There were quite a few unknowns about the wide receiver position of the Green Bay Packers entering the 2023 season, especially given the lack of overall experience. But with only two games remaining, one big thing we’ve learned is that this position group in Green Bay is deep.
“Our wideout room is extremely deep,” said offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich on Thursday. “It’s deeper than it’s been in a long time. It’s a testament to our personnel guys, getting the right guys in here. It’s a testament to coach (Jason) Vrable and Quinshon (Odom), coaching them in that room, and their mindset. The way they practice.
“One thing we preach a lot is even though if you’re on the practice squad, you still prepare every week like you’re going to play, that way when your time comes you’ll ready to play.”
Throughout training camp, it was clear that Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs, and Jayden Reed were going to be the Packers starters at wide receiver. However, due to an early hamstring injury to Watson, rookie fifth-round pick Dontayvion Wicks was thrust into a larger role right away—and keep in mind, Wicks missed time over the summer dealing with injuries of his own.
Wicks would lead the Packers in receiving yards in Week 2 against Atlanta, and between Weeks 2 and 3, he totaled 80 yards on eight receptions. As the season has gone on, Wicks has become a go-to target for Jordan Love, able to create separation with the best of them, and developed into one of the more efficient receivers during the second-half of the season, ranking 14th in yards per route run. Wicks has also been one of the best overall in picking up yards after the catch.
Along with Wicks’ contributions, whether it be due to injuries elsewhere or earned opportunities by performing in practice, Malik Heath went from a regular inactive through the early portion of the season to someone who sees regular snaps on Sundays. In the last six games, he has 11 receptions for 103 yards and a touchdown, while being a more than willing and capable run-blocker.
Then most recently, we’ve seen the emergence of Bo Melton, who has been elevated to the game day roster the last two weeks. Whether it was on special teams, the scout team, or when getting some opportunities on Wednesdays with the starters, Melton was consistently making plays in practice, and earned opportunities on Sundays, which he has also taken advantage of. Against Carolina, he totaled 44 yards while running just 15 routes and had a carry for seven yards.
Over the course of the season, the Packers wide receiver room has gone from a big question mark to being a unit that runs six deep and potentially seven if you count Samori Toure, who has played 130 snaps and caught seven passes for 84 yards.
“I talked to our room about it and we have to set the standard,” said wide receivers coach Jason Vrable. “I’ve said it from the beginning, for a long time, that we have to set the standard.
“When our group is making the plays that we need to make in the run and the pass game, and also on special teams, good things are going to happen because the majority of times throughout the league, receivers create explosive plays and you see it week-in and week-out that we’ve had some guys do that. I feel like now, everyone is starting to understand what it takes to play at a high level to win games.”
We are now seeing the culmination of all this as these young players navigate the NFL learning curve, but it was a very bumpy road to get to this point. Contributing to the Packers offensive woes through the first half of the year were dropped passes, failing to make contested catches, and wrong routes being ran. There was also still a feeling out process by the coaching staff taking place, trying to figure out what each player does best, and putting them in positions to be successful.
With far greater consistency in the passing game, and the offense much more effective at picking up chunk yardage plays through the air – Love ranks third since Week 11 in completions of 20-plus yards – the Packers offense has taken off in recent weeks. Over the last six games, they rank fourth in offensive DVOA, behind only the Los Angeles Rams, San Francisco, and Baltimore.
In the NFL, coaches and players aren’t really allowed to look ahead. Their focus has to remain on the day-to-day activities that will help them win that week. But for as far as this Packers receiver room as a whole has come over the last few months, there is still quite a bit more opportunity for growth out there to be had, and the thought of the potential that this unit has is an exciting proposition.
“Now we know and now I have high expectations because I’ve seen it play out,” said Stenavich. “Hey, we are capable of doing this now so now the expectations are absolutely very high. We’ve set an expectation for ourselves and we know what it’s all about for the Green Bay Packers. Moving forward I expect us to be a good offense.
“It’s a fun thing when you look ahead and see, alright, we have all these pieces, we have all these guys and now they have some experience, all the wideouts and tight ends. It’s going to be really interesting moving forward just to see how it all shakes out but I’m very fired up for all of that for sure.”