In their first year under rookie head coach, Matt LaFleur, the Green Bay Packers shined. They earned an impressive 13-3 record, and they made a deeper postseason run than many expected. All season, in fact, the media doubted the Packers. People didn’t think they were for real. Even though they had some “ugly wins“, they kept on winning. The defense was much improved, yet there’s still room for growth. The run game took off, reducing pressure on their quarterback, Aaron Rodgers. However, the nagging issue of needing a true tier two wide receiver lingered. The Packers staff hoped one of their young receivers would step up to become that obvious go-to for Rodgers when Davante Adams wasn’t available. Unfortunately, this theory did not pan out as they and many fans hoped. The Packers need a dependable tier two wide receiver. Could it result in the return of Randall Cobb?
Green Bay Packers Need a Dependable Tier Two Wide Receiver and It Could Mean the Return of Randall Cobb
In 2019, Cobb’s contract in Green Bay came to an end, and the only NFL team he’d played for decided to let him be a free agent. Shortly thereafter, the Dallas Cowboys signed Cobb to one-year, $5 million contract. The veteran wide receiver had a productive season in Dallas, and he only missed one game due to injury. While Cobb could easily re-sign with the Cowboys, many are speculating he could return to Green Bay.
While LaFleur had a fantastic, record-breaking first year as head coach in Green Bay, slot production was a glaring problem. Rob Demovsky, ESPN Staff Writer for the Packers, explains:
“The Packers’ top five receivers combined barely topped Cobb’s catch total (50) from the slot. Their quintet of Adams, Geronimo Allison, Allen Lazard, Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Jake Kumerow combined for 63 slot receptions for a total of 683 yards. Cobb had 716 of his 828 receiving yards from the slot.”
What if instead of continuing to hope the young receivers make huge improvements, the Packers brought Cobb back? A move like this could help tremendously. It might be the answer to giving Rodgers that obvious second choice on which he could rely.
Zach Kruse of Packers Wire explained how important the connection between Rodgers and Cobb was last March when Green Bay let the wide receiver walk. He wrote in March 2019, “Overall, Rodgers completed 430 passes to Cobb for 5,092 yards, 39 touchdowns, and just seven interceptions during the regular season. His passer rating was 110.4.” Bringing Cobb back to Green Bay could help Rodgers be more consistent again. It’s no secret that throughout the 2019 season, the quarterback seemed off and not quite himself at points. He struggled to find open guys. Aside from hitting Adams or the random young receiver making a clutch play, the passing game stuttered for much of the last year.
During the 2019 season, Rodgers’ passer rating was just 95.4. Even going back to 2018, when Cobb was still a part of the team, he increased the quarterback’s passer rating by 2.2. If Cobb returns and helps increase the Packers’ slot production and the running game continues to improve, this offense could be explosive once again.
