The Green Bay Packers were a fast finisher in 2023. A strong second half by quarterback Jordan Love saw the team reach the postseason after winning six of its final eight games after a 3-6 start. There was a stunning playoff upset at Dallas, and then a narrow loss to the San Francisco in the divisional round. Love wasn’t quite as effective this past season (he missed 2 games), and Matt LaFleur’s club had it issues within the best division in the league.
Could the league’s fifth-ranked offense in 2024 be looking for more firepower?
Ohio State has been Wide Receiver U as of late
Despite the recent addition of six-year veteran Mecole Hardman, who caught the winning touchdown pass in overtime in Kansas City’s 25-22 win over the 49ers in Super Bowl LVIII, Cody Williams of FanSided thinks Matt LaFleur’s club could be looking for some additional wide receiver help on April 24.
“We still haven't seen the Green Bay Packers do anything meaningful to address the concern levied most notably by running back Josh Jacobs at wide receiver. Even more surprisingly, it doesn't appear Brian Gutekunst was interested meaningfully in DK Metcalf, Davante Adams or Cooper Kupp this offseason. Emeka Egbuka might not be a WR1 per se, but he checks boxes as a player who can be more reliable than the current options as a set-it-and-forget-it type of pass-catcher that will be part of Jordan Love's core for years to come.”
It would certainly be a sound move. The Packers’ wideouts did sustain some bumps and bruises, and three-year pro Christian Watson has yet to play a full season. Adding the talented Buckeye would make a lot of sense, and he appears perfectly suited to be a contributor in LaFleur’s passing attack. NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein had this scouting report.
“Fluid athlete with good size and quality ball skills who works primarily from the slot. Egbuka runs his routes with tempo and pace. He does a nice job of influencing coverage when needed. He lacks the explosiveness to race past the coverage and is a little tight in his hips getting in and out of breaks. Egbuka’s baseball background shows up with his laser-focused ball-tracking and ability to make sudden adjustments to bring throws in for a safe landing. He’s not elusive or sudden after the catch but is competitive and can squeeze out additional yardage. Egbuka projects as an early starter at slot for teams running heavy amounts of three-wideout sets.
Green Bay’s 2024 season ended on a sour note via a three-game losing streak, including a playoff loss to the Eagles. It was quite the contrast to the team’s strong finish from the previous year, and perhaps another weapon for Love may make a difference.