Green Bay Packers rookie wide receiver Grant DuBose, who was taken in the seventh round out of Charlotte, has fallen behind his counterparts this offseason as he is sidelined with an injury.
What that injury remains an unknown at this time, but it has not allowed DuBose to participate in rookie minicamp or any of the Packers’ OTA practices over the last three weeks–or at least not any open to the media. As a result, DuBose has lost out on some very valuable practice reps as an incoming rookie, and in terms of taking the playbook and applying that to the football field, he will now be playing catch-up.
“Anytime you’re talking about a young player that hasn’t been able to participate in practices,” said Matt LaFleur after Tuesday’s practice, “those are valuable reps. We talked about it the other day after practice, just how meaningful these reps are for these young players, especially when you’re learning something new. It’s one thing to sit there and learn it in the meeting rooms, on the board, watching the tape, but it’s another thing to go out there and do it. I do think naturally you fall behind, and it’s going to be on him to try to stay into as best you can mentally and get those mental reps, but there’s nothing like the physical reps.”
As Aaron Rodgers pointed out last summer, the playbook and what takes place on the football field can be two different things. A year ago, we saw the impact that missed time can have on a young receiver, with Christian Watson missing time over the summer due to an injury and then early on in the season as well. Even for an uber-talented player like Watson, that missed time set him back from a development standpoint, and it wasn’t until over halfway through the season that he really was able to make an impact.
The Green Bay Packers have the most inexperienced wide receiver room in football, with Romeo Doubs and his 529 career snaps being the most on the team. However, despite the number of young players, many of the roster spots are already accounted for, with Doubs, Watson, Samori Toure, Jayden Reed, and Dontayvion Wicks being roster locks.
Those players account for five roster spots, which in some seasons, has been the number of receivers to make Green Bay’s initial 53-man roster. DuBose may not quite be in the “lock” category, but given that LaFleur and Brian Gutekunst have favored draft picks when it comes to those final roster spots during their collective tenure, DuBose is most likely the favorite for that sixth spot–assuming there is one. Also, although DuBose may be behind right now, between Doubs, Watson, Reed, Toure, the Packers’ tight ends and running backs, it’s not as if DuBose is going to be relied upon heavily as a rookie either–Green Bay already has a number of pass-catching options.
If the sixth wide receiver role is actually up for grabs, along with DuBose, two other names to watch this summer based on their performances during OTAs are Jeff Cotton, who spent a portion of the 2022 season on the Green Bay practice squad, and undrafted rookie (UDFA) Malik Heath from Ole Miss. The other receivers on the roster include Jadakis Bonds and Duece Watts, two other 2023 UDFAs.
DuBose was targeted heavily in the Charlotte offense during the last two seasons. He would go on to catch 60% of his 208 total targets during that span at almost 14 yards per catch with 15 touchdowns. DuBose was very good at making contested catches and thrown to often over the middle. He also brings punt return and run-blocking experience to Green Bay, and for what it’s worth, he graded out well as a blocker, according to PFF.
“I thought there were some raw things to him,” said Packers wide receivers coach Jason Vrable. “He only played two years there, but the way he caught the ball, the way how physical he was, he blocked, he kind of reminded me of Lazard the way he threw his body around, and be physical, and gritty, and I saw those big body, strong character, and he had some of the more impressive catches in this draft class that I saw that were just unbelievable. His hand-eye coordination. I’m really excited about him.”
OTAs conclude this week for the Packers, and then from June 13th through the 15th mandatory minicamp will take place. The team will then reconvene in late July for training camp. For DuBose, who still needs to acclimate himself to the NFL level and apply what’s in the playbook, the sooner he can shake this injury and be on the practice field, the better.
