The 2023 season marks a new era for Green Bay Packers football, and with the new era comes a ton of uncertainty. Jordan Love is the top player everyone will be watching this season. But behind Love comes an extremely young and inexperienced Packers receiving corps.
Who Makes Up the 2023 Receiving Group?
This group, as it currently sits, is made up of ten players. None of them have more than one year of experience to their names. The two most experienced receivers are Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs, who have played in 14 and 13 career games, respectively. Then there’s Samori Toure and Bo Melton who were on the roster last season as rookies as well. They didn’t contribute a whole lot outside of some special teams work. Then there are the rookies: Jayden Reed, Dontayvion Wicks, Grant DuBose, Duece Watts, Malik Heath, and Jadakis Bonds. Oh, let’s not forget about OTA standout Jeff Cotton either.
The inexperience of this group could definitely be viewed as a big concern. But I think most Packers fans understand the situation for what it is and that’s that this team will probably not be competing for a Super Bowl this year. On the positive side of things, no expectations mean the Packers can go into this season and give this young, but talented, receiving group as much playing time as possible.
Should the Packers add a veteran presence?
Brian Gutekunst and Matt LaFleur could have dipped into the free agent market and signed a veteran receiver if they wanted to. There were plenty of chances to with players like Odell Beckham Jr. In fact, there still are players like DeAndre Hopkins out there. But the fact that they didn’t sign them or weren’t really even in the discussion for these players is pretty telling. They believe in Watson, Doubs, and company. They like what they have. Why take snaps away from them and give them to a guy who likely wouldn’t be there in a year and honestly might not even be any better?
If the Packers wanted to sign a guy, they would have. This isn’t even exclusive to the receiver position. They added two rookie tight ends while losing Marcedes Lewis and Robert Tonyan. They chose to let them both go in order to give reps to the young and exciting duo of Luke Musgraves and Tucker Kraft.
So to answer that question, no. I don’t think the Packers will look to add a veteran to the receiver room, nor should they. I think they want Watson and Doubs to take the role of leaders and run with it. If there’s ever a time to have this situation, it’s now.
What should we expect from this young group?
We saw some really good things from Christian Watson last year. He had one of the best seasons by a Packers rookie receiver in a really long time. In those 14 games he played in, he caught 41 passes for 611 yards and 7 touchdowns. He did all that while battling injuries and being in Rodgers’ doghouse. He is going to play a huge part in the offense with Jordan Love this season and everything he does this season will only make him that much better in the future.
Romeo Doubs was the sexy name during training camp last summer. When Watson didn’t practice much with injuries, Doubs was the rookie receiver that was making headlines on Twitter. He too battled injuries throughout his rookie campaign and finished the year with 42 catches, 425 yards, and three touchdowns. His connection with Jordan Love has already been well-documented this offseason. His training sessions with Love in California and the fact that he has been getting a ton of targets in OTAs have caught the attention of fans.
Behind Watson and Doubs, there is even more uncertainty. Right now, you’d assume rookie Jayden Reed would be the third receiver on the team, playing primarily out of the slot. However, I think there’s going to be a lot of competition for the spots behind Watson and Doubs. A player like Toure, who caught five passes for 82 yards and a touchdown last season, could be in the running for WR3 as well. Maybe even Bo Melton could make a splash and earn some playing time next fall.
2023 season outlook
It’s likely going to be a season full of peaks and valleys, especially with this receiving group. But a season where they can grow with Love and gain a lot of experience with their new quarterback can be nothing but a positive thing. That’s what this season is all about; building a foundation for the future. If the Packers make the playoffs this season, great! If not, that’s okay too. This is the best thing about low expectations.
This is going to be a fun season to watch, regardless of wins or losses. Being able to see this young receiving corps develop and get better throughout the season is one of the things I am most looking forward to with the 2023 Green Bay Packers.
