Getty Aaron Rodgers #12 of the Green Bay Packers looks on from the sidelines during the second quarter against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field on January 09, 2022 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images)
Green Bay Packers four-time MVP quarterback Aaron Rodgers knows a thing or two about tough love, all of which he’s sharing with the team’s new group of young receivers.
Fourth-round rookie Romeo Doubs has been arguably the most dynamic wideout throughout training camp and the Packers’ three preseason games this year, noted by Bleacher Report earlier this month as one of the top steals of the 2022 NFL Draft. However, Doubs has also made some glaring rookie errors, a duality of performance that has led him to forge an interesting and fluid relationship with his quarterback.
Rodgers has been both glowingly positive and unabashedly critical of Doubs — calling him special in a way that most other rookie receivers haven’t been during Rodgers’ tenure in Green Bay, and also calling Doubs out for rookie mistakes that Rodgers won’t abide come the regular season.
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Doubs Thankful For Rodgers’ Willingness to Call Him Out, Teach
GettyWide receiver Romeo Doubs of the Green Bay Packers leaps into the stands following a touchdown reception against the New Orleans Saints during the first half of a preseason game at Lambeau Field on August 19, 2022 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
One particular instance took place in early August and was laid out as part of a piece published by Jason Wilde of The Athletic on Friday, September 2.
Doubs misread the defense during practice, according to Wilde, which led to a broken play. Rodgers approached the rookie during the lunch break that day, catching him by surprise.
“I said, ‘It’s the best thing that could happen, because I’d rather have it happen on a Monday in August than on a game day in September,'” Rodgers said of his cafeteria conversation with Doubs. “Now, how we correct that is the next time the situation comes up, we’ve got to do the right thing. But mistakes are going to happen. And the most important thing is to learn from those mistakes, and not make repeat mistakes.”
Doubs spoke to Wilde about what that heart-to-heart with Rodgers meant to him and how it’s molded his conversations with the quarterback moving forward.
“I think the biggest thing I took from that is mistakes like that can be the biggest gifts,” Doubs explained to Wilde. “Because I’d never been put in a position like that before, it was a funky look, and he was saying how when things like that happen, that prepares you for the next time you get it. Yeah, it’s my first year, and yeah, I’ve got to understand the playbook. But when you sit down with [Rodgers], anything that he says you have to make sure you lock in on it.”
Doubs Receiving Guidance From Veteran Packers Wide Receivers
GettyWide receiver Randall Cobb of the Green Bay Packers gains yardage during a game against the New Orleans Saints at TIAA Bank Field on September 12, 2021 in Jacksonville, Florida.
Beyond just Rodgers, Doubs has received guidance and tough love from veterans in the wide receiver room as well, specifically Randall Cobb and Allen Lazard.
“Me, Allen … we’ve played with Aaron for a while now, so we both understand what he’s looking for,” Cobb told Wilde. “It’s about passing that message down along to the other guys, and making sure that they understand so we’re all in line with what we’re trying to build.”
“There’s a lot of nuance, and that just takes time,” Cobb continued. “I think the big thing is, you don’t see a lot of repeat mistakes that we have to go over and over with them again. So that’s been great to see.”
Doubs has a chance to start alongside Cobb and/or Lazard when the regular season kicks off against the Minnesota Vikings on September 11. Free agent addition Sammy Watkins is also in the mix for a starting job and is sure to feature heavily in Green Bay’s regular rotation of wide receivers, as will second-round rookie Christian Watson.