Getty Laviska Shenault Jr. #10 of the Jacksonville Jaguars warms-up before the game against the Houston Texans at TIAA Bank Field on December 19, 2021 in Jacksonville, Florida.
The Green Bay Packers are apparently still exploring some options for their enhancing their receiving corps ahead of the 2022 season.
According to ESPN’s Dan Graziano, the Packers were one of a few teams engaged in trade talks with the Jacksonville Jaguars about former second-round receiver Laviska Shenault Jr. before they reached a deal with the Carolina Panthers on August 29.
Note I found interesting last night: Carolina had some competition for Laviska Shenault. Packers, Falcons were among the other teams that were talking to the Jaguars about trading for Shenault before they reached a deal with the Panthers, per sources.
Shenault caught 121 passes for 1,219 yards and five touchdowns over his first two seasons with the Jaguars, but some inconsistencies with drops and health prevented him from reaching his ceiling as 2020 second-round pick. On top of that, the Jaguars also added wideouts Christian Kirk and Zay Jones and tight end Evan Engram to their offense in free agency, providing Trevor Lawrence with a wider array of passing targets and leaving Shenault in a questionable situation as far as potential production.
Ultimately, Shenault was dealt to the Panthers for a 2024 seventh-round pick and a 2023 sixth-rounder — something the Packers certainly had the resources to match.
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Does Shenault Interest Suggest WR Concerns?
The Packers have been trying to pull off a major renovation of their receiving corps over the past several months of the NFL offseason. They traded Davante Adams to the Las Vegas Raiders for additional first- and second-round picks in the 2022 NFL draft and allowed Marquez Valdes-Scantling to walk in free agency. Then, they turned around and signed veteran Sammy Watkins to a low-cost, one-year contract and drafted Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs in the second and fourth rounds, respectively.
Now, after training camp and a preseason that didn’t feature much of the starters, the Packers are preparing for the 2022 season with Allen Lazard, Watkins and Randall Cobb at the top of their depth chart and Amari Rodgers, Watson and Doubs in the mix to compete for reps behind the starters. It’s the plan the Packers have been following all along, and it could be a winning plan for them if the pieces develop how they hope, but could their interest in Shenault — a semi-accomplished receiver with an untapped ceiling — suggest they are searching for another piece to tie the room together?
The Packers have mostly ignored the veteran market this offseason, but there are a few left unsigned that could appeal to them now if they want to go out and get a name, such as Will Fuller IV or T.Y. Hilton, before the regular season. There are also a couple of other young receivers expected to be in trade conversations as 53-man roster cuts are made, including former Baltimore Ravens first-rounder Jalen Reagor.
Buzz around the league is that Jalen Reagor’s trade market is heating up. Some teams believe a deal will get done for the #Eagles WR by today’s 4 pm deadline.