In an episode of the 22-time Emmy Award-winning sitcom Modern Family, Cameron Tucker (played by Eric Stonestreet) rhetorically asked, “Why does drama follow me everywhere I go?”
Green Bay Packers fans are no strangers to drama. They endured Aaron Rodgers‘ battle against the front office for three seasons. They waited for his return from his darkness retreat to find out whether it signaled the end of his 15-year run as the starting quarterback with the Packers.
With Rodgers gone, most fans assumed they’d be relieved of drama for a while. However, that’s not the case. According to SI’s Packers beat writer Bill Huber, Romeo Doubs skipped practice on Thursday and Friday due to frustration with his role in the offense.
On Thursday, Matt LaFleur said he believed Doubs would return Friday, stating, “Yeah, I would hope so.” When asked if there was a chance Doubs might not play Sunday, LaFleur responded that the Packers would take it one day at a time.
Green Bay listed him as doubtful for Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Rams.
The situation feels odd. Doubs has always come off as a humble, driven young player who loves the game and will do everything to help his teammates. Missing practice without notice seems out of character. Green Bay even had to visit his house to check on his well-being.
Doubs’ behavior goes against everything the Green Bay wide receiver room stands for. Jayden Reed has openly said his purpose is to motivate those around him, wanting to lift his teammates. Despite only having eight targets this year, Christian Watson shows up every week, blocking like a madman.
Last year, Doubs led the Packers in targets and tied with Reed for the most receiving touchdowns. Doubs has 19 targets this year, only three fewer than Reed and Dontayvion Wicks. With Jordan Love as the starter, Doubs has 15 targets. He had just four with Malik Willis, as Green Bay shifted to a more run-heavy offense while Love was injured. Doubs also leads all Green Bay receivers in snaps.
The downside of having so many talented pass catchers is that most will get limited targets. Since targets lead to receptions, which lead to paychecks, this has the potential to become a concern.
The Packers faced a difficult situation with Jaire Alexander last year and handled it well. Green Bay fans should hope the organization can find similar common ground with Doubs.
It’s not time for Packers fans to overreact. While it’s disappointing that Doubs missed a few practices, we need to remember these players are human. Doubs is a young man under immense pressure to perform at the highest level, and it’s important to keep that in perspective.
We don’t know if Doubs is dealing with personal or family matters. Regardless, we can only hope he’s in a good place mentally. Doubs is a big part of Green Bay’s every week, and they will need him for the long run.
