already racked 4 catches for 95 yards in less than a half of football against the future Super Bowl Champs, he injured his groin and would miss the rest of the regular season after this TD reception.

Nobody expects Cobb to be the player he once was. With that said, there should be a little more respect put on #18’s name. The longstanding veteran has a deep chemistry with his best friend on the team, Aaron Rodgers and is an impactful voice with the wide receivers group, as well as the team. Similar to a Marcedes Lewis, Cobb is the type of leader many teams with championship level aspirations look to and feed on when times are tough. It’s good to have him back in Green Bay for his 12th NFL season.

Alex grew up in a family of Chicago Bears fans in the suburbs of Chicago but was always a Packers guy. Alex\'s AIM name when he was in elementary/middle school was PackerAlex. He now lives in Nashville, Tennessee and you can follow him on twitter at @Alex_Mayer93.

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