Packers' Matt LaFleur addresses need for speed at WR: 'We lost a guy that was pretty good at doing that'

The Packers lost Davante Adams and Marquez Valdes-Scantling this offseason

Moving on from Davante Adams was one of the toughest decisions for the Green Bay Packers, knowing how dominant he and Aaron Rodgers were together. One half of the duo came back in Rodgers, making it an even bigger surprise Adams decided to depart. 

Rodgers lost Adams and Marquez Valdes-Scantling this offseason, two of the Packers' top three pass catchers from last year. The Packers have a glaring need at wide receiver, specifically one trait that head coach Matt LaFleur had to point out. 

"Certainly, if you look at our roster right now, we definitely need to get some speed in that room," LaFleur said Tuesday at the NFL owners meetings, per ESPN's Rob Demovsky. "We need a legit guy that can take off the top of the coverage. We lost a guy that was pretty good at doing that."

Rodgers had 29 passing touchdowns to Davante Adams over the past two seasons, tied for the second most by a quarterback-wide receiver duo in NFL history. Adams had 123 catches for 1,553 yards in 2021, the most in any season in Packers history. He also finished with 11 touchdowns, including six in the final five games of the regular season. Adams is only the sixth player in NFL history to record 120 catches, 1,500 yards, and 10 receiving touchdowns in a season. 

Adams is one of only three players in NFL history to register 650 receptions, 8,000 receiving yards and 70 touchdown catches in his first eight seasons in the NFL (Marvin Harrison and Larry Fitzgerald are the others). He leads the NFL in receptions (581), receiving touchdowns (69), and is second in the league in receiving yards (7,192) over that span. His 69 receiving touchdowns since 2016 are the most by an NFL player over a six-year span since Randy Moss had 71 touchdowns from 2004 to 2009.

The Packers lost an explosive part of their offense in moving on from Adams, especially for a team that has the most wins in the NFC over the last three seasons. In addition, Valdes-Scantling led the league in yards per catch over the last four seasons. 

Green Bay currently has Allen Lazard, Randall Cobb, and Amari Rodgers as its top wide receiver options from 2021 (and Rodgers didn't play much in his rookie year). Rodgers has been hard on young wideouts, so it will benefit these players for being in the system for a few years. 

"It's a process, like everything is," LaFleur said. "And the more time that we can get those guys out on the field and put them in certain situations to allow them to kind of learn and grow, hopefully we can be creative in ways we can expedite that process. So, I don't know. It's going to be interesting."