Following the Green Bay Packers surprising 2015 draft there was one question floating around about the wide receivers.
Are the Packers keeping Jeff Janis or Jared Abbrederis?
Last year, Abbrederis and Janis were both standouts during training camp. Unfortunately for Abbrederis, his season was abruptly cut short when he tore his ACL following the first week of training camp, which left Janis with a chance to make the final roster. But even for Janis his chances were limited over the regular season, only seeing one game of playing time while recording two catches for 16 yards. OurLads.com currently has Abbrederis listed ahead of Janis on the depth chart.
Ted Thompson knows what he has in Jeff Janis. Had he put Janis on the practice squad he’d have been signed elsewhere by now. Janis has all the physical attributes to be a star but needs to learn the technical aspects. He’ll have all the chances possible to breakout considering he has the best quarterback in the league. It’s not a matter of if he breaks out but when.
Per SB Nation, Head Coach Mike McCarthy was quoted on Janis.
“Jeff Janis is definitely moving forward. I thought he really came on at the end of last year. He’s definitely ready to play at that point. There’s things fundamentally he needs to work on…this game’s really all about confidence once you get out there competing.”
Since Jarrett Boykin left in the offseason, there’s a potential chance for an increased production from Janis this year.
Jeff Janis now in line to claim Boykin’s 3 catches for 23 yards.
— Ryan McDowell (@RyanMc23) March 11, 2015
It would be tough to see the Packers lose a potential star wideout because they need that roster spot elsewhere. We saw that happen last year following the final cuts of the preseason when the Packers lost training camp standout Jumal Rolle. In the end, it came back to bite the Packers in the rear.
So why cut one of them at all?
The Packers are a pass oriented offense for the most part, with 55% of their snaps accounting for pass plays in 2014. It might be smart to keep six receivers on the team. In the scenario that Jordy Nelson and/or Randall Cobb goes down with a significant injury, the Packers would have a nice safety blanket of wide receiver depth. Also take into consideration that the Packers are in a bit of a questionable situation with Eddie Lacy‘s health. If they decide to limit his workload even more this season, we could see the Packers pass the ball more.
Janis clearly has a leg up on Abbrederis in the competition for a roster spot based on the amount of NFL experience we’ve seen from him. If he has a good preseason there’s a decent chance we could even see him move up past rookie Ty Montgomery and play in the #4 receiver spot during the regular season.
Abbrederis could contribute on special teams if he doesn’t get much time on the offense. Before he was injured last preseason, the Packers had him returning kicks.
We’ll report more on the wide receiver competition as training camp nears.
Featured Image: Kyle Engman
Kyle Engman is the Lead Green Bay Packers Writer for RSEN. You can follow him on Twitter at @KyleEngmanNFL for more updates.
