A stunning twist in an emerging story regarding Romeo Doubs: the Green Bay Packers receiver skipped practices on Thursday and Friday after becoming upset with his role in the team’s passing game, per Bill Huber of SI.com. After missing practice on back-to-back days, the Packers listed Doubs as doubtful to play Sunday against the Los Angeles Rams with what is described vaguely as a “personal issue.” Coach Matt LaFleur said he is still “day to day,” but he expected Doubs back at practice Friday and it didn’t happen.
Doubs leads all Packers wide receivers in snaps played (224) and is second in targets (22). He was targeted a season-high eight times during the Packers’ loss to the Minnesota Vikings last Sunday. In two games with Jordan Love at quarterback this season, Doubs received 15 targets — or 7.5 per game. Last season, Doubs led the team in targets with 96 and led Packers receivers with 845 snaps played. Over two playoff games, he caught 10 passes for 234 yards and a score.
Per Huber, Doubs practiced on Wednesday but then didn’t show up to the team facility on Thursday. Wednesday is typically install day for an offense, so it’s possible Doubs got the plan for this week and wasn’t happy about his role. The team had to go to Doubs’ house on Thursday to find him, per Huber, suggesting there are a few more layers to peel back on this situation. The Packers are headed to Los Angeles to play the 31st ranked Rams defense, and Christian Watson, who has an ankle injury, isn’t expected to play. Doubs, a fourth-round pick in the 2022 draft, is a Los Angeles native.
Through four games, Doubs has 12 catches on 20 targets for 169 yards. He hasn’t caught a touchdown after hauling in eight last season, but he’s been targeted three times inside the 20-yard line, trailing only Tucker Kraft (4) and Dontayvion Wicks (4). If Watson and Doubs don’t play on Sunday, the Packers would rely on Wicks, Jayden Reed, Bo Melton and Malik Heath at wide receiver against the Rams. Wicks had 13 targets last week, Reed looks more and more like the No. 1 option in the passing game, Melton had a 100-yard receiving game last season and Heath has 17 catches on 26 career targets.
The Packers are headed to Los Angeles to play the 31st ranked Rams defense, and Christian Watson, who has an ankle injury, isn’t expected to play. Doubs, a fourth-round pick in the 2022 draft, is a Los Angeles native. Through four games, Doubs has 12 catches on 20 targets for 169 yards. He hasn’t caught a touchdown after hauling in eight last season, but he’s been targeted three times inside the 20-yard line, trailing only Tucker Kraft (4) and Dontayvion Wicks (4). If Watson and Doubs don’t play on Sunday, the Packers would rely on Wicks, Jayden Reed, Bo Melton and Malik Heath at wide receiver against the Rams. Wicks had 13 targets last week, Reed looks more and more like the No. 1 option in the passing game, Melton had a 100-yard receiving game last season and Heath has 17 catches on 26 career targets.
Doubs' Role in the Packers' Offense
Romeo Doubs has started all four games this season and has played the most snaps of any wide receiver on the Packers, but that is apparently not enough to satisfy him with his role in the offense. Doubs has missed the last two practices with what the team called personal reasons, and he is listed as doubtful for Sunday’s game. According to Bill Huber of SI.com, that’s because is upset with his opportunities in the passing game. Doubs has been targeted 20 times this season, which is slightly less on a per-game basis than he was getting last season, but that’s easily explained by the fact that starting quarterback Jordan Love has been injured and the Packers had to change their offense to accommodate the newly arrived quarterback Malik Willis, who hadn’t been with the team long enough to know the full playbook. In the two games Love played, Doubs has seven targets in Week One and eight targets in Week Four, averaging more targets per game than he was averaging from Love last season.
Is Doubs Skipping Practice Because of Watson's Injury?
And if Doubs wanted the ball more, he was likely to get it on Sunday against the Rams because fellow starting wide receiver Christian Watson is doubtful with an ankle injury. It’s possible that after Watson left last week’s game against the Vikings with the injury, Doubs didn’t like how he was used when Love started throwing to receiver Dontayvion Wicks more, but skipping practice is not a productive way to handle it. Regardless, it appears that the Packers have a problem on their hands, and that Doubs will be at home while his shorthanded team is trying to beat the Rams without him.
Packers Must Find a Way to Move Forward
It’s certainly a unique situation. Most players complain about their role in the offense, but they still show up for practice. Doubs is doing the exact opposite, and it begs the question of how much this issue will hurt the team. The Packers will have to figure out how to replace Doubs’ production and leadership if he doesn’t return to the team for Sunday’s game, but it’s not just about Sunday. If this situation drags on, it could be a major distraction for the team.
The Packers need to figure out a way to get Doubs back on the field and get him back to his old self. It’s going to take some communication and a lot of patience to get Doubs back on track, but it’s something that needs to happen if the Packers want to be successful. Otherwise, this could be a problem that lingers all season long.
