As the Green Bay Packers offense continues to stall, it’s time to get first-year wide receiver Dontayvion Wicks more opportunities.
“I think he’s a guy that we got to continue to try to get more opportunities for in our offense,” said Matt LaFleur on Monday. “He’s shown the ability. Not only is he a great route runner, but he’s a pretty tenacious blocker.”
Wicks has been targeted 15 times this season and has caught eight of those passes at 14.0 yards per catch with a touchdown. Wicks has out-snapped Samori Toure this year 174 to 98, but in terms of where those additional snaps should come from, Wicks should be given almost all of the snaps between those two players.
Out of 98 eligible receivers, according to PFF, Wicks ranks 28th in average yards after the catch (YAC). While he doesn’t have the same blazing speed that Christian Watson or Jayden Reed do, Wicks is so, so good at creating separation through his releases at the line of scrimmage and his ability as a route runner.
Wicks is also a very willing blocker and a receiver that LaFleur can line up across the formation, playing both on the boundary and in the slot.
“He’ll get after people,” added LaFleur. “He’s physical. He’s smart. He’s a really good route runner, he’s got really strong hands, and he’s fearless. He’s a guy that we’ve got a lot of confidence in, and we’ve got to find different ways to integrate him into our offense because he’s a productive player.”
What the Packers need at the receiver position more than anything right now is stability. A contributing factor to Jordan Love’s struggles at quarterback is the fact that routes aren’t as precise as they should be. The timing of the routes has been thrown off by the physical play of opposing defenses, and the Green Bay pass catchers have struggled to make contested catches.
Love is now just 7-for-28 on passes of 20-plus yards, and it’s the Packers’ inability to connect on these throws that leaves little fear of getting beat over the top by opposing defenses. This then leads to opponents shrinking the field by playing closer to the line of scrimmage, making it harder to move the ball on short area throws or over the middle because there is less space to operate in.
Again, Wicks isn’t the fastest receiver the Packers have, but he can create space from a defender. In 2021 at Virginia, Wicks averaged 21.1 yards per catch and ranked 11th out of all eligible receivers in total downfield receiving yards, according to PFF. Not only should he be in line for more snaps, but perhaps more opportunities in this capacity as well.
Of course, with all of that said, giving Wicks more snaps does not mean that things will all of a sudden turn around for the Packers’ offense. However, he’s earned the opportunity with his play on the field up to this point, and his skill set, specifically being able to get open and pick up YAC, are two elements that could help take some of the playmaking burden off of Love’s shoulders.