Report: Packers WR Romeo Doubs to play limited snaps vs. the Bears

According to both ESPN’s Adam Schefter and NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Green Bay Packers receiver Romeo Doubs will be on a pitch count on Sunday against the Chicago Bears. Doubs has been battling a hamstring injury, which kept him out of the preseason finale on August 26th.

Doubs was a non-participant in practice on Wednesday but participated in a limited capacity on both Thursday and Friday. On the final injury report, Doubs was listed as “questionable” while fellow starting receiver Christian Watson — who is also dealing with a hamstring injury — was ruled out of the season opener.

The Packers decided to call up slot corner Innis Gaines and running back Patrick Taylor from the practice squad on Saturday, which means that Green Bay fans won’t be seeing former draft picks Grant DuBose or Bo Melton at receiver this week — despite Doubs and Watson’s injuries. Instead, the Packers’ “healthy” receivers will be Jayden Reed, Malik Heath, Dontayvion Wicks and Samori Toure. Wicks has also been a victim of hamstring injuries this year, as he missed preseason action due to a hamstring issue and also a concussion.

Schefter stated that Doubs will “likely [play] in a limited fashion,” while Rapoport claimed that Doubs “won’t have a full complement of snaps.”

The player who is expected to step up in Watson’s place as the “next man up” at outside receiver is Malik Heath, an undrafted rookie. Heath got the nod in the preseason finale as Doubs’ injury replacement — keeping Reed in the slot. The question now is if Reed has cross-trained enough to play on the outside, a position he hardly saw reps at this summer, or if the combination of Wicks and/or Toure will be used to supplement Doubs’ pitch count.

This probably isn’t how quarterback Jordan Love envisioned that his first season as the undisputed starter would begin. If the reporting on Doubs’ injury is correct, three of Love’s four healthy wide receivers against the Bears will be rookies. The “veteran” in the unit would be second-year seventh-round pick Toure, who recorded five receptions for 82 yards and a score last season.