The Green Bay Packers were gearing up for their Monday Night Football matchup against the Los Angeles Rams, but general manager Brian Gutekunst parted ways with one of the team’s oldest playmakers just hours before the game.
With the emergence of rookie wideout Christian Watson and fellow rookie receiver Romeo Doubs expected to play in Week 15, Tom Pelissero with NFL Network tweeted that veteran Sammy Watkins had been released on Monday, December 19.
The move came as a bit of a surprise given Watkins’ short tenure in Green Bay. After being signed to a one-year deal during the offseason, Watkins had struggled to stay on the field, even going on injured reserve and missing significant time earlier this season.
Although he struggled to stay on the field, Watkins was a veteran presence at the position that has shown flashes of brilliance throughout his nine NFL seasons. Now, the Packers will be relying even more on their rookie receivers in Watson and Doubs for the rest of the year.
It’s Christian Watson’s Time to Shine
It took him some time to get going, but Watson has quickly emerged into one of the most exciting wide receivers in the NFL, even as a rookie.
Watson was an intriguing prospect heading into the 2022 NFL draft. A wide receiver coming out of an FCS powerhouse in North Dakota State, Watson made plenty of explosive plays for the Bison. However, playing for a smaller program and limited playing time in a wide receiver rotation made him a difficult evaluations.
Still, Watson’s size and athleticism turned plenty of heads. Despite being listed at 6’5″ and 207 pounds, Watson posted a 40-yard dash time of just 4.36 seconds at the NFL scouting combine. His Relative Athletic Score (RAS) was a staggering 9.96 out of 10, making him the 12th-most athletic prospect out of 2,768 recorded receivers.
The rookie receiver’s NFL career got off to a disappointing start. After dropping what would have been a 75-yard touchdown on his first career snap, Watson dealt with multiple injuries that kept him off of the field for the majority of the first half of the season.
After getting healthy, Watson has burst onto the national scene. Over his last four games, Watson has racked up eight total touchdowns, including a three-score performance against the Dallas Cowboys in an upset win, doming something only Randy Moss had done before.
He’s still dealing with drops at times, but Watson has emerged as Green Bay’s most dangerous wide receiver, explaining why the Packers might have parted ways with Watkins.
Could Other Receivers Leave in 2023?
The Packers felt confident enough about their wide receiver room to part ways with Watkins, but a couple of other receivers could be gone this offseason.
Allen Lazard is one of the team’s biggest upcoming free agents, but it’s unclear if the team will be able to bring him back. Due to their limited cap space and Lazard’s impact as both a receiver and blocker, other teams around the league are likely to offer him more money than the Packers can afford given their cap situation in 2023 and beyond.
Randall Cobb is also on the final year of his contract, and at 32 years old with plenty of injury history, it could be the end of his second stint in Green Bay. Aaron Rodgers could try to pressure the team to bring Cobb back if the veteran QB returns, but there’s a good chance that the receiver’s time in Green Bay is coming to an end.
Both receivers have contributed a lot to the Packers over their careers, but with the emergence of Watson and Doubs, a new era is likely coming to Green Bay.
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Packers Release Former First-Round Pick: Report