On Sunday, the Green Bay Packers will host the Arizona Cardinals in a Week 6 NFC showdown. At 3-2, the Packers have an unremarkable record. However, it’s the best fans could hope for after Jordan Love went down with a terrifying injury five weeks ago. After missing two games, in which Malik Willis led them to their first two wins, Love is back and looking up to speed. The NFC North is talent rich, with all three rivals boasting winning records, including the Minnesota Vikings’ astounding 5-0 record behind journeyman Sam Darnold and Kevin O’Connell‘s reimagined offense.
The only real wrinkle in the young Packers’ long-term aspirations has been Romeo Doubs‘ puzzling absence. The former fourth-rounder from the University of Nevada failed to attend practice last Thursday, a day after Matt LaFleur installed the Week 5 game plan on Wednesday. While Doubs’ absence remains a mystery, Sports Illustrated’s Bill Huber claimed that Doubs was upset about his role in the offense. In their initial reaction, fans and media pointed out how the decision went against everything Doubs has shown from a character standpoint leading up to Week 6.
Regardless of the issue, Doubs is back at practice this week. He will start alongside Jayden Reed and Dontayvion Wicks at Lambeau Field on Sunday, illuminating a crucial aspect of Green Bay’s organizational strength.
Holdouts have become increasingly prominent around the league, notably with A-list receivers like Ja’Marr Chase and CeeDee Lamb. However, the Packers have continued to function cohesively and without incident. When qualms arise from their emerging stars, Green Bay keeps the incident from getting out of hand.
The Packers suspended Doubs for last Sunday’s game, but he immediately returned to practice without further comment. None of the coaching staff, his fellow receivers, or the media have shown any interest in speaking further about the issue. It’s easy to say that whatever occurred with Doubs was an isolated incident. However, Green Bay suspended star cornerback Jaire Alexander, who is playing on a four-year, $84 million deal, for a game last year. Now, he’s fully embracing a leadership position, giving locker room speeches and embracing the role Brian Gutekunst paid him to take on.
Green Bay is known for being a meticulously run, draft-and-develop organization. Following the transition from the late Ted Thompson to Gutekunst, they never strayed from that reputation. They allowed Love three years of development under the incumbent Aaron Rodgers as teams around the league forced young quarterbacks into action at earlier ages.
They’ve noticeably avoided controversial free agents. Fans begged them to select Georgia’s George Pickens at the peak of their need for wide receivers, but they passed on him multiple times. He’s shown his talent with the Pittsburgh Steelers, but his immature actions make him a difficult player to reward handsomely with a long-term second contract.
The biggest press the Packers received lately came from the Rodgers saga. Rodgers transformed from a relatively mild-mannered gunslinger to a full-blown conspiracy theorist – in the eyes of many – as the COVID-19 pandemic arrived in America. Green Bay traded him to the New York Jets for a package of picks that became the emerging Lukas Van Ness, tight end Luke Musgrave, and potential Mike linebacker of the future Edgerrin Cooper. Meanwhile, New York has fired Robert Saleh and is struggling for a new identity in an AFC East that continues to belong to the Buffalo Bills.
Rodgers wasn’t the only homegrown superstar Gutekunst shipped off. After seasons of dominance at Lambeau, Davante Adams became too expensive around the same time that he became skeptical of Green Bay’s succession plan at quarterback. Gutekunst also won that trade, sending Adams to Sin City for what essentially became Quay Walker and Christian Watson. The Las Vegas Raiders have been unable to find any semblance of footing with the man who, at the time, was viewed as the league’s top wideout. He is on the trade block again as Gutekunst, LaFleur, and the Packers charge ahead with an exciting young corps.
To the tightly run Packers, the Doubs situation was the latest reminder that, in a league increasingly dominated by superstars and their feelings, Green Bay continues to get the best out of its players by rendering off-field issues non-factors.
The NFL is no stranger to controversies, with domestic violence, criminal issues, and the now-typical holdout for a new contract. As a testament to their organization, values, and execution, the Packers have had a significantly smoother experience. The resolution of Doubs’ mysterious absence is just the latest example.
