Wide Open: Identifying Receivers the Packers Should Add to the Roster

In the wake of Randall Cobb’s injury that will leave him sidelined for the next two months, and James Jones’ PCL sprain that could leave him out of this Sunday’s contest with the Cleveland Browns, the Packers have already made some moves to aid their lack of depth at wide receiver.

This week, the team has promoted two players from their practice squad, receiver Myles White and Jake Stoneburner, and added training camp receiver Tyrone Walker back to the practice squad. This comes after reports circulated of the Packers sniffing around Broncos' practice squad wideout Tavarres King before Denver promoted him to their 53-man roster..

Now that the roster is back up to 53 players, it is probably a long shot for Green Bay to add another wideout for now, but we decided to take a look anyway at who else is out there whom we think the Packers might want to take a look at in the near future. Therefore, some of the writers at APC have constructed our own personal top options for the sake of conversation (Disclaimer: we aren't General Managers, and we don't even play one on TV, so take this with a grain of salt).

Tex

1) Da'Rick Rogers (Colts)

Rogers went undrafted out of Tennessee Tech this year after leaving Tennessee upon failing several drug tests. Rogers, at 6'2 and 217 pounds, has the skills to be a playmaker at the NFL level. He ran a 4.5 forty-yard dash, and recorded a 39.5 inch vertical jump at the pre-draft combine this year. No one questions his skill-set, but is he worth the potential risk given his history with drug problems?

One would think that Johnny Jolly's recent success would give the Packers organization a reason to believe in a young man with a troubled past. Personally, I think if the Packers selected two wide receivers in the seventh round over Rogers, they must have seen something they didn't like. You can't argue with the potential playmaking abilities of the young man though. Also, Rodgers to Rogers? Sounds like a match made in heaven.

2) Cobi Hamilton (Bengals)

At 6'2 and 212 pounds, Hamilton would bring welcomed size to the wideout corps. Hamilton was selected in the sixth round of the 2013 draft out of Arkansas, and has since spent time on the Bengals practice squad. Hamilton ran a 4.5 at the combine, and had a decorated college career. He was an All-SEC selection his senior year, recording 90 receptions for 1,335 yards and five touchdowns.

Jason

1) Corey Fuller (Lions)

A rookie selected in the 6th round, Fuller has great size (6-2) and speed (4.32 forty-yard dash). He had a breakout season his senior year at Virginia Tech, where he caught 43 passes for 815 yards, an average of 19.0 yards per catch. With Jones likely to miss time, having another vertical threat on the outside would be valuable. If the Packers were to pursue him, hopefully the Lions don't try to match the offer.

2) Keenan Davis (Free agent)

He's actually not on a practice squad at the moment, and the Packers wouldn't have to worry about someone outbidding them for his services. Davis is a tall receiver at 6'3 with decent timed speed (4.56 forty-yard dash). He never quite put it together at Iowa, but he also rarely played with a competent quarterback. Needless to say, He'd have one in Green Bay.

3) Greg Jenkins (Raiders)

The former Alabama State product is currently on the Oakland Raiders practice squad, and would provide world-class trolling material for former wideout Greg Jennings. Unfortunately, aforementioned Jake Stoneburner currently wears the #85, so that joke would only be slightly as humorous as it could potentially be.

Josh

1) Jordan Shipley

Shipley recently worked out with New England Patriots (because they need more tiny white wide receivers I guess), and has had some success in his two seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals in 2010 and 2011. He split time with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Jacksonville Jaguars last season, catching 23 passes for 244 yards and two touchdowns.

At 5'11 and 195 pounds, Shipley isn't going to be a possession receiver, but he could be the shifty, elusive slot receiver that Cobb has often been asked to be in this offense. The orientation process would also be a little less severe for someone like Shipley, who has been around the league for a few seasons, than taking a flyer on a rookie on someone else's practice squad.

2) Brandon Lloyd

The 32-yard old was released by the Patriots earlier this year, after recording 74 receptions for 911 yards and 4 touchdowns in 2012.

Other than his Pro-Bowl year with Kyle Orton in Denver in 2013 (1,448 yards and 11 TDs), and his one season with Brady in New England, Lloyd hasn't really been the playmaker he was capable of being when he was drafted by the 49ers in 2003 out of Illinois. You could also argue that he hasn't had the greatest quarterbacks throwing him the ball either (other than Brady). Lloyd would bring experience, and a proven track record of success with him.

3) Devery Henderson

Henderson spent eight seasons within the New Orleans Saints, averaging 30 receptions, 547 yards, and 2.5 touchdowns in that time span. Henderson has a recorded 4.36 forty-yard dash time, and at 5'11 and 200 pounds, would potentially be a candidate for kick return duties on top of being a speed receiver in the slot.

Brendan

Darius Johnson (Falcons)

Johnson, a second-year player out of Southern Methodist, is currently on the Falcon's practice squad and has already shown some big play ability during the pre-season.

Johnson recorded 61 receptions for 747 yards and four touchdowns his senior year at SMU. He lacks size at 5'10 and 175 pounds and doesn't have blazing speed (4.53 forty), but has the elusiveness to make defenders miss in the open field. He's also only 22, and wouldn't be a bad long term project under the tutelage of Edgar Bennett.

Others receiving votes: Steve Breaston, Mohamed Massaquoi, Devin Thomas, Anthony Armstrong, Brian Robiskie, Ruvell Martin, Mardy Gilyard, and Donald Driver (I had to do it).

More from Acme Packing Company:

• Former Packers Wide Receiver Charles Johnson Has Torn ACL
• Packers Injury Update: James Jones Doesn't Practice, Derek Sherrod Returns
• Packers Sign Victor Aiyewa to Practice Squad, Try Out Several Others
• Analyzing A.J. Hawk: A Reminder that It's Never Too Late To Deliver
• Packers Place Randall Cobb on IR with Designation to Return