Jeff Janis is not a name that NFL fans are used to hearing, but that could very well change throughout the 2015 NFL season. After seeing Jordy Nelson go down with a torn ACL, Janis is ready to step up and prove his full potential for the Green Bay Packers.
Green Bay is in desperate need of a receiver to step up and earn the third receiver role and that is exactly what Janis is ready to do starting against the Philadelphia Eagles this week.
Last season as a rookie, Janis didn't see the field much at all during the regular season. He did end up catching two passes for 16 yards on the season, but showed off flashes of his potential during the preseason. Mike McCarthy and the Green Bay coaching staff was very impressed with him last year and were expecting him to make a big leap forward this year even before the Nelson injury occurred.
Ty Montgomery is the other name that has been mentioned quite a bit in the last few days, but Janis fits Nelson's build and skill-set much better than the Stanford rookie does.
At 6-foot-3 and 219 pounds, Janis is a very big target that possesses above average speed and athleticism. That is exactly the kind of size that could give Rodgers the type of weapon to help replace Nelson. Even if Janis does reach his full potential and steps into the third receiver role, he will not come close to replacing the threat and player that Nelson has been for the Packers' offense over the past few seasons.
That being said, Janis is ready to prove that he is more than capable of handling the role behind Randall Cobb and Davante Adams. His job will be to take pressure off of those top two targets while making plays down the field and taking advantage of mismatches that the defense gives them throughout the season.
Throwing a 24-year-old receiver out onto the field for what is practically his first NFL regular season playing time is very dangerous for the Packers. They could still turn to free agency and target a veteran like Wes Welker, but the coaching staff seems fairly set on sticking with what they currently have.
There are still two preseason games remaining on Green Bay's schedule and they will be crucial for Janis to take full advantage of learning the speed and physicality of the game. Everything starts for him against the Eagles on Saturday evening. While this is a very pressure packed situation, Janis cannot afford to allow his nerves to get the best of him.
Assuming Janis does live up to his full potential, he will head into the season as an unknown commodity that Green Bay can use to their advantage. Rodgers is capable of making every single player better around him and the coaching staff knows how to use their players in situations where they can succeed.
Janis isn't going to be a superstar this season, but he does have the potential to come out and play solid football each and every week.
All of that being said, the next few weeks will be very intriguing to keep an eye on Janis and the Packers. They are going to be monitoring him closely and figuring out whether or not they can rely on him to produce numbers during the regular season. He is heading into the most important time of his entire career and he is ready to prove that he is ready to take the big stage in the NFL.
Expect to see him come through with a big preseason game against the Eagles this week, and to continue playing strong football for the remainder of the 2015 season.
