Green Bay Packers: Pass on the current roster-Attention
Here is our position-by-position publication schedule for this series, just in case you forgot:
2/13: The offensive line
2/14: Catchers of passes
2/15: Line of attack
2/16: Tackles on defense
2/19: The defense closes
2/20: Football players
2/21: Wide receivers
2/22: Precautions
2/23: Experts
The Packers won’t be making many changes at the pass-catching positions during this offseason. Green Bay should, for the most part, run back the unit heading into 2024 because of the youth at the position and the promise that these players showed in 2023. Now let’s begin the sneak peek.
Jayden Reed, Romeo Doubs, Christian Watson, Dontayvion Wicks, Bo Melton, Malik Heath, Samori Toure, Grant DuBose, and Thyrick Pitts are among the receivers under contract.
The Packers have everyone back at the position, I repeat, everyone. This includes former draft pick Grant DuBose, who spent his rookie season on the practice squad, and the seven players who shared playing time in 2023.
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We should take a close look at the 49ers’ desperate need for another game-winning play.
The date is January 14, 2012. We are in San Francisco at Candlestick Park. The 49ers need a touchdown with 14 seconds remaining, down three, and facing a third down to maintain their hopes of making the playoffs without having to go to overtime. In the meantime, the Saints can draw a conclusion from this and move on to the NFC Championship Game. We need to go back in time to comprehend how we got here and to fully appreciate what this moment represents.
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It’s anyone’s guess how the depth chart will look in 2024 given that Reed, Doubs, Watson, and Wicks all saw a good amount of playing time in the previous campaign. The key question in this situation is whether Watson, who has experienced hamstring strains throughout his career, will be able to maintain his health in 2024. Watson announced following the season that he would confer with specialists regarding his problem. In addition, head coach Matt LaFleur stated that Bryan “Flea” Engel, the team’s head trainer, will accompany Watson on his offseason travels when the receiver has a hamstring scan. It’s also important to note that Chris Gizzi, who held the position prior to the 2023 season, was let go, leaving the team without a strength and conditioning position.
Due to their individual periods of increased playing time, Melton, Heath, and Toure should all be competitive at the end of the depth chart. Melton, in particular, finished the regular season with a remarkable 211 yards of running over three games; however, he managed just 26 yards in the two playoff games for the Packers.
Since Green Bay already has eight receivers to feed, don’t expect them to provide much competition in 2024. Under coordinator Rich Bisaccia, the team has also hardly used receivers on the special teams unit. However, with the switch to a 4-3 defense, that could change, forcing the team to use more roster spots on off-ball linebackers rather than Bisaccia’s designated special teams-only “safeties.”
The Packers may look to the receiver position to supplement Bisaccia’s “safeties” if the team wishes to keep using bodies similar to those on special teams. With 71 special teams snaps for the Packers last season, Heath was by far the most influential wide receiver on the team. He was ranked 26th among Green Bay’s third unit players in terms of playing time. Reed was next, and he was a returner for 42 snaps. Who knows if Reed, who is now an offensive contributor, will still get those reps in the future? Melton, with just 12 snaps, was the most-played receiver on special teams, behind Heath and Reed.
Joel Wilson, Ben Sims, Tucker Kraft, and Luke Musgrave are tight ends under contract.
Tyler Davis is a free agent.
Tight end should largely remain the same in 2024, much like wide receiver. With Tyler Davis scheduled to become a free agent this offseason, the only big question mark is whether or not the team will sign him again. After signing a one-year contract with the Packers in the 2023 offseason, Davis, who is primarily a blocking tight end and special teams player, tore his ACL in the preseason.
Musgrave, Kraft, and Sims—the first rookie tight end trio in NFL history to each catch a tight end for the same team in a single season—should be the team’s top three tight ends if Davis decides not to return. In April of last year, both Musgrave and Kraft were highlighted as pass-catchers and high draft selections. Sims, meanwhile, signed with the Minnesota Vikings as an undrafted rookie before being brought in for a pre-draft visit by the Packers. Sims was acquired by Green Bay via waivers during the roster purge that followed Davis’ injury.
Josiah Deguara, who may be regarded as a fullback, is also a free agent this offseason, as we noted in the backfield preview. Joel Wilson’s chances of making the roster the following season are likely to be less than those of Henry Pearson, the fullback with a 2024 contract. Though there’s no guarantee that the Packers will have a fourth tight end on the roster the following season, it’s possible that the team will add some competition to push Pearson.
