Who will lead the Packers offense in 2024 and beyond

I do think it's important to have a real primary weapon for two reasons. First, if you look at the teams reaching the Conference Championship level over the last couple of years, they usually have dominant receivers (or tight ends, in the case of the Kansas City Chiefs).

Moreover, the wide receiver market is extreme, so even non-elite players can make a lot of money in free agency. After the rookie contract, you have to decide whether to pay them or not. It's unsustainable to pay everyone, and paying just one that isn't elite is simply not worth it.

You either have an elite weapon or you have to keep spending and spending draft capital to build a strong depth like the Green Bay Packers have right now. And you won't find Romeo Doubs in the fourth and Dontayvion Wicks in the fifth in every cycle.

The Packers started OTAs with Xavier McKinney playing more as a strong safety, which is highly interesting. In this case, Anthony Johnson Jr., who was alongside McKinney as a free safety, was the option. The Packers tend to be cautious with rookie players, so there's a good chance this will be the starting duo early on.

I expect Javon Bullard to play more in the slot in his first year, so if a rookie will start at safety, I expect Evan Williams to get a shot.

I still see Christian Watson as the Packers' best receiver. Undoubtedly, he has the highest ceiling in the group. There's the healthy situation caveat, but it feels like the Packers are more confident that his offseason work to find out the hamstring issues root will pay off. Therefore, I see Watson leading the group in yards and touchdowns.

However, Watson is more of an explosive play weapon, not exactly a volume player. Even when playing well, Watson won't have seven, eight receptions per game. So, my choice to lead the team in receptions is Jayden Reed, who can get easy short completions over the middle and via jet sweeps, for example.

Luke Musgrave brings a speed element to the offense that nobody else outside of Christian Watson does. But thinking about the fit into Matt LaFleur's scheme, Tucker Kraft is a more complete option, with solid receiving ability, but much better blocking — both inline and in space. So my guess is that Kraft ends the season with more offensive snaps, but Musgrave will have more receptions and yards.

I love Wicks. He's a technician, and his route running ability is impressive — especially for a fifth-round pick. I don't know if there will be a breakout year. With Watson presumably having more snaps, there won't be so many chances for Wicks. But I do expect him to be an efficient and important role player.

Maybe I'm not the ideal guy to answer that, because I also thought Mitch Trubisky and Justin Fields would be just fine. But we know Caleb Williams is a different type of prospect, with a higher ceiling and a better percentage of positive outcomes for the Bears.

As Packers fans, you'd probably have to expect that the franchise won't be able to support him even if he ends up being good — some sort of what has happened with Trevor Lawrence in Jacksonville. The Bears have good wide receivers, but the offensive line is average, and the defense is bound to regress compared to the second half of last season.

The biggest issue in terms of long-term plan is the Bears' decision to keep head coach Matt Eberflus. If offensive coordinator Shane Waldron is good, there's a decent chance he gets a HC job elsewhere. And if they are bad in year 1, Eberflus will possibly get fired. So, there are multiple scenarios to negatively affect continuity for Caleb early in his career.