The Green Bay Packers‘ murky wide receiver situation looks to have gotten some significant clarity Sunday when rookie wide receiver Romeo Doubs picked the perfect time to make his first splash as an NFL player.
With Sammy Watkins and Christian Watson both held out of Sunday’s game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers by hamstring injuries, Doubs filled the void. He led his team with eight receptions and 73 yards and caught the first touchdown of his young career in the Packers’ 14-12 victory over the Buccaneers.
That standout performance was enough to earn Doubs — just 22 years old — Pro Football Network’s Week Breakthrough Player of the Week honors for Week 3.
Romeo Doubs is PFN’s Breakthrough Player of Week 3
Doubs used every bit of his 6-foot-2, 201-pound frame to get into the end zone. Doubs’ touchdown came on 3rd-and-3 from the Buccaneers’ 5 late in the first quarter.
He lined up to the right just outside of Allen Lazard, who upon the snap occupied Buccaneers cornerback Jamel Dean long enough for Doubs to catch a quick slant and power through Dean and Carlton Davis III to get into the end zone.
It was one of eight times that Aaron Rodgers targeted Doubs — who has quickly earned the trust of his legendary quarterback.
“We called some plays for him and he made nice catches,” Rodgers said. “The thing about Romeo that gives you confidence is the majority of the time, he catches the ball with his hands.
“… He just has such great hands,” Rodgers added. “A couple balls were off the frame today that he caught very nicely. He’s learning. I feel like his route running seemed like [it] was pretty solid today. I’ll go back and look at the tape and see if there’s more opportunities I could have given him.”
Who is Romeo Doubs?
Doubs and Watson (his 2022 draft classmate) are being asked to grow up fast this year as the Packers try to replace Davante Adams in the aggregate.
Doubs, a fourth-round pick who was the 19th receiver taken in April’s draft, has responded. He ranks fourth among rookies in catches (14) and receiving yards (137) in this young season — stats that also lead his team.
But given Doubs’ history, we shouldn’t be surprised. He’s consistently exceeded expectations.
Doubs has always shown a knack for making plays, dating back to his days playing in Los Angeles’ Snoop Dogg’s Youth Football League. Recruiters don’t often make their way to South Central, so Doubs was largely overlooked during his time at Jefferson High School. He was either a two or three-star recruit, depending on the rating service, and 247 Sports listed him as the nation’s No. 188 wide receiver in his graduating high school class.
Doubs did get Division I looks, however, and picked Nevada over the likes of Boston College, New Mexico, and Rutgers.
Once in Reno, he was a star almost instantly. On his very first snap, he returned a punt 80 yards, setting the tone for what would be a highlight-filled college career. In all, Doubs caught 225 passes for 3,322 yards and 26 touchdowns in 45 collegiate games, making the first-team All-Mountain West Conference twice.
After a strong camp and preseason with the Packers, Doubs seems to have largely skipped the growing pains period experienced by many young players.
“More opportunity,” Packers coach Matt LaFleur said of Doubs. “We knew that we were going to have to give him some more [opportunities] and he took advantage of those. I think you all can see his acceleration, his strong hands. Aaron was giving him some good balls; he was taking advantage of it. Certainly, I thought for the most part that the protection was pretty good, at least on those plays, and he certainly took advantage of the opportunity.”
Doubs’ outlook for the rest of the 2022 season
While injuries to teammates helped create those opportunities, Doubs might do enough in the next few weeks to keep his place atop the Packers’ depth chart even when Green Bay’s health improves. Watkins is out at least three more games, and even before Watson’s injury, Doubs was the team’s best rookie receiver.
Doubs played 89% of the Packers’ offensive snaps Sunday and his 87.5% catch rate will only increase Rodgers’ faith in him. The arrow is pointing straight up.
Doubs on Sunday credited his success to “repetition. Whether it’s going over plays or learning how to run whatever route, working on the release, a block – weak side, front side. It just took a lot of reps. I am grateful for the staff we have here, an awesome staff. It just feels good to win.”
