The Green Bay Packers will be counting on these five players to have a breakout campaign during the 2020 NFL season.
Every season we see players all across the NFL who emerge seemingly out of nowhere. For the Green Bay Packers, having two or three young starters emerge as breakout stars could be the difference between missing the playoffs or returning to the NFC Championship in 2020.
The Packers are comprised of mainly younger players, many of which have been key contributors in the past. Last season we saw breakout campaigns from rookie guard Elgton Jenkins, running back Aaron Jones and outside linebackers Za’Darius Smith and Preston Smith, among others.
Jones led the NFL in touchdowns (19), Jenkins didn’t allow a single sack, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), and the “Smith Bros” combined for 25.5 sacks. Because of their collective emergence as major contributors, the Packers were a more complete roster than the year before.
Building on those performances will be crucial, but other players emerging will be even more critical to Green Bay’s success this coming season. Players entering their first or second season have the chance to make the most impact on a Packers roster needing help in some key areas.
The Packers, led by Aaron Rodgers, have been contenders for well over a decade. For many of those years, they had to rely on young players taking big leaps in their development in order to stay atop the NFC North.
It wasn’t until recently that the Packers supplemented their roster with marquee free-agent acquisitions. Now with a mix of veterans and young potential, Green Bay could have the recipe for a Super Bowl-winning formula.
Last year, we at NFL Spin Zone named Jones, Smith and Jaire Alexander as our top three breakout candidates. It’s safe to say those predictions came to fruition. Here are the top five breakout candidates for the 2020 season.
5. Equanimeous St. Brown, WR
Equanimeous St. Brown had a promising rookie season back in 2018 but never got the chance to stack success the following year.
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During the 2019 preseason, St. Brown suffered a season-ending ankle injury. His second season was put on hold before it could even get started, and he spent the entire 2019 season on the injured reserve list.
Though it was no guarantee that St. Brown would have been a major contributor in 2019, it stands to reason that he still would’ve taken a big jump from his first season. St. Brown recorded 21 receptions for 321 yards in 12 games in his rookie year.
The Packers had shallow depth at receiver this past season. Only Davante Adams eclipsed over 500 receiving yards. Could St. Brown have matched that number? We’ll never know, but it’s hard to think he couldn’t have been a contributor last year.
A big reason the Packers didn’t draft a receiver this past April is that St. Brown is returning from injury. General manager Brian Gutekunst expressed great confidence in Green Bay’s young receiving corps after the draft. St. Brown will play an integral part in the Packers’ passing attack and is a prime breakout candidate in 2020.
4. Darnell Savage, S
The Packers’ secondary is comprised of young, promising potential. Part of that potential includes safety Darnell Savage, who’s a prime candidate to have a breakout season in 2020. The 2019 first-round draft choice had an up and down rookie season, but a full year in an NFL offseason regimen should allow him to become faster and stronger – both physically and mentally.
Savage was much better at the start of his rookie season. He had arguably his worst game against the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship game. Improving as a tackler in the run game will be key for Savage as he enters his second season as a pro.
Defensive coordinator Mike Pettine has hinted this offseason that Savage could play more in the slot as a nickel cornerback this coming season. Green Bay’s primary nickel corner from 2019, Tramon Williams, is currently a free agent.
Savage has the skill-set to be a do-it-all playmaker at either safety or cornerback. His cover skills allow him to play all over the formation. In college at Maryland, he played snaps at every position in the secondary. The Packers will need him to take a big step forward in 2020 for the defense to be successful.
3. Kingsley Keke, DT
The Packers run defense was atrocious in 2019, highlighted by their performance against the 49ers in the NFC Championship. The Packers allowed an average of 128.7 rushing yards per game last season, good for 26th in the entire league. A huge reason for Green Bay’s struggles against the run was due to the lack of depth along the defensive line.
Enter Kingsley Keke, who was a fifth-round rookie last season. Keke played just 94 defensive snaps in 14 appearances, but he showed plenty of promise in his limited action. He finished with just 10 total tackles (three solo) but never played more than 15 snaps in any single game.
Don’t let the stats (or lack thereof) fool you, though. Keke was productive down the stretch last season. He was more effective against the run than rushing the passer, which is something the Packers need help at anyways, but his upside is limitless.
The Packers’ coaching staff appears excited about Keke’s potential as a rotational defensive lineman, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see him take on a more prominent role in 2020. If Green Bay’s run defense wants to be better this coming season, Keke will need to take a Year 2 leap.
2. Rashan Gary, OLB
The Packers didn’t receive the type of production they may have desired from outside linebacker Rashan Gary as a rookie last season. The 12th overall pick played just 244 defensive snaps. He appeared in all 16 regular-season games but recorded just 21 total tackles (13 solo), three quarterback hits and two sacks.
It could be argued that Gary didn’t have to be the star the Packers drafted him to be last season, though. After all, the defense racked up 25.5 sacks courtesy of Za’Darius Smith and Preston Smith, alone. That said, Gary taking a major leap forward in Year 2 would only help propel Green Bay’s defense into another echelon.
One of the most athletic players ever at the outside linebacker position (4.58-second 40-yard dash at 277 pounds), Gary just needs to refine his technique and patience as a pass-rusher. In college at Michigan, he often relied on his raw athleticism to beat offensive linemen. In the NFL, that strategy rarely works.
All offseason we’ve heard defensive coordinator Mike Pettine talk about the prospect of Gary being a major contributor in 2020. Having a full offseason to get healthy (Gary dealt with a shoulder injury last season which stems back to Michigan) only helps his potential as a breakout candidate.
1. Jace Sternberger, TE
The hype train for Jace Sternberger as a breakout candidate in 2020 has only gained more steam over the past few weeks. After the Packers released veteran Jimmy Graham (who later signed with the Chicago Bears) earlier this offseason, Sternberger appears in line to be the team’s No. 1 option at the tight end position.
Although Green Bay re-signed Marcedes Lewis, Sternberger is a much bigger threat in the passing game. Lewis, 36, figures to be a key cog in the run game as a blocker. Sternberger, on the other hand, will play both in-line as a blocker and in the slot as a receiving threat.
As a rookie in 2019, Sternberger only saw action in six regular-season games. He was placed on injured reserve before the start of the season due to an ankle injury. Sternberger later appeared in both of Green Bay’s playoff games, scoring a touchdown against the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship Game.
The former third-round pick doesn’t have the stats that may warrant the ‘breakout’ label. But anyone who watched him in college at Texas A&M, combined with the threat of Aaron Rodgers as his quarterback knows that Sternberger could be a big surprise in 2020.