Myles White makes compelling case for playing time with Packers

Myles White is a rarely talked about talent that has sat on the Green Bay Packers’ practice squad for the last two seasons. He is looking to take a big step forward in 2015 and finally earn legitimate regular season playing time. That goal became much more possible when Jordy Nelson went down with a torn ACL, and White is hoping to step in as the number three receiver for Green Bay.

At this point in time, the Packers have an opening at the third receiver spot on their depth chart. Randall Cobb and Davante Adams are the obvious top two receivers, but after them there is no one that has done more than White.

Tonight in Green Bay’s fourth and final preseason game, White ended up catching four passes for 46 yards and two touchdowns.

Jeff Janis is one of the young receivers looking to step up and win the job. He certainly has the physical presence to play a big role for the Packers, but he hasn’t won over Aaron Rodgers’ trust just yet. There aren’t many young receivers more intriguing than Janis, but trust is a major thing for a quarterback.

Ty Montgomery is another young player capable of stepping into the number three receiver role, although he is a rookie and has no regular season experience.

White is the player with the most experience and was extremely impressive throughout the last couple weeks of preseason action especially. He doesn’t have amazing size at 6-foot-0 and 190 pounds, but he is still able to make plays down the field and in short play situations as well. Rodgers has said good things about him in the past, and likely wouldn’t be too upset to see White on-the-field this season.

Heading into his third NFL season, White has proven his loyalty to the Packers by sticking around despite being on the practice squad. Ted Thompson obviously likes what White has to offer, and he is proving that he is ready for playing time.

Looking ahead at the upcoming season, the Packers should give White a chance to play in Week 1. He will be able to make an impact and has already learned the NFL game from the sidelines. White also caught nine passes for 66 yards during the 2013 season and got his first taste of action at the professional level.

All of that being said, White made exactly the type of impact that he needed to make tonight to earn some playing time. His roster spot wasn’t in question by many coming into tonight’s game, but he proved that he will make the roster tonight as well. White’s impressive play could very well mean that Green Bay isn’t interested in adding a veteran anymore, and it will be interesting to see what kind of playing time he gets in 2015.

About Evan Massey

Evan Massey is a sportswriter that has been in the industry for the past six years. He has seen his work featured on Sports Illustrated, Yahoo! Sports, ESPN and Bleacher Report. Known for his work ethic and ability to cover any league and team, Evan is always willing to talk sports with fans and debate any topic. Follow him on Twitter at @Massey_Evan, or email him: emasseysports@gmail.com.

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