As it turns out, the ledger sheet isn’t the only place the Packers have an embarassment of riches.
Their incredible depth at wide receiver could force them to carry more than they’ve kept in the past. As Rob Reischel notes in the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, they’ve only kept five wideouts on the 53-man roster each of the last five seasons and just four the year before that.
But they’ve also kept odd allotments such as five tight ends (2011) or three fullbacks (2010), so it’s clear General Manager Ted Thompson is not a guy who boxes himself in with numbers.
“There’s a lot of depth there,” offensive coordinator Tom Clements said. “There’s a lot of guys that have played well and demonstrated that over the years.
“Then we have a lot of young guys who have shown some ability. It’s an interesting group and competition will make them all better.”
Starters Greg Jennings and Jordy Nelson are as good as any tandem in the league. James Jones has shown more consistency and made plays given chances. Randall Cobb’s return skills look like they’ll translate to offense.
And then veteran Donald Driver was given a guaranteed $1.2 million roster bonus, so it’s hard to imagine him leaving.
That means without a trade or injury, the Packers might have to expose young players such as Tori Gurley and Diondre Borel to waivers. Both were given more than the standard practice squad rate to entice them to stay last year. Between Driver’s age (37) and Jennings entering a contract year, there’s motivation to keep young, cheap parts.
So while probably too much attention is being paid to Supplemental Draft prospect Josh Gordon at the moment, teams needing help at the position might be better served calling the Packers about the leftovers.