On Tuesday, ESPN’s Adam Schefter broke the news that future Hall of Fame receiver Julio Jones would be signing with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Jones and Tampa had a lengthy negotiation process, during which many speculated he could be bound for the Green Bay Packers. In teaming up with Brady, Jones joins a wideout corps that includes Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, and Russell Gage. His choice leaves the Packers stuck with their under-the-radar, relatively inexperienced group.
If Brian Gutekunst and Matt LaFleur are confident enough in their receiver room that they don’t feel the need to add a proven talent like Jones, that would be a debatable yet comforting conclusion. However, as Schefter added, that is not the case. The Packers were in the running – just like they were in the running for Deebo Samuel. Or for the first-round wideouts in April’s draft and Allen Robinson. Or that they had initially included Darren Waller in their trade with the Las Vegas Raiders. Green Bay has tried to recoup some of Davante Adams‘ historic production numerous times this offseason. The bad news? No true big-ticket additions. The good news? Someone seems to be coming out of nowhere to save this offense.
His name is Romeo Doubs.
Doubs was Green Bay’s fourth-round pick out of Nevada. Experts slotted Doubs late due to his lack of standout speed and a crowd of elite prospects at his position in this year’s class. It’s typically wise to take training camp reports with a grain of salt, but Doubs’ name has been all over Twitter. He continues to dominate out of the gate, making play after play against Green Bay’s first-team defense.
Shortly after news of Jones’ decision broke, the Packers revealed that Sammy Watkins would begin camp on the injured list. That came after they had placed Christian Watson on the PUP. When asked about Watkins’ status, LaFleur said, “I don’t pay attention to timelines anymore. When they’re cleared, they’re cleared. With no expectation comes no expectation.” The exasperation is likely rooted in the continued uncertainty surrounding star left tackle David Bakhtiari. However, the thinning-out of a wideout group already toeing the poverty line has opened up opportunities for guys like Doubs and Juwann Winfree.
Multiple reports suggest Doubs Mossed rising star Eric Stokes in the end zone Thursday morning. That added to a mountain of chatter from Wednesday about his contested grab from third-stringer Danny Etling. Doubs seems to be gaining some trust from Aaron Rodgers, who is notoriously skeptical of rookie receivers but doesn’t have much choice this year. Notably, Amari Rodgers is running with the twos. The Packers picked Rodgers in the third round of the 2021 draft, and he’s already behind Doubs.
There is not a more ideal place for a hidden gem to shine through than this Green Bay offense, which the most talented quarterback of all time leads. Doubs is one Sammy Watkins injury away from a starting role. If Doubs’ success continues into the regular season, he has the potential to emerge as this year’s Elijah Mitchell. The Packers drafted someone at his position rounds earlier, yet he may beat them on the depth chart.
To open camp yesterday, Aaron Rodgers rolled in dressed like Nicholas Cage in Con Air. Frankly, that’s the type of energy he’s gonna have to have if he hopes to sniff his passing yardage from previous years. Training camp has officially begun, and Rodgers didn’t get his big addition. He didn’t get Allen Robinson, Deebo Samuel, Jameson Williams, or Julio Jones. He didn’t even get Marquez Valdes-Scantling back. But the reigning MVP will get his, which means someone will need to step into a new role, even if they just began their career. Out of the gate, you can already see the people of Wisconsin turning into a bunch of Juliets because it’s becoming more and more apparent that player might just be Romeo Doubs.
