Green Bay Packers wide receiver Grant DuBose took a big step toward a spot on the initial 53-man roster with his convincing performance in the Green Bay Packers’ season-opening win over the Cleveland Browns on Saturday.
DuBose, a seventh-round pick in the 2023 draft, caught five balls in the 23-10 victory for the most yards of the game, 66. One catch extended a fourth-down drive. Another was a 23-yard catch down the sideline that contributed to a field goal at two minutes. And on a third-down play in the first half, DuBose got behind coverage and drew a defensive holding penalty that might have prevented a long touchdown.
With a few key blocks, including one at the edge of a screen and another on Emanuel Wilson’s touchdown run, DuBose showed in many ways that he belongs among the players.
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“I think he’s had a breakthrough season compared to last season,” coach Matt LaFleur said. “His training habits are exactly what you want. You talk about focusing on the things you can control … he’s there every day competing and he’s competing hard.”
Quarterback Jordan Love said he was not at all surprised by DuBose’s performance against the Browns.
“Grant has made good plays every day since camp started,” quarterback Jordan Love said. “He makes great plays. He knows what he needs to do with his blocking assignments and he’s just been a great player so far. What he did tonight is no surprise. He’s played well all camp. I’m looking forward to seeing more of him.”
DuBose is taking full advantage of his healthy start to his second training camp. As a freshman last summer, he missed the offseason workout program and part of training camp while recovering from a back injury. Falling behind due to injuries, DuBose did not make the 53-man roster, but spent the entire season on the practice squad learning and improving.
At 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds, DuBose looks like he might be. On Saturday in Cleveland, he showed off a skill set that includes strong hands, body control and a willingness to do the dirty work in the running game.
“Grant made a lot of great plays. He did that all training camp,” LaFleur said.
DuBose’s sophomore leap appears to be in full swing. The problem? He’s stuck in a strong and talented position group where the top four receivers seem locked in and three others – Malik Heath, Bo Melton and Samori Toure – have real NFL experience.
Can DuBose leapfrog others in the rankings and make the 53-man roster? The Packers have two more practices together and two more preseason games, so there are more challenges ahead. But it’s hard to argue against DuBose’s start – he laid a strong foundation in the first two weeks of training camp and stood out in a big way in the season opener. Even in a strong receiver group, DuBose appears to have a serious chance of making the roster.
