Mom said it’s my turn to talk about the Green Bay Packers’ wide receiver group.
Since the Packers went into the 2023 season with a squad of talented but untested pass catchers, the narrative surrounding the idea of a go-to guy — alpha, WR1, or whatever synonym you prefer — has been a constant talking point.
In the second half of 2023, Green Bay had one of the league’s best offenses despite not having a featured receiver. The team ran it back with the same group, hoping for similar or better results. Despite having one of the league’s best offenses again, the passing offense was inconsistent and didn’t take the next step.
Having a proven WR1 doesn’t necessarily guarantee postseason success. Ask Minnesota fans, they’ll tell ya. The lack of a go-to guy wasn’t what ended Green Bay’s season early. But it would be really neat to have one! There are benefits to the Packers’ approach, but they need more blue-chip players.
Having someone be “The Guy” would make Jordan Love‘s life much easier.
But the Packers took the right approach in 2024. They gave their current group a chance to take a step forward and see if something like a true WR1 would emerge. The approach was a worthy endeavor; it just left the team wanting a bit more.
The Packers were no stranger to having an elite option for their quarterbacks. Most recently, Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams were an iconic pair, one of the best quarterback/receiver combinations to grace the gridiron. In a tricky spot, Rodgers could always hurl the ball and trust that Davante could make magic happen.
Unfortunately, when the Rodgers-Adams connection didn’t work, there weren’t many other options. Adams couldn’t convert a routine conversion into a touchdown in the 2020 NFC Championship game, and forcing the ball to Adams over other options led to a stagnant offense in the 2021 Divisional Round. Having The Guy wasn’t enough to bring Rodgers and the Packers back to the Super Bowl before Rodgers left for New Jersey.
So, the Packers have taken a different approach in the past two seasons. There was a joke that Green Bay had four WR2s (Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs, Jayden Reed, and Dontayvion Wicks) but no WR1.
Still, even without Adams’ ceiling, Green Bay’s floor rose dramatically.
By having diverse talents, the Packers could counter multiple forms of defense. A DC couldn’t double-team an Adams equivalent and force the offense to deal with it. Each WR had a unique skillset that made them capable of taking over a game as needed.
Not relying on a WR1 meant Love would take the play that was there instead of forcing a ball to his guy. It made his life easier by letting him focus on what the play called for.
And it worked well! It gave the Packers an unpredictable offense that almost took them to the Conference Championship game.
Entering 2024, there were bigger needs than considering adding a WR1, especially after the success of the 2023 group. A new defensive coordinator needed new pieces to work with, so the draft and high-impact free-agent signings were mostly about that side of the ball. Josh Jacobs was the biggest offensive addition. He upgraded the running game, theoretically improving the passing game as a side effect.
I don’t fault the Packers for liking what they saw in 2023 and hoping it would evolve in 2024. Unfortunately, despite winning two more games and being a better overall team, the WR group didn’t take that step.
Drops were an issue all season. The collective couldn’t turn some of Love’s more errant throws into big gains. When a game started slipping away from the Packers, there wasn’t a gladiator you knew who could hit the vital spot. Each receiver had his moments, but no one stood out as the true security blanket.
The downfall of Green Bay’s approach was a lack of reps or game plan for a specific player. Each of the core guys took over at least one game, but they’d rarely have a stretch of weeks like that. The target share meant everyone got a chance. Still, at the same time, not getting even more reps meant not getting the chance to develop more chemistry with Love. It created a damned-if-you-do-damned-if-you-don’t scenario.
The Buffalo Bills ran a similar offense last year. No receiver had more than a 20% target share, and they had a dominant season. Still, they have Josh Allen, an all-time great, and when they really needed someone to make a play in the AFC Championship Game, they didn’t get it. Both approaches have pros and cons.
Brian Gutekunst still isn’t sold that Green Bay needs that guy.
“I think, historically, if you look at a lot of the teams, very rarely do teams that have one receiver that’s super heavy with targets,” the Packers GM said following the season, “that usually doesn’t play out well for playoffs.”
But there’s a difference between having an elite guy and a bunch of jabronis and having a well-rounded room with a dependable lad.
Peter Bukowski suggested the 2020 squad is the ideal version of LaFleur’s offense: an alpha (Adams) with solid role players (Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Allen Lazard, Robert Tonyan, Tyler Ervin) and a versatile OL. If they regain that balance, the Packers can be a more complete offense.
I love Green Bay’s group of receivers. However, they can’t keep that cheap, promising collective together forever. The rookie deals are almost over, and the Packers have a clearer picture of what they have and who they’ll want to keep moving forward.
However, WR1s don’t grow on trees, so we’ll see how the Packers approach their receiving corps this off-season. Even if I think they need a WR1, I believe the process taken in 2024 was a smart choice.