ESPN writer on Packers' offense: 'It's on one or more of the Green Bay receivers to emerge'

ESPN.com's Bill Barnwell laid out the "Achilles heels" for more than one dozen Super Bowl contenders heading into the season Monday morning and among them is the Green Bay Packers' much chronicled question mark at wide receiver.

The Packers of course, traded All-Pro wideout Davante Adams to the Las Vegas Raiders in the offseason and will be depending on the likes of Allen Lazard, Sammy Watkins and rookie Christian Watson to fill his shoes. Even during much of Adams' tenure with Gree Bay, the team was frequently thought of to be notoriously short on wide receiver production outside of the five-time Pro Bowler.

Adams led the team in targets by over 100 looks in 2021 (despite missing one game) with 169, more than doubled any other player in receptions (123) and had over three times as many receiving yards as the second-ranked Lazard with 1,553. Adams unsurprisingly racked up a team-high 11 receiving touchdowns as well.

"Unsurprisingly, he has been more productive without Davante Adams on the field, averaging 2.44 yards per route run without Adams in the lineup over the past three seasons, but that's on a total of just 169 routes, which isn't a particularly large sample. Lazard already has built-in chemistry with Rodgers, but is that enough to make him a true top-tier receiver?" Barnwell wrote. "Sammy Watkins averaged a career-low 30.3 receiving yards per game with the Ravens a year ago. The oft-injured wideout sat out four games, bringing the 2014 first-rounder to 30 games missed over the past seven seasons. He also dropped five of his 48 targets, contributing to a subpar catch rate of 55.1%. Watkins already is dealing with a hamstring injury."

Looking at the rest of the NFC North, the Chicago Bears would seem to have serious questions at the position after losing former Pro Bowler Allen Robinson to the Los Angeles Rams in the offseason and already seeing new acquisitions Byron Pringle and N'Keal Harry's status for the fall be put into question via an April arrest and a recent high-ankle sprain respectively. The Detroit Lions meanwhile, showcase Amon-Ra St. Brown at the top of their receiver depth chart, with 2019 Pro Bowler DJ Chark joining the squad after a lost final season with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The class of the division at the receiver position is expected to be the Minnesota Vikings again however, two-time Pro Bowlers Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen joining 25-year-old K.J. Osborn in three-wide sets.

Despite the possible weak spot at wide receiver, Barnwell wrote that with back-to-back reigning MVP Aaron Rodgers under center, the team is in good hands.

"Somebody will break out for the Packers. It could be (Romeo) Doubs or Lazard or maybe tight end Robert Tonyan, who returns after missing most of the 2021 season with a torn left ACL. Maybe they add Odell Beckham Jr. as the season goes along," Barnwell wrote. "We know Rodgers will be able to hold up his end of the bargain. Now it's on one or more of the Green Bay receivers to emerge."