Tag: Samori Toure

Former Packers WR Samori Toure signing with Bears practice squad

Samori Toure, who was released by the Packers on Tuesday, is staying in the NFC North. He’s landing on the practice squad of the Bears.

Former Green Bay Packers receiver Samori Toure’s NFL journey will take him to Chicago, where he is signing with the Bears practice squad on Wednesday, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.

The Packers released Toure, a 2022 seventh-round pick, during final cuts on Tuesday.

While he flashed early in his career, Toure never took a significant developmental step and got passed up on the receiver depth chart. By training camp’s end, Toure was no higher than No. 8 at receiver in Green Bay. The Packers kept Bo Melton and Malik Heath behind the top four of Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs, Jayden Reed and Dontayvion Wicks.

Toure caught 13 passes for 160 yards and a touchdown over 22 regular season games and 251 offensive snaps with the Packers. He played in 11 games each of the last two seasons. In 2023, Toure caught eight of 18 targets for 78 yards, and he also scored a two-point conversion vs. the New Orleans Saints.

In Chicago, Toure will join an offense led by rookie quarterback Caleb Williams and new offensive coordinator Shane Waldron. The Bears are deep at wide receiver, with D.J. Moore, Keenan Allen and first-round pick Rome Odunze leading the way.

At receiver, the Packers are losing Toure and Grant DuBose, who was claimed off waivers by the Miami Dolphins.

Packers releasing WR Samori Toure during final cuts

The Packers are releasing WR Samori Toure during final cuts on Tuesday, per ESPN.

The Green Bay Packers are releasing wide receiver Samori Toure during Tuesday’s final cuts, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.

Toure was a seventh-round pick of the Packers in the 2022 draft. He played in 22 games and caught 13 passes for 160 yards over his first two NFL seasons, but he never took a big developmental step and then got caught in a loaded position group at wide receiver in Green Bay.

Last season, Toure averaged only 4.3 yards per target and caught only eight of his 18 targets.

At best, Toure was the No. 8 wide receiver on the depth behind Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs, Jayden Reed, Dontayvion Wicks, Malik Heath, Bo Melton and Grant DuBose.

It’s unclear if Toure will be a candidate to return to Green bay on the practice squad. With a loaded receiver depth chart, he may seek an opportunity elsewhere.

Last season, Toure played in 11 games for the Packers, seeing action on 139 offensive snaps. While he has experience as a returner, his special teams experience is next to nothing — he played just three total snaps on special teams during his first two seasons.

The 26-year-old was the 258th overall pick in the 2022 draft.

Follow along with all the Packers’ cuts on Tuesday here.

Packers sign WR Bo Melton to 53-man roster, place WR Samori Toure on IR

The Packers signed WR Bo Melton to the 53-man roster and placed WR Samori Toure on injured reserve.

Fresh out of practice squad elevations and one day after producing 105 receiving yards in a win over the Minnesota Vikings, receiver Bo Melton was signed by the Green Bay Packers to the team’s 53-man roster on Monday. Melton will take the roster spot of receiver Samori Toure, who was placed on injured reserve.

Melton caught six passes for a career-high 105 yards and his first NFL touchdown on Sunday night at U.S. Bank Stadium. He had catches of 28 yards and 37 yards, and his 9-yard score put the Packers up 30-3 in the third quarter.

Over the last two weeks, Melton has caught 10 passes for 149 yards and rushed one time for seven yards. Of his 11 catches this season, 10 have created first downs or touchdowns, including five conversions on third down.

Melton became the first Packers player to reach 100 receiving yards in 2023.

Melton’s signing to the active roster allows him a chance to play in the season finale against the Chicago Bears. He was previously elevated from the practice squad three times, the maximum for one player in a season.

Toure suffered an undisclosed injury against the Vikings. He fumbled away a punt return and caught one pass for -6 yards but the Packers did not report an injury in-game.

Toure’s season is now over. He caught eight passes for 78 yards over 18 targets and 11 games in 2023.

If everyone is healthy and available, the Packers will go into Sunday’s game against the Bears with Melton, Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs, Jayden Reed, Dontayvion Wicks and Malik Heath at wide receiver.

The Packers also signed safety Tyler Coyle to the practice squad, replacing Melton.

Larger role for Packers WR Samori Toure likely coming against physical Bucs’ secondary

With injuries at receiver, the Packers may need Samori Toure to play a bigger role on Sunday against the Bucs.

