Film Room: Analyst says the Packers have an embarrassment of riches at WR

The Green Bay Packers might not have a clear wide receiver one, and quarterback Jordan Love has said he is comfortable with that. For the most part, that’s the direction the front office chose after trading Davante Adams away to the Las Vegas Raiders, and it’s working well.

"You don't have to have a No. 1 receiver," Love told Packers.com. "I think it works out well when you can spread the ball out and you’ve got different guys making different plays and you can put 'em in different areas. It puts a lot more stress on the defense and the calls that they can get in, so I think in the long run it helps us not having a No. 1 guy, a true No. 1 guy, but I think all those guys can step up and be the one any given day."

Last season, at least four wide receivers showed potential at some point to be efficient weapons — and you can say five if you consider Bo Melton’s performances late in the year.

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On A to Z Sports’ Film Room YouTube channel , analyst James Foster evaluated the performances of Christian Watson, Jayden Reed, Dontayvion Wicks, and Romeo Doubs in 2023. After all, he said the Packers have an embarrassment of riches at wide receiver, with potential all around the room.

Watch the full analysis here:

Pros and cons :

Christian Watson: Specialized player as a deep threat, downfield explosiveness. But he is not a reliable player to get open underneath, hasn't developed as a route runner, and has had problems to stay on the field consistently.

Jayden Reed: Well-rounded receiver, good separator, good to generate plays with the ball in his hands. Can get better in contested catches.

Dontayvion Wicks: Good catch radius, alignment versatility, good route runner. He was surprisingly effective after the catch. He's not a high-level speedster.

Romeo Doubs: Great receiving skills and ability at the catch point. He is not a great separator.

Financial aspect

The best part about the Packers’ approach is when you consider how inflated the wide receiver market around the league is. Justin Jefferson from the Minnesota Vikings is obviously an elite player, but he just signed for $35 million per season.

Meanwhile, the Packers are slated to pay $1.545 million to Christian Watson, $1.076 million to Jayden Reed, $985,000 to Romeo Doubs, and $915,000 to Dontayvion Wicks in 2024. Of course, that situation might change in the near future as these players eventually will get closer to a potential contract extension, but that’s another discussion. Right now, the Packers have a clear window to maximize the offensive production with a cost well below the market reality, with the potential to generate incredible surplus value over the next two to three years.

This is particularly important considering that the Packers are about to give quarterback Jordan Love a contract extension — and he might make something around $55 million per season. If the quarterback position is so expensive, the front office has to compensate for that everywhere else, and getting effective production anyway at receiver is a great start.

Related: Packers' wide receiver group has new questions after a year full of answers