There are several reasons for the Green Bay Packers to increase Samori Toure’s snap count and target share. The season is effectively over, so it’s time to test players who will be part of the team beyond 2022. Therefore, there is no reason to wait much longer to find out what they have in Toure, a seventh-round rookie.
Furthermore, the Packers have had multiple injuries at wide receiver, a position where they were already thin. Romeo Doubs is out at least a month, Christian Watson can’t stay healthy, and Randall Cobb is still on injured reserve. Now the offensive coaching staff’s job is to explore what Toure can do, but without over-exposing a raw prospect.
Future
The Packers needed to rebuild their wide receiver room in the last draft because Amari Rodgers was the only receiver on the roster with a contract beyond 2022. Allen Lazard, Sammy Watkins, and Randall Cobb will be unrestricted free agents next March, and it’s impossible to know for sure which of them will be back. First, Green Bay will have to figure out if Aaron Rodgers will keep playing to determine what their roster-building timeline is.
That’s the major factor in deciding to give the young weapons more playing time. There’s no reason at this point to keep using Watkins over Toure, for instance. Primarily, because Watkins hasn’t played well, but mostly because he isn’t part of the future.
Last week, Doubs suffered a high-ankle sprain that will keep him sidelined for four to six weeks. Watson has also had several injury issues. In this case, seeing what they got in Toure should be a priority for Green Bay. The team trusted him enough to draft him out of Nebraska in large part because of how polished he was to contribute immediately. Now, it’s time to show it and explore it.
What his role can be?
The Packers are without Cobb and Doubs. If the Packers were in the hunt, the starting wide receiver trio should be Lazard, Watson, and Watkins. But Toure will get more snaps, as he should, and he’s already shown potential to have a role in an underwhelming offense.
Toure had 46 receptions for 898 yards and five touchdowns during his only season in Nebraska. His 19.5 yards per reception was the highest average in the Big 10 Conference. He had a 6.15 Relative Athletic Score, so he’s not a highly athletic NFL player. His issues with man-to-man coverage, and especially with press, were the main reason for his fall to the seventh round.
“One year player at the University of Nebraska after transferring from Montana,” Brian Gutekunst said right after the draft. “Another polished guy. Had a lot of success at both schools. He stepped up his level of competition this past year, and watching him flourish at Nebraska as he had in the past really gave us confidence that he could come in here and make a difference.”
Toure was inactive for the first six games of the season – the Packers elevated Juwann Winfree to the active roster three times before getting Toure his first chance. However, he was activated for the past three games, against the Washington Commanders, Buffalo Bills, and Detroit Lions.
While on the field, Toure’s usage has been limited but explosive. The rookie had three receptions for 71 yards in the last two games, an average of 23.6 yards per reception. He is not a volume player, but he can absolutely be a change-of-pace weapon to challenge defenses in deep territory.
How Toure gets playing time
The Packers still are mathematically competing for a playoff spot for the next two or three games. Therefore, they won’t be expected to cut snaps from or sit their veterans. In this case, Watkins and Lazard will still be starters, and that might be good for Toure. Initially, the rookie can be a situational piece as he’s been, but maybe with more chances.
As the season progresses, the likeliest scenario is that Green Bay will be eliminated soon. The schedule is hard, and the Packers haven’t shown any indication they’re good enough to turn the season around. If that happens, Toure may have a bigger role — even if he’s not fully ready for it.
The Packers will need to think about the future, and giving Toure extra snaps and targets will be important for multiple reasons. He’s under contract through 2025, he has potential, and Green Bay needs to find out which players are good enough to be part of the plans. Moreover, extra film will give Toure and the coaching staff more reference points to adjust and improve his game.
Samori Toure might not have the potential to be an immediate difference-maker for the Packers’ offense, but what he offers is perfect for what the Packers need in this transitional period. Even if he might not be better than Watkins right now, he will probably be better in a year or two. And that’s enough for him to be on the field.