With Christian Watson out, Green Bay Packers’ second-year wide receiver Samori Toure saw more playing time against the New York Giants and may be called upon once again this week against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

“It felt good being out there,” said Toure Thursday at his locker. “Definitely lost a little sleep over those plays just inches away, but I was happy to be out there.”

Toure couldn’t make a diving catch along the boundary of the end zone on an off-schedule play and had a potential touchdown knocked away at the last second a little while later in the second of the Packers’ 24-22 loss to the Giants.

Toure has played a relatively small role on offense for the Packers this season. At best, Toure has been the fifth wide receiver option, but since Week 9, he has been inactive more than active on game days after being passed on the depth chart by Malik Heath.

However, with Watson sidelined versus the Giants, Toure was called upon and played 18 offensive snaps. The thing about the Green Bay offense this season is that Jordan Love will go anywhere with the football on just about any given play. So, although Toure had been inactive in four of the previous five games, he still saw four targets on Monday, catching two of them for 22 yards.

“I think it’s just me being on scout team for six, seven weeks last year,” said Toure about his connection with Love, “and being with him (Love) on scout team. It’s just about being on the same page. Other receivers as well, we know how he likes us to run certain routes, and we know on most of the plays what progression we are. It’s just about that chemistry.”

Following Thursday’s practice, Matt LaFleur already confirmed that Watson would not be practicing on Friday, which, by reading the tea leaves, would likely make it a tall task for him to be available on Sunday, given he wouldn’t have practiced at all this week.

Some good news is that Dontayvion Wicks returned to practice on Thursday in a limited fashion after missing Wednesday’s session. He is dealing with an ankle injury, and his availability for Sunday is unknown–although he does seem to be trending in the right direction.

To some degree, Toure is going to likely factor into the Green Bay game plan against Tampa Bay.

“You never know how it’s going to go until the game comes,” said Toure. “I’m always going to be ready no matter what. The coaches know that. It’s just about preparing the right way and being able to step up when your number is called.”

Under head coach Todd Bowles, this is an aggressive Buccaneers defense. They will enter Sunday’s game blitzing at the second-highest rate in football. Their front seven has been very good against the run, and the Tampa Bay secondary features do-it-all safety Antoine Winfield, along with a group of cornerbacks that will challenge opposing receivers and be physical.

“They got some good DBs over there,” said Toure about the Bucs defense. “They got a good front seven as well. They like to apply some pressure. We see a little bit of man coverage from them, and we obviously like seeing that. But it’s kind of similar to the Saints. The DBs are a little aggressive, so we’ve just got to match that energy and be able to make plays.”

However, where this unit has also been susceptible is on the back end, allowing 7.2 yards per pass attempt this season, the fourth-most in football. Opposing offenses have been able to generate 54 pass plays of 20-plus yards against this defense, the second-highest total this season.

In the last two games against Kansas City and New York, the run game had to play a somewhat prominent role as it was the best way to attack both of those defenses. But this week, given how well the Bucs have defended the run and the fact that Green Bay may end up being somewhat short-handed at running back, the passing game may have to shoulder the workload this time around.

“It’s just about knowing it’s coming and being ready,” said Toure about the Bucs’ physical secondary. “Sometimes you get jump jammed as a receiver and you won’t expect it and it’ll knock you off balance. Going into the game expecting that, you can be ready, you can have your hands up, it’s anticipated so you’ll be better prepared.”

Jordan Love throws ‘perfect ball’ to spark Saturday’s successful two-minute drill

A big gainer from Jordan Love to Samori Toure helped spark the offense’s successful two-minute drive during Saturday’s practice.

Most successful two-minute drills require a big play. During a competitive team period during Saturday’s training camp practice, Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love provided just such a play.

Of course, it was just one throw during one period of one training camp practice. But the play — against Green Bay’s No. 1 defense in the most competitive phase of Saturday’s practice — showcased what Love is capable of in the starting role.

On a third down, second-year receiver Samori Toure ran a double move against veteran cornerback Rasul Douglas and Love hit him down the field for a gain of 30 or more yards. Love’s throw had a combination of accuracy and touch.

In fact, Toure called it a “perfect ball” that was put in the ideal location, over the top of the corner and away from the safety, vetean Darnell Savage.

