It’s almost time for the 2022 NFL Draft, and plenty of solid wide receivers are still available for the taking. The Green Bay Packers will most likely draft a top receiver, and they may trade draft picks for another — but they could also still sign one before that happens.
Green Bay currently has $15 million in cap space. Obviously, there will be rookie contracts to sign, and it’s wise to leave a little wiggle room for mid-season signings. But they could also afford to bring in a new No. 1 receiver to give their new draft picks time to develop.
The Packers could benefit from signing a receiver like Keelan Cole or Sammy Watkins. It adds depth to their current roster while they bring in some younger talent. Right now, the wideout room includes Randall Cobb, Allen Lazard, Amari Rodgers, Juwann Winfree, and Malik Taylor. Someone like Watkins or Cole could bolster the current roster, and if none of them work out, they can be cut by the end of camp.
I would stay away from Julio Jones and A.J. Green. It’s not that those guys don’t have anything left in the tank, but they want way too much money for their declining numbers. If Green Bay gives one of them a shot at a little above veteran minimum, that’s great, but it’s unlikely.
Here are three top receivers still available to sign.
1. Odell Beckham Jr.
OBJ proved he can still be an elite receiver after the Los Angeles Rams picked him up after the Cleveland Browns released him. Over eight games, he had 27 receptions for 305 yards and five touchdowns.
He also scored the first touchdown in this year’s Super Bowl to help pave the way to the team’s 23-20 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals. Unfortunately, Beckham suffered a torn ACL in the second quarter. It is his second ACL injury, and because it occurred so recently, his 2022 season debut could be in November or later.
With the injury, is the reward worth the risk? If he signed with the Packers, he would be playing with arguably the best quarterback he has had in his career. Matthew Stafford is no slouch, but almost everyone would consider Aaron Rodgers a better quarterback.
His salary with the Rams ended up being only $1.25 million, with incentives and a signing bonus. Obviously, he will be looking for more than that. But with his injury creating uncertainty and his up-and-down seasons lately, some teams seem wary to pull the trigger.
The Packers could easily grab him on a reasonable contract. Sure, the team is probably a little bitter he chose the LA over Green Bay last season. But he is a talented receiver who makes any squad better. The plan would then be to start the season off giving extra reps to the newly drafted receivers and then get to add an amazing wideout halfway through. It makes a lot of sense, which means there is a 90% chance the Packers don’t sign him.
2. Jarvis Landry
Some people are already rolling their eyes and saying he will be too expensive. Maybe. But the longer Landry goes unsigned, the easier it will be to get him on an affordable or back-loaded deal.
Landry is a talented receiver, and very similar to OBJ. He’s been plagued by injuries and struggled through some underwhelming seasons in Cleveland. He’s also is 30 years old. But adding a player like Landry automatically makes your receiving group better. He had 52 catches for 570 yards and two touchdowns in 2021. He also had two rushing touchdowns. A receiver who can add another element to the Packers’ running game threat is a huge plus.
Not that odds usually matter, but Landry is +200 right now on landing with the Packers. The New England Patriots have the next lowest odds at +250. Landry fired his agent in late March. His teammate, David Njoku, also fired his agent before returning to the Cleveland Browns. Landry could do the same thing on a new contract.
The assumption right now is that money has to be the reason he is still unsigned. He said he would like to be on a team before the draft, but time is running out. If Landry decided to take a shorter deal to prove himself, he could walk into one last big contract as his career begins to sunset. And while the idea of having two receivers in their 30s on the team doesn’t thrill me, Landry still has plenty in the tank.
3. Emmanuel Sanders
You can whine and complain all you want about Sanders not being a great receiver, but he should be considered in the top tier of the remaining wideouts.
He had 42 receptions for 626 yards and four touchdowns in 2021. Sanders also only played in 14 games. His numbers dipped from the previous season, but being used as a deep threat and distraction from Stefon Diggs was very useful. And if you want to compare him to the Packers last season, he would have had more touchdowns than MVS. He had more receptions and yards than MVS, Randall Cobb, and Allen Lazard.
The 35-year-old still has some life in him. The Packers could easily offer a one- or two-year deal. I see the Packers leaving the draft weekend with a first-round receiver and trading for another one. Keenan Allen or Laviska Shenault Jr. could be in green and gold before May starts.
But if they don’t, a player like Sanders adds that deep threat they are missing. And since it appears next year’s offense will be more run-heavy and the passing game a little more evenly distributed, Sanders is a good fit.
