Vincent Frank
The Green Bay Packers are going to rely on young receivers Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs to do their thing for first year starting quarterback Jordan Love in 2023.
Whether either one is on the field Week 1 against the Chicago Bears now remains to be seen. Reports on Wednesday indicate that Watson (undisclosed) and Doubs (hamstring) joined starting left tackle David Bakhtiari in missing practice.
Doubs missed the Packers’ preseason finale with a hamstring issue. Sitting out a mid-week practice can’t be seen as great news on that front. As for Watson, it’s not yet known why he was absent from Wednesday’s session. That’s alarming, too.
Outside of running back Aaron Jones, the Packers are relying on a young group of skill-position players. Watson, 24, showed out big time as a rookie with Aaron Rodgers tossing him the rock last season. The second-round pick from North Dakota State tallied 41 receptions for 611 yards and seven touchdowns.
While Doubs was a bit less consistent as a rookie, the Nevada product also added 42 receptions, 425 yards and three touchdowns.
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Green Bay Packers depth chart at wide receiver
If Watson and Doubs are unable to go on Sunday in Chicago, it could prove detrimental to the Packers’ chances of opening the season with a win.
Green Bay currently has three rookie wide receivers on the 53-man roster, including second-round pick Jayden Reed, fifth rounder Dontayvion Wicks and the undrafted Malik Heath.
Depending on what happens this week, wide receivers Grant DuBose and Bo Melton could be called up from the practice squad.
As for Bakhtiari, the Packers had made it clear that he won’t be getting consistent practice reps after dealing with multiple injuries over the past couple seasons, including an ACL tear he suffered late in the 2020 season.
