The Green Bay Packers have 14 players who are scheduled to be unrestricted free agents this offseason, including Randall Cobb.
Going in alphabetical order, our “Stay of Go” series will look at each of those players in advance of the official start of free agency on March 15. Why should the Packers re-sign Cobb? Why should they let him go? Is there a replacement on the roster? Could they get a compensatory draft pick in exchange?
Packers Should Re-Sign Randall Cobb
Should he choose to play another season, Cobb will turn 33 during training camp. That’s not young but a slot receiver can get by with his know-how long after his physical attributes have slipped from prime levels.
According to Pro Football Focus, Cobb in 2022 caught 70.8 percent of targeted throws, averaged 5.6 yards after the catch and 1.67 yards per route, and had two drops (5.6 percent). It all was about on par with the 12th-year pro’s career marks. He forced four missed tackles – most of the team’s receivers, though that’s like being the tallest jockey at Churchill Downs.
The Packers drafted Amari Rodgers in the third round in 2021 to be Randall Cobb 2.0. Instead, Cobb remains and Rodgers didn’t make it through 2.0 seasons.
As Aaron Rodgers said recently on The Pat McAfee Show: "I want the Randall Cobbs of the world – if he wants to keep playing – in my locker room."
Packers Should Let Cobb Sign Elsewhere
The Packers have four receivers on their roster who were drafted last year, with Bo Melton joining Packers picks Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs and Samori Toure. At some point, the future has to become the present.
Not only is Cobb getting older but there’s the ever-present injury risk; he missed four games in 2022, five games in 2021 and six games in 2020 and seven games in 2018.
Not even being one of Aaron Rodgers’ favorite players meant opportunities, especially down the stretch. Over the final six games, Cobb caught 10 passes. He had just 23 yards after the catch on those plays.
Who Would Replace Cobb?
Cobb is a slot receiver. Period. Under coach Matt LaFleur, a true slot receiver never has been a necessity. Last year, Allen Lazard – the furthest thing imaginable from the textbook definition of a slot receiver – led the team with 31 slot receptions. From the slot, Lazard had four touchdowns, Watson had three and Cobb had one.
For what it’s worth, most of Toure’s work – preseason and regular season – came from the slot. Is he ready for a much larger role? Or would the Packers break their long-standing trend of not drafting a receiver in the first round by grabbing Ohio State’s Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who dominated from the slot in 2021?
Could the Packers Gain a Compensatory Draft Pick for Cobb?
Almost certainly not, unless some team signed him to a two-year, $10 million deal that included a lot of phony-baloney money in that second year.
The Verdict on Randall Cobb
The pros with Cobb are obvious. He’s a pro’s pro and leader who loves being part of the Packers.
He’s not just a mascot, though. Cobb can still play. On third and fourth downs, he caught 9-of-12 targets for eight first downs. Two-thirds of those targets became first downs; Lazard and Watson were barely 50 percent. Cobb needed more chances in those key situations.
The Packers have a lot of young potential at receiver but there’s always room for a veteran to share his wisdom both on the field and in the meeting room – especially given the youth on the depth chart.
This one seems obvious. If Aaron Rodgers returns, Cobb probably will return, too. If the baton is passed to Jordan Love, the Packers and Cobb might mutually decide to go another direction and Cobb will return in about five years as a member of the Packers Hall of Fame.
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