If the Packers add another receiver, when might a move occur?

The Packers reportedly remain in the receiver market, but a move might not come as quickly as fans anticipate.

Good morning!

The Green Bay Packers reportedly could dive into the receiver market again while one of their wideouts has moved to the other side of the ball. Those topics and more form the crux of today's edition of the newsletter.

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According to recent reports, the Packers may not be done with the veteran receiver market after signing Sammy Watkins. When could we expect to see another move made?

Jason B. Hirschhorn: For a variety of reasons, a signing doesn't seem likely to happen in the near future. The Packers have plenty of incentive to get their recently drafted wideouts as much work as possible during the upcoming OTAs and mandatory minicamps. The latter holds considerable value given the opportunity to work with Aaron Rodgers before training camp.

But the veteran wideouts have incentive to wait as well. Some, like Odell Beckham Jr., won't even receive medical clearance until some point during the regular season, at which point he probably would prefer to sign with the team best situated to win a ring. As for healthier options like Julio Jones, waiting until the start of training camp or later might sound more appealing given the opportunity to avoid practices. We've seen veterans at various positions do this over the years to varying degrees of success.

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Peter Bukowski: The Packers have made meaningful additions each of the last few seasons in late-stage free agency, including and especially last year with De’Vondre Campbell. There doesn’t appear to be any rush to move on healthy players like Julio Jones or Will Fuller, each of whom has connections to the Packers. That goes double for Odell Beckham Jr. who enters 2022 off ACL surgery and likely won’t be available until late in the regular season at the earliest.

At least one league source believes there’s a good chance Beckham Jr. won’t play at all in ‘22, which would complicate this calculation. He’s the kind of player who might not sign until well into the regular season to see the situation and to give his potential team the best chance to assess his health.

The Packers officially moved Rico Gafford from wide receiver to cornerback this past week. What does that reveal about the roster and Gafford in particular?

JBH: After spending three draft picks on wideouts last month, the Packers have a traffic jam in the receiving corps. Counting those selections, those returning from last season, and Sammy Watkins, Green Bay had nine wide receivers in a comparable or better position to make the 53-man roster than Rico Gafford. That put the 25-year-old journeyman in a difficult spot, which led to the position change.

But while moving Gafford to cornerback might seem like a shot in the dark, he has plenty of experience at the position. He earned All-State honors at corner in high school and continued to play in the secondary during his time at Iowa Western Community College and the University of Wyoming. Gafford even began his NFL career as a defensive back, spending a few months there while on the Tennessee Titans' 90-man roster. Gafford's speed made him a candidate to switch positions — which he did during his time with the Oakland Raiders — but it also works to his advantage now that he has returned to corner.

Of course, Gafford faces long odds to make the 53-man roster. The Packers possess perhaps the premier corner trio in the league and anyone else retained at the position will have to make significant contributions on special teams. But Gafford has a shot now, something he probably didn't have without the position change.

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PB: It would be easy to say, “who?” to this question, but special teams cost the Packers a chance at a Super Bowl last season. Any player who gave himself a better chance to make the roster positionally and on special teams is worth taking note of because of how it affects Green Bay’s special teams.

Does this move meaningful alter the future of the Rich Bisaccia’s group? No, probably not, but that doesn’t mean it’s a nothing move.

What game on the Packers schedule stands out to you?

JBH: The Week 3 matchup with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers won't make or break the Packers' title hopes, but it could make their path in the playoffs considerably easier or harder. As Peter articulated on his podcast, the Buccaneers appear to have as little competition in their division as do the Packers in theirs. With the NFC West at risk of cannibalizing itself and the NFC East without an obvious Super Bowl front-runner, a head-to-head matchup between Green Bay and Tampa Bay could look incredibly important come December when the league releases the seed-clinching scenarios.

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PB: It’s a two-game stretch for me so I’m cheating, I know. The Monday night game against the Rams followed by the Dolphins in Miami could well be the decisive stretch of the regular season. Beat L.A. and avoid stubbing toes in South Beach and the Packers should be well on their way to the No. 1 seed in the NFC yet again.

The ‘22 version of the Packers won’t be as good, at least offensively, as the last two seasons, but in a weak division that plays in a watered-down conference, the Packers have arguably the best chance (and I would argue they do have the best chance) to be the No. 1 seed. A 2-0 stretch late in the season here would likely seal that deal for Green Bay.

Parting shots

PB: Only one team was better with two tight ends (12 personnel) last season than the Green Bay Packers despite their lack of elite tight end talent. And only two other teams were better by success rate than the Packers out of two running back sets ( 21 personnel) according to Sharp Football stats.

The loss of Davante Adams invites clear change, but Matt LaFleur could actually be incentivized to lean into personnel groupings that benefit the team in a real way. This is not to say the Packers will be better in 2022 than 2021 or 20202 without Adams, but they might be able to take advantage of superlative playcalling and dynamic talent, particularly at running back, this season with a more diverse group of players on offense.

LaFleur’s crew hit just above average in success rate out of three receivers sets (11 personnel) but only barely, and this was the grouping they used most often. Even with Adams, it made sense to try to build on this success. Without him, it’s a no-brainer.