Can Green Bay Packers Receiving Corps Survive Loss of Greg Jennings?

By marisawolfe

 

Mary Lagenfeld – USA Today Sports

With Donald Driver officially retiring and Greg Jennings all but gone, the Green Bay Packers’ receiving corps will have lost two long-time members. Luckily for Green Bay, they have the best (and best-looking) receiving corps in the league.

Even minus Jennings, they still have Jordy Nelson, Randall Cobb and James Jones. How many teams can lose their number one receiving threat and still be in the conversation for best receivers in the NFL? The Packers won’t have too hard a time adjusting, as Jennings missed eight regular season games this season and Driver saw limited action. Driver, speaking of the team’s future without him, saw plenty of reason for optimism:

The three guys they have right now [Nelson, Cobb, and Jones], they’re truly amazing. They can go anywhere in the National Football League and be starters. Like we all said when we were the Five Amigos, it was hard to stop us. We used to always say, pick your poison. Whoever you try to stop, I promise you, you’re going to be hurt by the rest.

One thing I expect to change is for Jermichael Finley to show that promise he showed a couple of years ago. It’ll be a contract year for the tight end, and I think he’ll be able to remind the Packers and the league why everyone was so high on him not too long ago. Finley creates a great mismatch for the team, and he’ll need to step up next year and reward the Packers’ patience with him. With Nelson, Cobb and James receiving extra defensive attention, Finley will have opportunities to use his size and strength to break open defenses.

Because the Packers have such strong receivers that require strong defenders, the young, inexperienced receivers have a chance to make big plays. Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb have done it the last two years, and now the who-is-that?-wow-he’s-really-good role can be claimed by someone like Jarrett Boykin, who is a favorite among the Green Bay coaches. Jeremy Ross will also have some opportunities on the field.

Quarterback Aaron Rodgers has developed fantastic on-field chemistry with each of his top three receivers, and that will only continue to improve. While it’s hard from a fan perspective to watch Driver and Jennings leave, Packers fans can take comfort in knowing that the ball will be in good hands.

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