Green Bay Packers: What role will Jeff Janis play in 2016?

One of the best stories of the 2015 NFL Postseason was the breakout of wide receiver Jeff Janis of the Green Bay Packers.

The 236th overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft was an unknown with the Packers, and then suddenly broke out against the Arizona Cardinals in the playoffs. The Packers lost in overtime in the game against the Cardinals, but the efforts of Janis led them to a great comeback.

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Coming into the playoffs last season, Janis had totaled four receptions for 95 yards in two seasons with the Packers, as he was mostly just a special teams player. Janis was certainly a project for the Packers coming from Saginaw Valley State, but it was a challenge that wide receivers coach, Luke Getsy, accepted.

“[Janis had] particularly a difficult time catching the ball over his shoulder,” McCarthy said to Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com. “He kind of has a stiffness there, and Luke, he took that on about Week 7 there after the bye week, and you could see him improve. He just needs things like that. You only get so much time with your players compared to prior years, but I’m hoping he takes another big step.”

The hard work from Janis certainly paid off against the Cardinals, as he was able to make the most of the opportunity presented to him after the injury Randall Cobb. Against the Cardinals, Janis totaled seven receptions, 145 receiving yards, and two receiving touchdowns. If the Packers had won the game, Janis would have been a hero similarly to David Tyree in the Super Bowl with the New York Giants, but instead, he will have to use his great game to try and be an important part of the Packers in 2016.

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“I like to look at Jeff as kind of an ascending Green Bay Packer,” McCarthy said to Demovsky. “I look at his years, I think you look for a guy to take a jump in his second year, and clearly, you look at his rookie year — very raw, raw player. He made the 53 on potential, not on performance.”

Next season, the Packers will have their star wide receiver, Jordy Nelson, returning from injury, as his value to the Packers’ offense was demonstrated in his absence last season. Cobb was unable to handle the role of a No.1 receiver in 2015, and DeVante Adams struggled in his role as the No.2 weapon for Aaron Rodgers. The chemistry between Rodgers and Janis looked awfully good against the Cardinals, but one game is an extremely small sample size, and Janis still has a lot to prove.

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“Great kid, hard-working, very powerful,” McCarthy said to Demovsky. “But there were just a lot of things when he does them, they’re for the first time. Hopefully, we’re out of that phase of his development. I look for Jeff to take that next step. He made the step in your second year that you look for. He did it first on special teams.”

2016 will be Janis’ third season in the NFL, which could be his breakout one if the playoffs last season were any indication.

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