The Green Bay Packers are going to have a busy offseason looking to upgrade the offense. Part of that is to entice Aaron Rodgers to come back for another season as the starting quarterback. But, regardless of who is under center, the passing game needs some reinforcements.
The tight end depth chart is barren heading into the offseason with Robert Tonyan and Marcedes Lewis both hitting unrestricted free agency. That is an area that needs to be addressed but the Packers should also be on the lookout for wide receiver help.
The decision to trade Davante Adams to the Las Vegas Raiders proved costly as the passing offense wasn’t the same. Replacing a player of that talent is virtually impossible, let alone needing to also replace the No. 2 receiver in Marquez Valdes-Scantling, who signed with the Kansas City Chiefs.
Green Bay has two building blocks in Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs, two rookies who shined at points during the 2022 season. But another void could be created as Allen Lazard sounds like he will be heading out of town in free agency.
After sitting out much of free agency last year when it came to adding a veteran to the mix, 2023 should be different. One player that would fit the bill for the Packers is JuJu Smith-Schuster.
Smith-Schuster is heading into free agency for the third consecutive offseason after signing one-year deals the previous two. He should be able to land a multi-year pact this time around as he got things back on track with the Chiefs.
Smith-Schuster was second on the team in receptions and yardage with 78 for 933, trailing only tight end Travis Kelce. He added three touchdowns, providing the team with a reliable target on short and intermediate routes working the middle of the field.
His skill set is one that would lead to him being a perfect replacement for Lazard in the lineup. Both are reliable receivers that do the dirty work but are also elite blockers in the run game. That is arguably what the Packers are going to miss most about Lazard should he end up leaving and not every wide receiver on the market is willing to mix it up like he was.
Smith-Schuster, however, has no issues doing such a thing. He would be an excellent addition to the wide receiver group in Green Bay, providing whoever is under center the kind of upgrade Rodgers has been seeking for years.
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