Dan Orlovsky on Packers OTAs: Aaron Rodgers 'doesn't need to be there'
Aaron Rodgers is not participating in Green Bay Packers OTAs, as they get underway on Monday. But to ESPN analyst and former NFL quarterback Dan Orlovsky, Rodgers doesn’t need to be.
Rodgers lost his top wide receiver in the offseason, as Davante Adams was traded to the Las Vegas Raiders. Marquez Valdes-Scantling also left in free agency. Now, Rodgers will have to grow comfortable with a new crop of wideouts, which is likely to be led by rookie Christian Watson, who was selected in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft.
At this point, Watson is still trying to learn the offense. Orlovsky believes that Rodgers not being at Packers OTAs won’t impact him or Watson, as Watson is still trying to learn the basics of the offense.
“He doesn’t need to be there,” Orlovsky said on Monday on Get Up. “Listen, first of all, the Packers are a playoff football team. They are in the playoffs because of how good their roster is. And the second thing is they don’t play a game for like four months. The Packers season is really going to come down to two things: Number one, does Christian Watson, their second-round wide receiver, does he exceed expectations? There’s only been three second-round wide receivers in the last 30 years to go over 1,000 yards as a rookie. And then does Aaron Rodgers play his absolute best football in January and February, not in September, October, November, December.
“When Christian Watson goes into OTAs, he’s learning where to stand in the huddle, what is the formation language, what are the splits he’s got to line up with given what the play call is and what his routes are. Aaron Rodgers doesn’t need to be there for the beginning, learning process for Christian Watson as his number one or number two wide receiver as the season goes on.”
Orlovsky: Rodgers being at Packers OTAs could result in ‘information overload’ for Watson
Watson is likely to push for a starting job out of the gates as a rookie alongside Allen Lazard and Randall Cobb. Sammy Watkins could also push for time. But as he learns the basics of the NFL, Watson doesn’t need to learn everything all at once. If Rodgers was at Packers OTAs, Watson could have “information overload,” according to Orlovsky.
“The Packers are not going to or going to win a Super Bowl because of some reps in May and June for Christian Watson and Aaron Rodgers,” he said. “You know what happens a lot for rookies? Information overload. Aaron Rodgers has a master’s level of understanding of this offense. Christian Watson, it’s going to take him three months just to learn the basics and the language of this offense.
“If you give him too much right now, you’re not going to see that gradual incline. The Packers are in the playoffs. They need Christian Watson to peak in like December or January.”