Breaking down Packers WR depth chart entering training camp

As is the case most summers, the wide receiver position will be back in the spotlight when the Green Bay Packers open training camp later this month. This time around, the position is legitimately intriguing. The Packers lost Davante Adams, Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Equanimeous St. Brown, signed veteran Sammy Watkins and drafted three rookies, providing plenty of moving pieces for Matt LaFleur and Aaron Rodgers to sort through this summer.

How will the depth chart shake out at training camp?

We break down the position by categorizing all the wide receivers into five tiers:

Veterans, likely starters

Sammy Watkins (11) is shown during Green Bay Packers minicamp Tuesday, June 7, 2022 in Green Bay, Wis.

Allen Lazard, Randall Cobb and Sammy Watkins are expected to enter training camp as the top three on the depth chart and likely starters come Week 1. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers said Lazard will get a chance to be the No. 1 receiver and Watkins will get legit opportunities to contribute in the passing game. Cobb, who is returning for his 10th season in Green Bay, is a close friend of the quarterback and an accomplished slot receiver. All three have worrisome injury histories, including Watkins, who is looking to stay healthy and revive his career. The trio has combined to play in 283 NFL games, so there is experience at the top. Lazard and Cobb have been efficient complementary players in recent years, and Watkins, the fourth overall pick in 2014, has the talent. All three will be elevated by playing with Rodgers in a receiver-friendly offense, but the Packers need all three to stay healthy and play at a high level or this could be one of the most unstable receiver groups in football in 2022.

Returning veterans on the fringe

Juwann Winfree and Malik Taylor combined to play in 17 games and catch 10 passes last season but each will enter the 2022 season as fringe roster players. Taylor is going into his fourth season in Green Bay, while Winfree has been with the Packers since the 2020 season. Both are well-versed in the Matt LaFleur offense and hungry for a bigger role, but both will be hard-pressed to make the 53-man roster considering how the additions this offseason affected the current depth chart. Winfree and Taylor must be excellent on special teams this summer to have a shot. They will each get a chance to play a ton of snaps with Jordan Love during the preseason and must make the…