Getty Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers looks to pass in the second half during the NFL match between New York Giants and Green Bay Packers at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on October 09, 2022 in London, England. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)
The pressure is mounting for the Green Bay Packers to do something about a floundering passing attack that has made minimal strides through five games.
Quarterback Aaron Rodgers has been consistently mediocre this season following back-to-back MVP campaigns. Even a scheme adjustment against the New York Giants on Sunday, October 9, in London didn’t make much of a difference. The Packers called 39 pass plays, an increase of approximately seven attempts from their average entering the contest, yet Rodgers still produced just 222 yards and two touchdowns. The QB has yet to throw for 300 yards or three touchdowns in any outing this season, as Green Bay’s plodding offense has struggled to a 3-2 record.
The problem is painfully obvious — a lack of top-flight, experienced playmakers in the wide receiver room after Davante Adams departed for the Las Vegas Raiders in March. The answer appears just as clear — the Packers need to add a true No. 1 target to the roster.
And at the risk of repetition, this is the point where wideout Odell Beckham Jr. inevitably swaggers his way into the conversation as the best free agent option available.
Packers Named Second-Best Fit For Wide Receiver Odell Beckham
GettyWide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., formerly of the Los Angeles Rams, warms up before the NFC Championship Game against the San Francisco 49ers at SoFi Stadium on January 30, 2022 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Based on the factors of team need, roster fit and player interest, the top destinations for Beckham remain the same as they were when he hit free agency last season.
ESPN insiders Jeremy Fowler and Matt Bowen put together a list of landing spots for the two-time All Pro receiver on Tuesday, October 11. The Los Angeles Rams occupied the top spot, with the Packers nipping at their heels in the No. 2 position.
Green Bay made an offer to Beckham last season, though it was for the veterans minimum of $660,000. He chose the Rams instead based on their so-called commitment to him, much of which was tied to a far superior offer of $4.25 million. Los Angeles went on to win the Super Bowl, while the Packers dropped a divisional playoff game at home to the San Francisco 49ers.
Green Bay can’t afford to make the same mistake twice, no matter how much money it costs them, considering the dimensions Bowen believes Beckham can add to the Rodgers-led offense.
“Rodgers is still the league’s best at identifying and throwing one-on-ones. Could you see Beckham running slot fades here? All day,” Bowen wrote. “He’s a fit for the pass-game structure in Green Bay, creating route separation on in-breakers or finding zone windows on the defined concepts in [head coach] Matt LaFleur’s offense.”
Fowler agreed, noting that the Packers have more than $6 million in cap space to make a real play for Beckham, who will be looking for a chance to prove himself worthy of one more big NFL contract next summer. However, Fowler then cited an NFC executive who pointed out that Green Bay’s history of adding receiver talent for Rodgers has been sparing, to say the least.
“They seem to do the opposite of what Aaron Rodgers wants,” the executive said.
Beckham Could Also Produce Negative Impact With Packers
GettyWide receiver Christian Watson of the Green Bay Packers on the sidelines during a game against the Chicago Bears at Lambeau Field on September 18, 2022 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
The strongest argument against the Packers adding Beckham is that he might steal reps and stunt the development of Green Bay’s two rookie wide receivers, Romeo Doubs and Christian Watson.
“The addition of Beckham could slow the development of rookies Romeo Doubs and Christian Watson — they’ve combined for 29 catches for 265 yards so far — but there’s no question he would elevate the wide receiver room for one of the NFC’s contenders,” Bowen wrote. “Beckham knows how to get first downs, and Green Bay ranks 16th in the league in first-down catches by wideouts after being fourth a year ago.”
Doubs has had a stronger campaign than Watson thus far, amassing 22 receptions for 213 yards and two touchdowns. Those numbers rank first, second and second, respectively, among Packers’ pass catchers in 2022, per ESPN.
Watson dealt with a knee injury that sidelined him for much of the preseason, and missed Week 3 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with a hamstring issue. Drafted in the top of the second round, Watson was supposed to assume the lion’s share of Adams’ former duties, though he has yet to prove up to the challenge.