GREEN BAY, Wis. — For the Green Bay Packers optimist, Wednesday’s practice was supposed to provide a positive update on wide receiver Romeo Doubs’ availability for Sunday’s season opener against the Chicago Bears. Doubs, who had been dealing with a hamstring injury, didn’t play in the preseason finale against the Seattle Seahawks or participate in either of last week’s two practices.
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Instead, not only was Doubs still sidelined with his hamstring issue Wednesday, but wide receiver Christian Watson didn’t practice because of his own hamstring injury, too. Watson practiced Wednesday and Thursday of last week, so his injury appears to have occurred more recently.
“Like we always say, we’ll give ’em the whole week and we’ll see where they’re at,” coach Matt LaFleur said after practice of his top two receivers.
After an injury-plagued rookie season in 2022, Wednesday was Watson’s first missed practice since training camp began in late July. He missed a chunk of his first training camp after an offseason knee procedure and three regular-season games with another hamstring injury before missing parts of two more because of a concussion and concussion-related precaution.
Watson had avoided injury entering his sophomore year, however, as he looked to build on a breakout second half of last season that saw him catch 15 passes for 313 yards and seven touchdowns in four games from Weeks 10-13 with a 46-yard rushing touchdown against the Bears in Week 13 to boot. Instead, Watson’s availability for the highly anticipated Week 1 bout between the Packers and Bears is in doubt, along with that of Doubs, who impressed again this preseason after catching 42 passes for 425 yards and three touchdowns as a rookie.
Not only are Watson and Doubs the two best receivers on the team, but they’re the two most experienced, too. If neither plays — there are still four days until kickoff to solve their hamstring woes — the wideout duties would rest on rookie second-round pick Jayden Reed, undrafted rookie Malik Heath, rookie fifth-round pick Dontayvion Wicks (limited in Wednesday’s practice because of his hamstring) and Samori Toure, the 2022 seventh-round pick who played sparingly last season.
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It would be quite the way for Jordan Love to begin his tenure as the Packers’ starting quarterback, huh?
“It is what it is,” LaFleur said of the inexperience behind Doubs and Watson. “But you know, we’re excited. We’ve got a plan in place and we’ll play the guys that are available and ready to go. The one thing about this league is nobody cares. You’ve got to find a way to get it done, and I think our guys have taken that mindset no matter who’s out there. The expectations remain the same, and that is to go out there and play winning football, so we’ll get our guys ready to go.”
There are 25 offensive tackles in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Only 17 of them have more NFL All-Pro honors than David Bakhtiari.
Entertaining and insightful as always, Bakhtiari unfiltered with @TheAthletic on himself and his new-look team in 2023:https://t.co/KRDRKU0tGM
— Matt Schneidman (@mattschneidman) September 6, 2023
That aforementioned group of four, sans Doubs and Watson, have a combined five career catches for 82 yards and a touchdown. Those, obviously, all come from Toure, whom LaFleur said Wednesday is much more comfortable in the offense entering Year 2. LaFleur called it a “huge luxury” that Toure has “complete command and grasp” of the offense, and that he can aptly line up at the X, Z or slot receiver positions.
“We gotta prepare like we’re all gonna play every snap either way, no matter who’s out there,” Toure said. “Just gotta make sure we’re locked in. The young guys are doing great throughout the preseason and learning the playbook. I feel like everyone’s ready to go out there and perform.”
Of those three rookies who would feasibly see action if Doubs and Watson are sidelined, Reed and Heath were the two who stood out most this summer while Wicks, who led the team with 68 receiving yards in the preseason opener, missed time with a concussion and hamstring injury of his own (yeah, the Packers need to fix this hamstring thing). Reed looks to have the potential to be Green Bay’s next true slot receiver after the departure of Randall Cobb and Heath, who ran the third-slowest 40-yard dash time of the 56 receivers listed in Dane Brugler’s pre-draft scouting guide, impressed this preseason with his route running and pass-catching ability to make the team as an undrafted guy out of Ole Miss.
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“I’m ready. I’m ready,” Heath said. “Coach prepared us well. He prepared us well throughout last week and this week with the game plans. I’ve been studying a lot, studying the corners a lot, studying their tells and their signs, like what they’re bad at, how can I attack them and stuff like that. In my eyes, I’m prepared well, so I’m ready.”
Rookie tight end Luke Musgrave also figures to be a focal point of the passing game this season, and Love has liked what he’s seen from both rookie second-round picks, Musgrave and Reed, who figure to have significant roles right away, perhaps even quicker than anyone expected come Sunday.
“They’ve both done a really good job, growing every day and coming in with a fresh mindset,” Love said. “They’re getting better. They’ve taken some strides. Football is always next man up. Injuries happen. Things happen. If you’re a backup, you’ve always gotta be ready. But we all have confidence in these guys. They’ve done a really good job so far. I’m excited for them to get their opportunity.”
Christian Watson has a hamstring injury, per the injury report. Same with Romeo Doubs, which we already knew.
David Bakhtiari listed with a vet rest day.
Rashan Gary (knee) and Dontayvion Wicks (hamstring) were limited.
— Matt Schneidman (@mattschneidman) September 6, 2023
And don’t forget running back Aaron Jones, who caught a career-high 59 passes for 395 yards and five touchdowns last season. One of the best pass-catching backs in the NFL, Jones will be available to Love through the air, too, maybe even as a more trustworthy target than any of the young receivers who would eat up snaps that Doubs and Watson would normally occupy.
“However they want to use me, I’ll be ready for it,” Jones said. “Something I did a little bit last year. If we go in there and they’re like, ‘Hey, we want you to do this,’ I’ll be ready for it. I know the offense pretty well, so if my number’s called to go out there, I’ll be ready.”
Make no mistake, though. Even with options like Reed, Musgrave and Jones whom the Packers trust in the passing game at their disposal, and Heath and Toure to an extent, not having their top two wide receivers for a season opener against a division opponent would be suboptimal, to say the least.
There are still two practices left before the Packers head to Chicago, and both Doubs and Watson could be on the field Thursday, but at least for now, it appears as if LaFleur’s 8-0 record against the Bears might be tested a little more strenuously than he might have liked to begin a new era in Green Bay.
(Top photo of Jayden Reed: Patrick McDermott / Getty Images)
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