The Green Bay Packers are going into training camp with several young receivers who have much to prove. Every single receiver on the team is expected to take the next step. Although it’s an excellent opportunity for their young pass catchers, some fans will be skeptical about how good these receivers can be next year.
Rookie receivers Romeo Doubs and Christian Watson will have to gain Aaron Rodgers‘ trust before they get the launch codes from the reigning back-to-back MVP. Realistically, we will probably see the same scenario with Sammy Watkins, but potentially to a lesser degree since he is a veteran. But just because Watkins is battle-tested doesn’t mean he will automatically get Rodgers’ trust.
Therefore, Rodgers will have to rely on Randall Cobb and Allen Lazard, the only receivers he has played with before the beginning of the 2022 season. To that end, it would be beneficial for the Packers to bring in Jake Kumerow, a guy Rodgers has played with and advocated for.
Kumerow played for the Packers in 2018 and 2019 before they cut him before the 2020 season. After a brief stint with the New Orleans Saints, the Buffalo Bills signed him and extended him for one year, $1.1 million this season.
Rodgers raved about how good of a camp Kumerow was having the day before the Packers cut him. He went as far as to say that Kumerow was the second-best receiver in camp, only behind Davante Adams, the best receiver in football in 2020. Rodgers effectively placed Kumerow ahead of receivers like Lazard, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, and others.
Kumerow hasn’t found the same success in Buffalo’s system. He’s only had 50 yards and one touchdown over the past two seasons. However, he could have more success with Rodgers. It shouldn’t cost a lot for the Packers to bring him in. They probably would only have to trade a sixth- or seventh-round pick for him. For a player who could potentially have a very high ceiling, the risk-to-reward ratio seems too good not to pass up.
It wouldn’t be surprising to see the Packers trade for a receiver at this point in the season, given that we saw it just a season ago with Randall Cobb. There were many skeptics about the Cobb trade. But with 375 yards and five touchdowns in only 15 games, he silenced those critics. Using minimal capital to bring in a player making $1.1 million next season is a low-risk, high-reward scenario for Green Bay.
Rodgers brought up Kumerow when he aired his grievances with the Packers organization. He must have believed Kumerow could have turned into something with Green Bay in 2020.
The only way we may see Kumerow back in Green Bay is if Rodgers went to Brian Gutekunst and told him that they should make a move for him, similar to what he did with Cobb last season. Rodgers and Gutekunst finally seem to be in a good place. Therefore, Rodgers should be able to convince Gutekunst to make a move for Kumerow.
Kumerow only had one camp to show us what he could become with the Packers. Green Bay limited him to blocking big-bodied receivers or subbing in for an injured player. They did not put him in their game plan. We were limited to hearing about his practice success from people like Rodgers. However, we could see him immediately make a more significant impact than he had with the Packers the first time.
Kumerow could be a player that Rodgers relies on during the start of the season as the rookie receivers find their footing. Given how little they’d have to give up, it makes sense that the Packers would try and make a move for him before the start of training camp.