“It was a perfect ball,” Toure said, via Pete Dougherty of PackersNews.com. “It can’t be more perfect than that. If he throws it any more outside, it’s out of bounds. Any more inside, and the safety makes a play on it. He put it in the perfect spot.”

Helped along by the big play, Love’s offense moved the ball over 70 yards and set up a chip-shot field goal with no time remaining in the scenario. Per Dougherty, Love completed four passes on the march, including a competion to Christian Watson for a first down to start the series.

Unsurprisingly, Love and the young Packers offense have been up and down to open training camp. Maybe Saturday’s big play and two-minute march can provide a confidence boost and help the group start stacking good days. The Packers are off Sunday, and the pads come on for the first time Monday.

Packers have ‘high hopes’ for second-year WR Samori Toure

Like all young players, Samori Toure is searching for consistency. But the Packers think he has the talent to separate at the NFL level.

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The Green Bay Packers want second-year receiver Samori Toure to continue building consistency to his game, but there is confidence in his development so far, especially in terms of his overall ability to separate in the passing game, entering the 2023 season.

Coach Matt LaFleur said Toure has “had his moments” during the offseason workout program. The next step, like with all young players, is doing the good things consistently.

“We’ve got to continute to build on those and become more and more consistent along the way, but he’s a guy we definitely have high hopes for,” LaFleur said last week. “He has the things, the tools necessary, that you look for in terms of being able to separate. He has them in his body, he possesses those. It’s just continuing to get more and more reps.”

In the most simple description of the job, receivers in the NFL must separate and catch the football. LaFleur and the Packers sound confident in Toure’s ability to run routes and shake loose from coverage, checking one important box.

Mastering the little details of the position is what creates the ever-elusive consistency. And mastery typically arrives through experience, so on-field reps during the summer will be vital as Toure continues to develop.

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A seventh-round pick out of Nebraska last year, Toure caught five passes for 82 yards and a score over 11 regular-season games as a rookie. He was on the field for 112 offensive snaps. During the preseason, Toure caught nine of 13 targets for 125 yards, averaging 13.9 yards per catch and 9.6 yards per target.

The 25-year-old is now entering Year 2 with an incredible opportunity to carve out a legitimate role as a complementary receiver to Chrsitian Watson and Romeo Doubs in 2023.

According to receivers coach Jason Vrable, Toure put on 8-10 pounds during the offseason and is playing fast and confidently to start Year 2. Physical and mental development are always important keys to taking a meaningful step as a young player. Truly breaking out as a player is when talent develops congruently with a growing opportunity.

The question becomes: Is Toure bound to become another over-hyped young player who disappears when it matters, or is he entering his second season on the verge of an actual breakout? Opportunity in the Packers receiver room isn’t a hurdle. If Toure can grow and find consistency as a second-year player, he’ll be in a perfect position to contribute for LaFleur and Jordan Love in 2023.

Packers WR Samori Toure aiming to make most of opportunity

Snaps at wide receiver are available in Green Bay. Samori Toure feels ready to take advantage in Year 2.

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Samori Toure is no stranger to success. He was a record-setting wide receiver at Westview High School in Portland, Oregon. During his final season in Missoula as a member of the University of Montana, Toure set the program record for receiving yards in a season. In his lone season at Nebraska, Toure led the Big 10 in yards per reception (19.5) and matched the program record for 100-yard receiving games in a season (five). 

The seventh-round selection in the 2022 NFL Draft played sparingly during his rookie season for the Green Bay Packers, logging just 112 snaps on offense. Toure made the most of his opportunity, catching five passes for 82 yards and one touchdown. While most will remember the touchdown against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday Night Football, it was the fourth down catch against the Detroit Lions in November that flashed Toure’s playmaking ability.

Thus far this offseason, Toure has drawn praise from general manager Brian Gutekunst, head coach Matt LaFleur, and wide receiver coach Jason Vrable.

With snaps up for grabs behind fellow second-year wide receivers, Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs, Toure is a candidate to enjoy a potential breakout campaign catching passes from Jordan Love. 

“I feel like I’ve made a big jump. I think that’s something that’s been consistent with me, even throughout college,” Toure said following OTAs on Wednesday. “I’ve been able to make a lot of progress throughout each year. It’s just a matter of being comfortable in the system…It’s about learning from your mistakes…I think I can build on what I did last year.”

