As the reality of Sunday’s season-ending loss settled in, Green Bay Packers receiver Romeo Doubs stood at his locker trying to find the words to describe his first year in the NFL.
“This might have been one of the craziest years in life I had to be a part of,” he said.
A fourth-round pick by the Packers in 2022, Doubs caught on quicker than most rookies. During training camp, he consistently made plays against the starting defense and carried that momentum into the regular season when he led the team in receiving for the first five weeks.
In Week 7, Doubs wouldn’t register a single catch against the Washington Commanders, only to rebound with 62 yards and a spectacular touchdown against the Buffalo Bills. Then, on the heels of a promising performance against a future playoff team, Doubs suffered a high ankle sprain on Green Bay’s first play from scrimmage against the Detroit Lions in Week 9. The injury sidelined him for the next four games. He would later return to face the Los Angeles Rams and lead the team with five catches for 55 yards in only 23 snaps.
Doubs had already experienced plenty of highs and lows that are typical for a first-year wide receiver, but his worst moment wouldn’t come until the final week when the Packers were on the brink of the postseason needing a win over the Lions.
After getting hurt on his first snap against Detroit, Doubs had equally disappointing results in the Week 18 finale. He was only targeted twice and credited with two drops by Pro Football Focus.
The first drop occurred on a 3rd and 6 in the third quarter as Doubs was unable to bring in a low pass from Aaron Rodgers. The drive ended in no points after a missed 53-yard field goal from Mason Crosby on the ensuing play. The next target came in an even bigger moment during Green Bay’s second-to-last drive when they were still leading 16-13. Doubs got a step on his man down the right sideline and allowed a perfectly placed ball from Rodgers to slip right through his hands.
A missed opportunity to go up by two scores led to a 75-yard touchdown drive by the Lions that ultimately eliminated Green Bay from playoff contention.
Over the course of his rookie season, Doubs remained even-keeled despite the roller coaster of emotions. That was still the case as he took in the good and the bad on Monday.
“It was a lot of ups and downs this year,” said Doubs. “Unfortunately, it was disappointing, but it was a lot to learn from this year being a first-year guy, being able to get on the field with (Rodgers), how fast you have to learn everything. It was tough, but I made sure that throughout those tough times, I was able to embrace those.”
After a fast start, Doubs finished fourth on the team with 425 yards on 42 receptions to go along with three touchdowns. Right now, everything is still too green to process. Doubs didn’t want to speculate on the future of his Hall of Fame quarterback but knows he needs to focus on his own improvement during the offseason.
“It was a tough year. I don’t know how to feel about it, but again, all I can do is just move on forward and just get better.”
