Rookie wide receiver Romeo Doubs was an essential part of the Green Bay Packers’ remade passing offense in 2022. And while an ankle injury slowed him down in the second half of the season, Doubs still finished his rookie year as Green Bay’s fourth player in receiving yards (425), fourth in receiving touchdowns (three), and third in yards per game (32.7). As a fourth-rounder, Doubs understandably had several aspects of his game to improve on, but he was also perceived as a relatively polished prospect.
That’s why I wrote that Doubs could have a more immediate impact than Christian Watson, who the Packers drafted almost three rounds earlier. And that’s what happened by the start of the season. Doubs suffered a high-ankle sprain against the Detroit Lions in Week 9. By that point, he had more receptions, receiving yards, and touchdowns than Watson. Then, the second-rounder started to break out, and Doubs hasn’t had the same relevance to the offense since.
“This kid truly loves football above everything else,” said Justin Vrable, Packers wide receivers coach and passing game coordinator. “He’s a workaholic. I told him when he got here, you can be as good as you want to be. You have the talent. How good do you want to be? Let’s go do it. He’s very coachable. It’s going to be cool to watch him.”
Even though it’s not necessary to compare Watson and Doubs because they are complementary pieces with different skill sets, some numbers show how different they are as players.
Doubs is more of a possession and volume receiver. That’s why he had more targets and receptions than Watson, even with one fewer game played. On the other hand, Watson is much more prolific. He had 4.4 yards after the catch per target against just 2.8 from Doubs. Watson also had more yards per route run (2.4 to 1.51).
One surprising aspect of Doubs’ play was his ability to create separation. While there is a perception that he doesn’t have much ability to do so, his numbers are decent. Doubs had a 1.73 average in target separation (55th in the NFL), against 1.52 from Watson (78th in the league).
Doubs’ best game of the season came against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 3. The rookie had eight receptions in eight targets for 73 yards and a touchdown, being a centerpiece for the offense.
“He was a guy that showed up consistently being able to separate vs. man coverage that we were getting,” head coach Matt LaFleur said after the Bucs game. “I thought he did an outstanding job. He’s got the body-movement skills, he’s got the explosiveness, he plays on his insteps, gets both feet in the ground, and that allows him to get off bump coverage. And the game is not too big for him. I think you see it. I feel it every time we go out there: a guy that’s just showing more and more confidence, and I think that’s a big part of being able to play to your potential.”
As a polished prospect, Doubs showed sound technical aspects of his game. In terms of route running, he was effective — and that’s what called quarterback Aaron Rodgers‘ attention immediately.
His run blocking was also good, which is something particularly important to play in Matt LaFleur’s offensive scheme.
Doubs didn’t have big numbers, but his injury didn’t help. Before the Lions game, he was averaging 37 yards per game and scored three receiving touchdowns. After the injury, Doubs averaged 27.75 yards per game and didn’t score anymore.
From what he has shown throughout his young career, Doubs indicated he could be a nice offensive piece for the Packers, especially considering his cheap rookie contract. Ideally, he seems more suited to play as a WR3 or even a high-end WR4. However, his current spot as a WR2 might be detrimental to his development. That’s why it’s so important for the Packers to add more talent to the room.
However, Doubs’ role might be even bigger in 2023. Sammy Watkins was released last season, and now Allen Lazard and Randall Cobb are free agents. The only wide receivers under contract with the Packers are Watson, Doubs, seventh-rounder Samori Toure, Bo Melton, and Jeff Cotton. General manager Brian Gutekunst will probably add more players to the mix, including a veteran or two. But Romeo Doubs’ reliability will make him play a lot. Therefore, he needs to keep developing his traits to be an efficient weapon for the Packers.