Toure is not lying. After redshirting, Toure caught 31 passes for 553 yards and five touchdowns in 2017 for the Griz. Toure’s receptions took an uptick in 2018, but his yards and touchdowns regressed (37/440/2). He enjoyed a monster season in 2019. Toure recorded 87 receptions and set the program record for receiving yards in a season (1,495). The Oregon native also caught 13 touchdown passes. During his lone season in Lincoln, Toure caught 46 passes for 898 yards and five touchdowns.

Toure is planning to follow the same flight path this season for the Packers. The opportunity is there for him and he knows it’s up to him to make the most of those reps.

“I’m grateful for being able to see the field at all last year and for the opportunities that I did have,” Toure said. “Obviously I would have liked more, but that’s my chance this year to build on that and be more involved.”

Toure’s been a playmaker and record-setter at each level. Bet against him at your own risk. 

Packers WR Samori Toure is turning heads this offseason

Packers WR coach Jason Vrable on Toure: “If you guys would see Samori right now, you wouldn’t even recognize the guy from last year with this growth.”

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In a Green Bay Packers receiver room garnering a lot of attention this offseason, mostly due to the inexperience at the position, perhaps forgotten about at times is 2022 seventh-round pick Samori Toure. Much of the outside attention is on Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs, and three incoming rookies. However, inside Lambeau Field, everyone is taking notice of Toure.

As a seventh-round rookie, Toure’s role was expectedly small this past year. He was on the field for 112 total offensive snaps, and made a few plays, catching five of his nine passes at 16.4 yards per catch, with a touchdown catch against Buffalo, where he caught the attention of Aaron Rodgers by making a mid-route adjustment based on what the defense was doing.

In his one season at Nebraska, Toure was a home run threat, averaging 19.5 yards per catch while ranking 10th in total deep receiving yards, according to PFF.

This offseason we’ve heard GM Brian Gutekunst bring up Samori Toure unprompted when discussing the receiver room. Then Matt LaFleur did it. And most recently, wide receivers coach Jason Vrable while meeting with reporters on Thursday. To put it simply, Toure is turning heads this offseason.

“If you guys would see Samori right now, you wouldn’t even recognize the guy from last year with this growth,” said Vrable. “He’s probably, of everybody, the one that everyone around the building is like ’83 looks unbelievable right now.’ He’s put on 8-10 pounds, he’s worked his butt off, and he’s grown into his own, so you feel comfortable in your own skin. Then you play fast, and you play with confidence, and that’s all you really want.”

This season, Toure’s role is likely to expand. With added weight, that could help him hold up better as a blocker in the run game, an aspect that we know is important to playing the receiver position in this offseason. But he can also provide the Packers with an additional downfield threat.

Not that Watson still won’t be able to provide that, but with LaFleur telling reporters this offseason that Watson’s route-running responsibilities are going to expand, he may not be used in that downfield capacity as often as he attacks other parts of the field more frequently.

That element within the offense is still going to be needed, however. Having a vertical presence helps spread out the defense and creates better spacing underneath for other pass catchers to operate. Just last season, we saw the impact of having and not having a downfield element. Before Watson’s breakout performance, opposing defenses were not scared of getting beat over the top, so they condensed the field and crowded the line of scrimmage, making moving the ball through the air and also on the ground more difficult.

While Toure was barely on the field for 100 snaps last season, he has a full year of experience in the Matt LaFleur offense, and in a young room, there’s absolutely value in that. The next step is taking these strides that he’s made over the offseason onto the practice field, where he has the opportunity to earn a larger and more defined role this season.

”In the end, if your process is right, and you love ball, and you outwork everybody in the building, you end up rising to the top,” said Vrable. “It happens over and over with guys as long as they have enough skill set. I love this room and how it’s been.”

Packers rookie review: WR Samori Toure

Reviewing the rookie season of Packers wide receiver Samori Toure, a seventh-round pick in the 2022 draft.

The Green Bay Packers made 11 picks during the 2022 NFL draft: six offensive players and five defensive players.

Over the next few weeks, we’ll be going through and reviewing the 2022 season for all of the Packers’ rookies. Next up: the final of four seventh-round picks made by the Packers, wide receiver Samori Toure.

