6 Preseason Wide Receiver Questions

Photo: USA Today Sports

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The preseason is a key time to monitor news and camp notes that will influence the 2023 season. Below are 6 wide receiver storylines to monitor as you watch training camp.

Related: See 8 Preseason Quarterback Questions here.

How does Garrett Wilson fit with Aaron Rodgers?

Garrett Wilson had a successful rookie season and will now transition to a new offensive coordinator and a new quarterback. Wilson performed well in his rookie season and was aided by an offense that ranked 8th in passing dropbacks per game (40.6). The team undoubtedly has an upgrade over the Wilson-Flacco-White-Strevler quarterback room of 2022, but how the offense gels is a question. Aaron Rodgers has also played at a slower pace than the Jets did in 2022, which could reduce the team’s passing volume. He is also notoriously unpredictable and brought two of his favorite targets, Allen Lazard and Randall Cobb, with him to the Jets. Wilson should, far and away, be Rodgers’s number one target, but Rodgers has done weird things that make him tough to predict. How they mesh in training camp will be a popular story to monitor.

Is anyone worth starting in Kansas City?

Patrick Mahomes II and Travis Kelce drive one of - if not the - best offenses in the league on a yearly basis. The question is, who is the WR1, and do they matter? The team lost their leading receiver from the 2022 season, JuJu Smith-Schuster, while Marquez Valdes-Scantling is the wide receiver with the most returning receiving yards (687). The team has Kadarius Toney, who has been good on limited sample size, but he has struggled to stay healthy along with second-year receivers Skyy Moore and Justyn Ross and rookie Rashee Rice, but there is no clear answer. There is a real chance four receivers have more than 500 yards while Mahomes leads the league in passing, but no receiver is worth a weekly lineup spot.

Is anyone worth starting in Baltimore?

The leading option in the Baltimore passing game is Mark Andrews. "Is any other receiver in the offense worth a lineup spot?" is an open question. Odell Beckham Jr missed the entire 2022 season with a torn ACL and has not had 50 receptions since 2019. Rashod Bateman has been effective in a limited sample, but he has been marred by injuries in his first two seasons and has not been a full-time player when healthy. The team also brought in Nelson Agholor and drafted Zay Flowers in the first round of the NFL draft. Like Kansas City, this is an offense dominated by an elite TE1 that has a committee to support strong quarterback play that ultimately does not produce a dependable lineup option in 2023.