GREEN BAY – Romeo Doubs already is in rare company.
Through two NFL regular seasons, he's posted 101 receptions for 1,099 yards and 11 touchdowns. Only two other receivers in team history have reached the 100-1,000-10 plateaus through their first two years.
One is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame: James Lofton. The other should be and still could be someday: Sterling Sharpe.
So with that as a statistical backdrop, it was noteworthy hearing this about Doubs from Head Coach Matt LaFleur after three weeks of OTAs and a two-day minicamp wrapped up in mid-June.
"I can't think of a bad day that he's had out there," LaFleur said. "He is definitely improving."
That's saying something, particularly when Doubs' last on-field game action featured some of the best football of his young career.
At Dallas in the NFC Wild Card playoff, Doubs caught six passes for 151 yards and a TD, his first career 100-yard game and the third-most receiving yards in team postseason history. He then followed that up with four catches for 83 more yards in the divisional round at San Francisco.
Only Davante Adams' 298 yards in the 2019 postseason top Doubs' 234 in a two-game playoff run in team annals, and it's a good bet the 2022 fourth-round draft pick will be back for more.
"Experience is everything. There's no doubt those were big games for me," Doubs said. "But it's not about me. We've all got a taste of what it's like to be in the playoffs and what kind of mindset you have to have. It was a bitter feeling not coming out with the win."
That defeat at the hands of the 49ers is serving as motivation for many, if not all, of the Packers' offensive players who hadn't previously experienced playoff football. That group is, of course, headed by QB Jordan Love and Green Bay's young, up-and-coming receiving corps, for which Doubs is stepping into a leadership role of his own.
He's not the most vocal guy and doesn't seek attention, but Doubs is almost inevitably developing into a leader via two key foundational blocks.
One is his work ethic, as LaFleur has lauded him for being "deliberate" about the work he puts in, whether it's catching extra rounds off the JUGS machine or taking a coaching point about opening up his stride and applying it to all the route-running drills.
The other is his connection with Love, which began during Doubs' rookie season in 2022 when Love was running the offense during the offseason. The two also have worked out together on their own in California multiple times, including this past winter before players returned to Green Bay in mid-April.
"I tell people all the time, when I first got here, my reps started with Jordan," Doubs said. "From the time I got here up to this point, he knows better than I do the expectation is growth."
Not one to dive into personal details, Doubs labeled his 2024 offseason as "progressive," which would align with the goal of growth. He's going to continue a workout regimen during the break leading up to training camp, while also looking forward to some time as a "family man."
When training camp arrives, he'll be all business once again, doing his best to avoid the spotlight off the field while snagging catches with sharp routes and strong hands on it.
The question as to whether this deep Packers receiving corps has a true No. 1 will persist until the games start and beyond, but Doubs is the last one to get hung up on it. Production-wise, he was the top guy on the biggest stage last January, which is something to build upon, regardless of any labels.
Doubs is always more about the group than he is about himself, and he'll set the example for any who wish to follow.
"Outside looking in, the expectations are high," he said. "But I'm confident in who we have, and the sky's the limit for us all."