Brian Gutekunst likes long-term outlook of Packers’ wide receiver room

Despite some ups and downs early in the post Davante Adams era, Packers GM Brian Gutekunst likes the long-term outlook of his WR room.

The moment that Brian Gutekunst realized that Davante Adams had no plans to re-sign with the Green Bay Packers, he knew the wide receiver room at 1265 Lombardi Avenue was in store for a remodel. 

Replacing the best wide receiver and his production was always going to take time. There were going to be growing pains. 

It was dubbed the Davante Replacement plan. A plan that just a few weeks ago looked like a complete and utter failure. A plan that fell under extreme scrutiny before and after the trade deadline when Gutekunst failed to add a wide receiver.

Turns out, all we needed was a little patience, a hard thing to come by in today’s fast-paced world, where people want to see results immediately. 

“Whenever you lose a player the caliber of Tae, you’re going to have to overcome it,” Green Bay general manager Brian Gutekunst said during his press conference on Monday. “I think we struggled out of the gate to do that. At the same time, that room, in particular, looks pretty bright moving forward.” 

The centerpiece of that room and the remodel of the wide receiver room is Christian Watson. The dynamic wide receiver is the reason why the light is shining so bright in Green Bay’s wide receiver room. 

The NDSU wide receiver that the Packers traded up for in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft struggled to get and stay on the field early in the season as he battled the injury bug.

Over the last four games, Watson has hauled in 15 receptions for 313 receiving yards. During that four-game stretch, Watson has had two 100-yard receiving games and he’s accounted for eight touchdowns. 

“You have to give that kid a lot of credit,” Gutekunst said. “Going into camp with the surgery and having to miss that time…I give him a lot of credit for not losing faith and not losing his work ethic. Because when the opportunities presented themselves he made the most of them.”

When the Packers return from the bye week they could get a closer look at what the wide receiver room could look like moving forward when Romeo Doubs returns from injury. 

According to ESPN’s Rob Demovksy, Watson, and Doubs, the fourth-round pick out of Nevada have only been on the field together this season for 52 snaps. Getting those two on the field together will be a high priority for Matt LaFleur as the Packers assess what they have at the wide receiver position. 

“It would be nice to get all those guys out there at the same time,” Gutekunst said…I’m very high on those guys’ ceilings and what they can do as a group.”

With Watson, Doubs and Samori Toure, the Packers have foundational pieces in place at the wide receiver room. Now, it’s up to Gutekunst to continue to add young talent to the mix.

This year’s wide receiver class is not as highly regarded as the previous three wide receiver draft classes, but there are still talented wide receivers that could be high on Gutekunst’s board. Here are five wide receivers that Gutekunst could target in the first three rounds if he opts to add a wide receiver early in the 2023 NFL Draft. 

Quentin Johnston, TCU

Johnston has all the tools to tempt Gutekunst to take a wide receiver in the first round. Like Watson, Johnston has a unique blend of size (6-4, 215) and speed. Pairing him with Watson would put a lot of stress on defenses.

Rashee Rice, SMU

Emmanuel Sanders, Cortland Sutton, Cole Beasley, James Proche, Trey Quinn, Reggie Roberson, and Danny Gray. SMU has produced a lot of talented wide receivers over the years and Rice may be the most talented. Rice set the program record for receiving yards this season. His greatest strength is his ability to create after the catch. He could be a target for Gutekunst at the top of the second round.

Rome Odunze, Washington

If Oduzne opts for the NFL Draft he could go early in the second round. Odunze enjoyed a breakout season under first-year head coach Kalen DeBoer.  Odunze passes the eye test with his size (6-3, 201 pounds), athleticism, and play strength. The Washington wide receiver is a vertical threat with his long strides and straight-line quickness. He’s able to vary his route speed to keep defensive backs off balance and has a lot of branches on his route tree.

Cedric Tillman, Tennessee

Tillman would give the Packers a big, physical wide receiver to pair with Watson. Tillman is a long (6-3), physical wide receiver that outmuscles defensive backs at the catch point. With his frame, he has a large catch radius and has the body control to adjust to the ball while it’s in the air.

Xavier Hutchinson, Iowa State

The Cyclone wide receiver has excellent hand-eye coordination and makes contested catches look like a walk in the park. He has outstanding body control and does a good job of adjusting to the ball. Hutchinson finished this season with 107 receptions for 1,171 yards and six touchdowns. 

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