Christian Watson’s big-play ability was a game-changer for the Green Bay Packers offense through the second half of the season. Now, instead of relying solely on Watson to fill that role in 2023, they need to find another receiver who can stretch the field.
Without a true downfield threat through the first nine games of the season, opposing defenses didn’t fear getting beat over the top by Green Bay, which led to them shrinking the field by playing closer to the line of scrimmage, along with pressing the Packers receivers. This made moving the ball on the ground or through the quick passing game – which Green Bay was relying heavily on – all the more challenging.
There was a lot that went wrong for the Packers during this stretch, but the lack of home-run ability on the outside was one of the key factors in their struggles.
However, following Watson’s emergence in Week 10 against Dallas, defenses could no longer take that aggressive approach, or if they did, risked Watson running past them. In general, this created better spacing and more room to operate, both in the running and passing games, for the Green Bay offense. On top of that, with the attention that Watson drew, he helped create opportunities for other pass catchers because of his gravity.
The wide receiver position is again a need for the Packers this offseason. Currently on the roster are Watson, Romeo Doubs, Samori Toure, Bo Melton, and Jeff Cotton. This room needs a veteran presence added to it in free agency to provide some stability, as there will still be ups and downs with such a young room. Four of the five players mentioned are only entering their second NFL season in 2023, and Cotton is a 2020 UDFA with little experience.
With limited spending power again in free agency, the Packers, in all likelihood, aren’t going to sign a game-changer, and I’ll venture to say it will be a very short-term deal. So what they do in free agency should have no bearing on how they approach the draft, where finding another vertical threat to complement Watson should be on Brian Gutekunst’s radar.
Although Watson looks like a star in the making, and Doubs had a lot of positive plays of his own, what the Packers can’t do this offseason is become content. Watson was Green Bay’s go-to downfield target last season, and he will certainly continue to fill that role moving forward. However, as we also saw last season, his skill set makes him much more than just a deep threat. He’s a willing blocker, dangerous behind the line of scrimmage as well as on crossing routes where he has YAC opportunities. Entering his second NFL season, as long as he stays healthy, Watson’s role and responsibilities should continue to expand beyond what we saw in 2022.
An added vertical presence can help create the same opportunities for Watson that he was creating for others last season. And if the defense instead chooses to keep their attention on Watson – which will often be the case – the Packers potentially have a one-on-one matchup downfield with the other receiver to take advantage of. This is another way to continue stressing defenses, essentially forcing them to choose who they are going to defend.
If the Packers do look to the draft for this big play ability, Brennen Rupp of Packers Wire lists a few players who could fit this mold, including Jalin Hyatt (Tennessee), Marvin Mims (Oklahoma), Tyler Scott (Cincinnati), Dontayvion Wicks (Virginia), Trey Palmer (Nebraska), and Quentin Johnson (TCU).
Or perhaps Green Bay believes that they already have this type of player on their roster. Toure averaged just shy of 20 yards per catch during his final season at Nebraska. Melton, meanwhile, ran a 4.34-second 40-time at the combine. With that said, relying on a pair of seventh-round picks to fill a specific role does come with some risk.
We all know the Packers need to continue adding to the wide receiver position, but specifically, they need another deep threat. This will allow the Packers to use Watson in other capacities – truly maximizing his abilities – and to further stress opponents by spreading the defense out. After all, defenses can only try to take away so many players or routes.
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