Josh Jacobs says the Green Bay Packers need a “proven” No. 1 receiver. While general manager Brian Gutekunst may or may not agree with that sentiment, there’s no doubt the Packers need to add a quality receiver this offseason.
Because of Christian Watson’s torn ACL, the Packers will be a man down for at least the first half of the season. Plus, Romeo Doubs suffered a pair of concussions during the second half of the season.
“I think that’s going to create opportunities for some guys that we have on the roster now that I’m excited for,” Gutekunst told a group of local reporters at the Scouting Combine on Tuesday morning. “So, we’ll see how that shakes out, but we’ve got a long way to go. I mean, we’ve got free agency, the draft, everything coming up.”
While Jacobs was a superb addition to a team that reached the divisional playoffs in 2023, the passing game struggled to consistently make plays in 2024.
Watson played in 15 games. He had as many games with 10 or fewer receiving yards (six) as he had games of 40-plus yards. Doubs still doesn’t have a 100-yard performance in a regular-season game. With nine drops apiece, Dontayvion Wicks and Jayden Reed combined for 18. For context, the Philadelphia Eagles dropped seven and the Detroit Lions dropped 12.
Paired with the injury outlook, it’s little wonder why Jacobs believes the Packers need to make a big move by adding a No. 1 receiver.
“Well, I appreciate Josh,” Gutekunst said. “We talked a little bit about this at the end of the season, what does that mean? Is that a tight end, running back? The one thing I do know is Josh desperately wants to win, and I really do appreciate that about him. I think he’d like to have as many good players as we can get.”
Adding a No. 1 receiver is easy to say. It will be hard to do. The free-agent class is not good, especially with the Bengals expected to sign Tee Higgins to a long-term contract or use the franchise tag on him to buy time to get that done. Stefon Diggs and Chris Godwin are coming off significant injuries and Amari Cooper and DeAndre Hopkins made minimal impacts for Super Bowl contenders with elite quarterbacks.
How about a trade? Gutekunst has no history of acquiring a top player – not that he hasn’t tried. How about the draft? The Packers haven’t drafted a receiver in the first round since 2002 and, of course, there’s no guarantee a rookie will reach expectations.
Thus, while the Packers almost certainly will add a receiver, they might be counting on Doubs, Reed and Wicks, in particular, to be better than they were in 2024.
“You’d like to have somebody move into that space,” Gutekunst said of having a No. 1 receiver, “but, at the same time, I’d like multiple guys to be able to move into that space. What I’m looking for is guys that, when they’re called upon, can perform at a high level. I think we have a lot of guys that have done that.”
As for Watson and Doubs, Gutekunst is optimistic. Watson is “doing well,” Gutekunst said, and there were no complications or surprises during surgery.
“He’s a freak in many ways as far as that goes,” Gutekunst said. “He’s got a lot in front of him, but I expect him to attack it like he does everything else.”
Doubs suffered a late-season concussion against San Francisco, which held him out of two games. When he returned, he wore a Guardian Cap for added protection but suffered another concussion in the playoffs at Philadelphia.
“I don’t think I do,” Gutekunst said when asked if he had long-term concerns. “Anytime a guy has a couple concussions back to back, there’s some concern there. Not necessarily his long-term liability or anything, just for him. No, I would expect him to bounce back and be at his best.”
