Green Bay Packers: 5 Players Who Must Step Up For Jordy Nelson

Jan 11, 2015; Green Bay, WI, USA; Green Bay Packers tight end Richard Rodgers (89) scores a touchdown against the Dallas Cowboys in the fourth quarter in the 2014 NFC Divisional playoff football game at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

TE Richard Rodgers

Rodgers’s attacking arsenal is filled with players who are either rookies or second-year players, and Richard Rodgers is one of the sophomores who could have a much bigger 2015 season. He started to come around near the end of the season and made the most of his 30 targets. As per Advanced Football Analytics, the rookie out of Cal caught 66.7% of everything thrown at him with an average of 7.5 yards per target, which are respectable numbers for a rookie TE.

We’ve seen the likes of Zach Ertz, Rob Gronkowski, and Jimmy Graham produce much bigger numbers at the position in their second season, and Rodgers has been busy impressing the coaching staff this offseason. He’s pulled past Andrew Quarless as the team’s starting tight end, and his stock rose with the news of Nelson’s ACL tear.

Since Nelson caught 13 touchdown passes last season, somebody (in fact, multiple people) will be called upon to pick up the slack. Judging by his touchdown reception against the Dallas Cowboys in the playoffs and his two regular-season TDs, Rodgers is a tight end who can really help pick up the slack in the red zone and elsewhere as a chain-mover in the intermediate game.

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