There have been a few instances throughout training camp that Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers has gone out of his way to praise wide receiver Juwann Winfree.
On the flip side, just last week when meeting with reporters, Rodgers expressed the need for the Packers’ young receivers to be more reliable – even adding that dropped passes aren’t going to result in playing time.
The trio of Amari Rodgers, Romeo Doubs, and Samori Toure responded well the following day in a joint practice with New Orleans, but we saw more ups and downs from this group in the preseason game, including several more dropped passes.
Doubs has been a part of a number of big plays this summer, and as a result, keeping him off the field – even with the highs and lows – is becoming more challenging by the day. Winfree, however, has provided an additional steady presence at the receiver position since training camp began.
On the first day of practice, and on the ninth play overall, Rodgers connected with Winfree on a downfield pass with Eric Stokes in coverage. Since then, the trust and rapport between the two have continued to grow.
“I will say,” Rodgers told reporters recently, “between 88 (Winfree) and 87 (Doubs), there’s been a lot of positive things that makes you feel good about the depth we could have in that room.”
Winfree has since seen his share of snaps with the starting offense throughout camp and has been a reliable target in the two preseason games for Jordan Love.
Although he hasn’t leaped off the screen the way that Doubs has, Winfree, led all Packers pass-catchers in receiving yards against the Saints with 41. He has also caught six of his nine passes for 68 yards, and perhaps most importantly, Winfree doesn’t have a drop per PFF.
This is that dependability that Rodgers often talks about. Not only catching passes, but running the correct routes, being in the right spot at the right time, and recognizing when the play needs to be adjusted based on the defensive alignment.
Winfree only has 165 career NFL snaps on offense, not many more than the three other receivers mentioned above. But he is now entering his fourth NFL season and third in the Matt LaFleur offense, where his experience likely gives him a bit of an edge over the young pass-catchers.
In addition to standing out on offense, Winfree has also seen starting reps on special teams, specifically with each of the return units. For any back-end of the roster player, special teams contributions are a must.
Winfree entered the summer on the roster bubble. LaFleur has never rostered more than six receivers on his initial 53-man roster, and before the Packers even took the practice field, six of those roster spots at the position were already accounted for.
But Winfree has provided needed stability to a position that has very much been in flux. He also appears to have Rodgers in his corner as well – and that certainly isn’t a bad thing with the final cut-down date looming.
