The Green Bay Packers aren’t afraid to admit the obvious: GM Brian Gutekunst and his personnel staff have made finding help at wide receiver a top priority this offseason.
Fresh off a season in which the offense made do with a rag-tag collection of pass-catchers behind Davante Adams, the Packers are now ready to put the receiver position at or near the top of the team’s list of offseason needs.
“I think that’s something we’ll certainly put an emphasis on this year,” Gutekunst told Jason Wilde of The Athletic.
The emphasis coincides nicely with a talent-rich class of draft-eligible receivers, but it’s also probably a year or two late. The Packers haven’t used a top-100 pick on a receiver since 2015, and they haven’t used a pick in the first two rounds at receiver since 2014. Gutekunst and former GM Ted Thompson attempted to patch up the position with undrafted free agents and late-round picks, including three made by Gutekunst on Day 3 of his first draft in 2018. But the lack of reliable talent at receiver was at least partially responsible for an inconsistent passing game in 2019, the first year in Matt LaFleur’s new offense, and Aaron Rodgers – who will turn 37 in December – is going to need a lot more around him if he is to make the most of his final few NFL seasons.
It’s possible the Packers have something in Allen Lazard, the 6-5 receiver who once starred at Iowa State. He broke out as a real contributor once his opportunities came along in the second half of the season, providing Rodgers with a trustworthy target on third down and other high leverage situations. But he’s probably not the dynamic playmaker the offense needs to reach new heights, and the rest of the supporting cast at receiver is in serious doubt. Geronimo Allison had a disappointing season and is a free agent, Marquez Valdes-Scantling disappeared down the stretch and Equanimeous St. Brown had a lost season due to injury, leaving the position to enter an offseason of necessary transition.
Adams, a three-time Pro Bowler, is a true No. 1. He caught 100 passes over 14 games in 2019, including the two postseason games. He’s 27 years old and under contract for the next two seasons. Now, the Packers must find him a capable sidekick in the passing game.
For many years, the Packers had an embarrassment of riches at the receiver position, and Rodgers was the master point guard distributing the ball to a collection of weapons that couldn’t all be covered. As the talent at receiver has waned, however, so has Rodgers’ once unmatched efficiency.
The defense has been fortified, and only a few positions on the roster are in need of major help. Gutekunst and the Packers must now use the resources available to rebuild the weaponry in the passing game. It sounds like they’re ready to do it this offseason.
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