After the Green Bay Packers re-signed WR James Jones, it seemed that they were set with five wide receivers: Greg Jennings, Donald Driver, Jordy Nelson, Jones, and rookie Randall Cobb. None of the other wide receivers coming into camp appeared to have a shot at making the active roster.
But two wide receivers had been written about a lot this preseason: Tori Gurley and Chastin West.
West had shined on offense with a long touchdown against the Cardinals, and QB Aaron Rodgers had spoken highly of him. But in his other three preseason games he had a combined total of 3 receptions for 19 yards. And I had rarely noticed him on special teams.
Gurley had actually been more consistent on offense with 7 receptions over the last three preseason games. At 6-4, he's much taller than any other receiver in camp, which helped him stand out. He did shine on special teams by blocking kicks and punts in practice.
While both players had shown some skills, none really showed anything the Packers didn't already have from their top five. Gurley might be tall, but the Packers have a number of tight ends with similar skills.
On the other receivers released. Diondre Borel looked good as a converted college QB, but also showed bad hands with a couple drops. And Kerry Taylor had promise as a kick and punt returner, but he wasn't dynamic enough as a wide receiver (only 4 receptions, none longer than 9 yards) to stay.