The Green Bay Packers made their final roster cuts on August 30th. They have also signed players that had been released from the team to the practice squad in the last week. In the last three seasons Green Bay has made it to the NFC Championship Game., just falling short of making it to the Super Bowl.
There are two positions that the Packers must improve this season to have a chance at another SB title.
Packers Wide Receivers
With the departure of Davante Adams to the Las Vegas Raiders, they lost a definite weapon at the wide receiver position. Now the Packers have brought in new rookie receivers in Samori Toure, Romeo Doubs, and Christian Watson. The team did bring back veteran Randall Cobb, who has always been a reliable target for Aaron Rodgers throughout the years. Sammy Watkins was added to the wide receiving core as well.
Watkins has been plagued with injuries during his career, but has shown flashes during training camp and the preseason. Allen Lazard is now set to be the #1 wide receiver for Green Bay, having a good connection with the 4-time NFL MVP.
The Rookies
According to Zach Kruse, Rodgers has been holding rookie wide receiver Romeo Doubs to a higher standard.
via Zach Kruse of Packers Wire: “Doubs has done a lot of really nice things. The standard for him is not going to be the standard for a normal rookie here in the past, especially in the last 4-5 years. He’s going to be expected to play based on his performance so far in camp. We have to hold him to a standard that I know he’s capable of reaching. He cares about it. He’s a great kid. He’s made some instinctual plays that you can’t really coach.”
The rookies will have to showcase their talents and skills not only during practice, but in every game to help the Packers win football games this season. Certainly, they will have to adjust to timing, route running, and game speed.
Adding a receiver like Odell Beckham Jr could provide some assistance to the Packers passing game, if he has not signed with another team.
Packers Pass Rushers
The other position that could must get some improvement is the pass rush group for the Packers. Rashan Gary and Preston Smith have experience playing on the defensive line for Green Bay. Za’Darius Smith is now with the Minnesota Vikings, who was a talented pass rusher for the Packers in the past three seasons (2019-21). They could use another pass rusher to rotate in and out during the 2022 season. Whitney Mercilus was brought in last year during the midseason.
These two positions will be key in the Packers making it to the Super Bowl this season. Hopefully they come at the right time for Green Bay. They may need it during the crucial moments going into the postseason. In fact, they will need it.
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