Can The Packers Still Compete Without Davante Adams In 2022?
With the departure of Davante Adams, who will step up and help the Packers remain competitive?
If you’ve been living under a rock this year, Davante Adams was traded to the Las Vegas Raiders four months ago in exchange for two 2022 picks. Adams is coming off another great year after he posted over 1500 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns with the Packers. Last season was his sixth season averaging over ten yards per catch which is very impressive. Seven seasons ago it was just under ten.
First things first, there’s no “I” in team and Football is a “next man up” sport. So, the answer to the question is yes. Now the Packers might not be as flashy with 60-yard Hail-Mary’s but 10-15 yard slants every other play can move the chains just as well as a bomb down the field.
Packers Last Season Recap
Last year Allen Lazard posted career highs in targets, receptions, yards, and touchdowns with the Packers while also spending more time on the field. His 513-yard season is not close to Davante Adams’ 1500-yard season but those targets will have to go somewhere this year and Lazard has the size and speed to close that gap.
Offseason Additions & Departures For The Packers
After adding Sammy Watkins and drafting solid receivers in Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs, and Samori Toure I have no doubt that Aaron Rodgers can create early chemistry for another ten-plus win season. Pack Nation went heavy in the draft to add some much-needed talent on the defensive side while also signing extensions to the key role players. Honestly, this could be one of the years where the defense outplays the offense and I don’t think anyone will complain about that, definitely not Rodgers.
With the departures of MVS and St. Brown, it allows the depth players to raise their hands and step up to the plate. I honestly thought Watkins would walk into camp, get hurt, and get cut but he is balling out well in camp and could be a solid number two WR on the team behind the Lazard King.
Expectations For The Packers
I expect Cobb to be the #4 “check down” player for Rodgers and let the young kids do all of the running. I foresee the WR depth chart as Lazard, Watkins, Watson, Cobb, and Amari. Amari still needs a little work but I can see Watson snagging that third spot as a rookie. Other notable players that can push for playing time out of the gate are Doubs and Toure.
With the backfield, I expect Jones to essentially be a top-three WR on the stat sheet while Dillon plows through the line like a Bull seeing a red flag. Have you seen his quads? In the NFL, the “Swiss army knife” backs are my favorite and I always target them first in Fantasy. Jones is a top 5 RB/WR and he will be leaned on extra this year to fill in the target share left by Davante Adams.
With the quick hands of Aaron Rodgers, “dink and dunk” plays could be the new offense this year. It’ll take Lazard or Watkins some time to get used to playing against the top corners in football so the short slant and post routes could be a game-changer.
If Tonyan was 100% healthy right now, I’d throw him third on the stat sheet behind Jones. Great hands and a large target for Rodgers to see. As of right now, it doesn’t look like he’ll be good to go by week one, hopefully, he can come back in the first quarter of the season. Deguara can help but he’s not as talented as Tonyan and doesn’t have the height. Tyler Davis could also see some reps early on as long as Tonyan is healing.
To recap, Green Bay will be just fine without Davante Adams and I hope him the best with the Raiders. I mean, we could have the WR room of the Bears…..I’m really glad we don’t. I’d probably end up drinking at 9 am every Sunday. The nice thing about Rodgers is that he helps average players become great players. Having that top-five QB behind center instantly makes playmakers better and helps build confidence.