Samori Toure on the Outside Looking In

In the 2022 offseason, the Green Bay Packers made it known that they were turning a page at the wide receiver position. They traded away one of the top-5 best receivers in the league, Davante Adams, and let Marquez Valdes-Scantling go in free agency. Adams and Valdes-Scantling were two of the Packers’ top receivers the previous season, so this was a big deal. They followed it up by drafting three receivers to add to their receiver competition. They chose Christian Watson in the second round, Romeo Doubs in the fourth, and Samori Toure in the seventh. With the only true competition snap-wise to the rookies being Allen Lazard and Randall Cobb, all three rookies had a good chance of contributing in 2022.

Christian Watson stood out leading the team with seven touchdown catches, while Romeo Doubs ranked fourth on the team in receiving yards with 425 along with three touchdowns. Samori Toure didn’t see a lot of action being on the bottom of the depth chart, but he still managed five catches for 82 yards and a nice touchdown off a 37-yard bomb from Aaron Rodgers. As far as Toure goes, this wasn’t too terrible considering he was the lowest draft pick amongst the three rookies. But following 2022, more veteran receivers left. Lazard and Cobb both headed for New York along with Aaron Rodgers. So, to fill the void, Brian Gutekunst doubled down on his WR investments by drafting three more receivers in 2023. Jayden Reed in the second round, Dontayvion Wicks in the fourth, and then Grant DuBose in the seventh. 

DuBose spent the season on the practice squad, but Jayden Reed and Dontayvion Wicks each had great rookie seasons. Bo Melton and Malik Heath also stood out a bit towards the end of the season earning themselves a shot at a roster spot in 2024 without a doubt. That leaves the Packers with eight legitimate contenders for the Packers receiver’s group in 2024. Traditionally, only about 5-6 receivers are kept. Outside of Grant DuBose who didn’t play a regular season game, Samori Toure had the lowest receiving totals, making him expendable in a way if roster cuts were to have happened immediately following the 2023 season. Considering Grant DuBose was hurt for a chunk of training camp which didn’t allow him to ever see the field, he may get a fair shot at a roster spot next year. 

But with Toure doing this for the second straight season without much improvement, Toure is on the outside looking in. 

He’s still on the team?

When OTA’s began, during the first practice open to the media, Jordan Love hit Samori Toure down the left sideline for a 60-yard touchdown during a 7-on-7 drill. While normally this would make Toure look good, it partially did the opposite. Sure, it was highlight-worthy, but some of the commentary on the play trended in the direction of some people not realizing Toure was still on the team.  While it’s a tad embarrassing, it’s unfortunately not a surprise. Eight catches on eighteen targets for only 78 yards? That’s pretty forgettable for a second-year receiver. Meanwhile, Malik Heath who went undrafted came in and took snaps and targets away from Toure on his way to 15 catches on 24 targets for 125 yards and a touchdown. Bo Melton, a fellow 2022 seventh-round pick, also took targets away from Toure on his way to 16 catches on 24 targets for 218 yards and a touchdown. The guy spending his 2nd year on the offense was out-shined by two guys who were essentially depth signings in year 1 with the team. Toure needs to do better.

When entering the draft, it was boasted that Toure had solid athleticism and played with good play speed.  He was also pushed as a good route runner. We’ve seen glimpses of this in the past, but recently, it’s failed. Either that, or he gets open but can’t hold on to the football and ends up with a drop or miscommunication with his QB. 

As we enter 2024, it’s for sure that the Packers are going to have a tight wide receiver’s room. Toure does not have the recent regular season and playoff success to take back to the coaches, to push his case. However, a strong showing in camp and preseason would toss all of that out the window. He’s going to need to break out if he intends to beat out Heath, Melton, and DuBose. But, it’s not out of the realm of possibility.