Is Packers WR Allen Lazard this Year's NFL Breakout Player?

Allen Lazard might sound like a strange candidate for a breakout season in 2022. For starters, he hasn’t signed his contract tender with the Green Bay Packers nor is he at mandatory minicamp. The NFL should really drop the “mandatory” tag from camp if guys can just skip out when things aren’t going their way by not signing tenders. But I digress. The point is that despite those issues, this is Lazard's year to break out if he wants to take it. 

With Davante Adams out the door, Lazard finds himself atop the depth chart in Green Bay. I was very surprised to see the Packers wait until the 34th pick in the NFL Draft to grab Christian Watson and 132 to draft Romeo Doubs. Both are fine players, but the Packers need a lot of help in the passing game. This leads me to believe that the Packers know something we don’t. With the lion’s share of passes thrown his way, Lazard can be a star for this team and maybe the NFL in general. He has never seen more than 60 targets or 40 catches in a season and that is about to change. 

So, how will Lazard do with all this extra attention? There is a chance he takes it and runs. But, I think the Packers goofed a bit in basically trusting Lazard to make-or-break this passing game. Lazard is the Packers' best option in the red zone as evidenced by him finishing 2021 tied for 16th with eight TD catches. But he also tied for 86th with just 513 yards. This is great for fantasy owners but not so much for this franchise. The Packers needed somebody to actually get the ball into the red zone first and that was where Adams was so good. Let’s not forget the Packers also lost Marquez Valdes-Scantling, which leaves GB very light at WR. 

This is all ignoring the fact that defenses will be all over Lazard as the only real threat on this team. Even the best players can't overcome stifling double teams and Lazard is far from one of the best. Maybe Aaron Rodgers can work some magic and turn Lazard into a superstar. But I think they will need to bring in some help if they hope to make a playoff run in 2022.