The Green Bay Packers didn’t add a No. 1 receiver in free agency, so they’re banking on their current group to take a big step forward in 2024. Assuming they’re relying on internal development, which wide receiver has the best shot at emerging as the top target?
Dontayvion Wicks, Jayden Reed, and Romeo Doubs all saw over 70 targets in 2024. With Christian Watson out until December, those numbers could rise next year. Reed led the team in both targets and catches, but also in drops.
“I love the energy he brings,” Matt LaFleur said of Reed. “It’s not just on game day. It is every day. We’re lucky to have a guy like that. He’s a tone-setter.”
Wicks caught only 39 of 74 targets last year. Moreover, he caught just 3 of 14 contested catches last year and had eight drops. However, the Packers still seem to believe in his talent, so it’s unlikely they’ll give up on Wicks anytime soon.
“I’m excited about him and what he can become, because we all see the talent,” LaFleur said in October. “He is tough to guard on the line of scrimmage. I know what he’s capable of doing, we just have to get it out on a consistent basis.”
The Packers will have to closely monitor how Doubs bounces back from the two concussions he suffered in 2024. However, they believe he and Jordan Love have already started the process of taking the next step as a QB-WR duo.
The biggest topic of discussion among the Packers’ fan base this offseason has been whether they need a true, established No. 1 wide receiver.
It’s not just the fans who are discussing it. On 97.3 The Game in Milwaukee, Josh Jacobs said Green Bay “needs a guy who has already proven to be a No. 1.”
“We’ve got a really young group of receivers,” he continued. “They all have the potential to be special. But personally, I think we need a proven No. 1 receiver – someone we know will be more consistent.”
However, Jordan Love sees it differently.
I think you don’t have to have a No. 1 receiver. I think it works out well when you can spread the ball out, and you got different guys making different plays, and you can put ’em in different areas.
I think it puts a lot more stress on the defense and the calls that they can get in, so I think in the long run, it helps us not having a No. 1 guy, a true No. 1 guy, but I think all those guys can step up and be the one any given day.
LaFleur was asked last August if he believed the team had a No. 1 receiver.
“I want to vomit every time I hear ‘No. 1 receiver,’ to be honest with you,” LaFleur said. “It drives me crazy. That’s something that you guys talk about. I feel like we’ve got a bunch of ’em.”
Green Bay’s wide receiver corps regressed in 2024. Wicks and Reed combined for 18 drops, contributing to the Packers ranking third in the league in total drops. Watson was their most effective weapon against man coverage. However, the unit struggled to create separation when he wasn’t on the field.
The Packers don’t have a clear No. 1 option going into the 2025 season. However, all their receivers can step up and be “the guy” in the room. I’d expect Reed and Doubs to see most of the snaps in 12-personnel, but Wicks should get plenty of looks in empty and gun formations.
The first step for Green Bay is to add more competition through the draft and find a way to replicate how Watson’s speed opens up underneath concepts for the offense. I imagine Reed will start the 2025 season as the No. 1 guy on the depth chart. However, Doubs is entering the final year of his rookie deal and has a sense of urgency to secure a second contract.
Additionally, Wicks had an 84 elite open-score rate last year. If he can resolve his drop issues, he will be a serious problem for any defense.
It should be a fun competition that can only benefit the Packers in the long run. However, if progress is not attained, Green Bay will have a big problem to solve in the 2026 offseason, which will surely be filled with tough decisions.