In a league-wide examination of moves teams should make before the start of the 2023 season, Field Yates of ESPN reccomended the Green Bay Packers should sign a veteran wide receiver, and more specifically, free agent Jarvis Landry.
Here was his reasoning: “I understand that very few veteran pass-catchers available right now have a chance to be a major impact player on the field, but I do think there is a spot for a player who brings leadership qualities to make his mark. As an example, while the team might want as many snaps for the youngsters who can play in the slot as possible, I do think Jarvis Landry’s presence would bring instant lessons in preparation that would pay off.”
Landry, who turns 31 in November, is entering his 10th NFL season. He played last season with the New Orleans Saints, catching 25 passes for 272 yards and a touchdown over nine games before landing on injured reserve with an ankle injury.
On the surface, the idea of adding a veteran receiver does make sense given the complete lack of experience currently in the Packers receiver room. Jeff Cotton, 26, is the oldest receiver on the roster. Romeo Doubs, who played in 13 games as a rookie, is the most experienced receiver on the roster based on snaps played. The Packers drafted three receivers in 2022 and three more in 2023. It’s a young and inexperienced group of receivers around first-year starting quarterback Jordan Love.
But it certainly looks like the youth at receiver is by design. The Packers want this young but talented group of receivers to grow alongside Love, who has a two-year window to show he’s the long-term answer in a post-Aaron Rodgers world. Signing a veteran like Landry might give the receiver room a valuable veteran presence, but it would also steal away snaps from the young players who need the opportunities on the field to grow. Last year, Sammy Watkins helped guide some of the rookies, and all were appreciative of their time with him, but he also played a lot of empty snaps early in the season. The guess here is that signing Landry would turn into a replica of the failed Watkins experiment.
Keep in mind, Landry is an aging receiver who averaged 6.7 yards per target and missed 12 total games over the last two seasons. Old, regressing and unavailable is a tough combo for finding work in the NFL.
Also, the Packers believe Doubs and Christian Watson learned enough from Allen Lazard and Randall Cobb last season and are ready to become the leaders in the receiver room. Adding a veteran, especially after the conclusion of the offseason workout program, might be a step back in terms of letting Doubs and Watson grow as leaders in the room.
Of course, the Packers also have high hopes for Jayden Reed, a second-round pick who looks tailormade for playing in the slot. Landry is probably a slot-only player at this point. Unless the Packers have big worries about Reed’s development at this stage, signing Landry would represent a demotion for a highly-regarded rookie.
Last year, there was conflicting reports on whether the Packers had interest in signing Landry. It ended up not happening. The move hardly made sense given the presence of Cobb and Amari Rodgers to open the 2022 season. This year, the roster opening is there, but the Packers look comfortable embracing the youth movement on offense.
Barring an injury during training camp, the guess here is that the Packers will not end up adding Landry before the 2023 season.
