Maybe it was too good to be true, the Packers stacking all this young talent at the wide receiver spot and expecting that everyone in the room would stay happy. Wide receivers are a notoriously fickle type and while the cliché of the diva receiver has not been much of an issue over the years at Lambeau Field, maybe it was only a matter of time before ego became a problem.
According to a report from veteran Packers beat man Bill Huber of SI.com, the issue has arrived, and it is the reason that receiver Romeo Doubs sat out practices on Thursday and Friday for what coach Matt LaFleur called a, “personal” matter.
Huber, citing NFL sources, wrote on Friday night that the cause of Doubs’ absence from practice was dissatisfaction with his role in the offense.
“Green Bay Packers receiver Romeo Doubs skipped practice on Thursday and wasn’t present on Friday because he is upset with his opportunities in the passing game, sources told Packers On SI,” Huber wrote. “Because he didn’t practice the last two days, he is officially doubtful for Sunday’s game at the Los Angeles Rams.”
Romeo Doubs Missed 2 Practices
According to Huber’s reporting, team officials grew concerned about Doubs on Thursday when he was not at practice and sent representatives to locate him. LaFleur seemed surprised that Doubs was not present and when he was asked whether Doubs would practice Friday, LaFleur told reporters, “Yeah, I would hope so. We’ll take it one day at a time.”
But the Packers had located Doubs by then. “Worried about Doubs’s well-being, team representatives found him at his home,” Huber wrote.
The problem with Doubs likely highlights an issue the Packers will need to confront ahead of next month’s NFL trade deadline. Doubs is one of four very talented receivers on the roster, with Christian Watson, Jayden Reed and Dontayvion Wicks. The team has not established a hierarchy among that group—most teams have a clear No. 1 receiver and a clear No. 2.
Packers pass-catchers have been targeted 118 times, according to Pro Football Reference, and only three have more than 20 targets: Doubs (20), Wicks and Reed (both 22). Tight end Tucker Kraft has been targeted 17 times. If anyone has gotten short shrift in the passing game, it is Watson, who has been targeted only eight times.
Packers Just Got Jordan Love Back
It’s odd, generally speaking, for Doubs to be complaining at all about his role in the passing game, because the Packers passing game is still very much a work in progress. Green Bay opened with a wild loss in Sao Paolo in Week 1 that saw quarterback Jordan Love injured on the team’s final drive. They played conservative, pounding the run game, for two weeks with backup Malik Willis.
Love returned last week and, while working off some rust, hurled 54 passes, eight of which went to Doubs (he made four catches).
Doubs is in his third season, and has shown—at times—the makings of a No. 1 receiver. The presumption heading into 2023, in fact, was that the top spot in the Packers’ receiver room would be a battle between Doubs and Watson. But the emergence of Reed and Wicks, along with the persistent injuries that have limited Watson, has clouded that.
If anyone has emerged as the team’s top receiver, it’s Reed, a second-round pick from Michigan State in 2023.
Indeed, Doubs (a fourth-round pick in 2022) could be angling to be traded out of Green Bay, and that would be an option the team could consider. He had a good season last year, with 59 catches and 674 yards, adding eight touchdowns.
At 24 years old and still on his rookie deal, Doubs has trade value. The Packers could swap him for a third- or perhaps even second-round pick. Or they could address the need for cornerback help. With Malik Heath and Bo Melton also on hand, there is no shortage of depth int eh receivers room.
For now, though, the goal is simply to get Doubs back on the field.