As rosters got trimmed down at the end of August, Green Bay Packers wide receiver Equanimeous St. Brown found himself on the outside looking in. Green Bay had just waived the third-year wide receiver. A few days later, they re-signed him to the practice squad.
Opportunities emerged when Marquez Valdes-Scantling missed time earlier in the year on IR. Same when Davante Adams and Allen Lazard were briefly out as well. Now, St. Brown will see another chance following Randall Cobb‘s injury.
Matt LaFleur didn’t sugarcoat it when asked Thursday about Cobb’s injury against the Los Angeles Rams two weeks ago.
“Yeah, Cobb is going to be out for awhile. He suffered a pretty significant injury. It’s unfortunate because I thought he’s done such an amazing job when given the opportunity. I think a lot of his…we were just talking about his targets on third down alone. He was eight of 10 when he got targeted for converting first downs.”
The seemingly obvious replacement would be rookie Amari Rodgers. Green Bay selected the dynamic wideout from Clemson in the third round of the 2021 draft. Not only have the snaps been scarce for Rodgers, but he’s also struggled in his primary role as the punt returner. He was drafted to be a slot receiver, the role Cobb was also brought in for.
You’d think he’d be the natural replacement, but that’s not what LaFleur hinted at.
“We’ll use Allen (Lazard) in there a little bit, we’ll use EQ (St. Brown) who’s been playing really well as of late not only on offense but on special teams as well. Then we’ll continue to move Davante (Adams) around and put him in there (slot) a little bit. As far as Amari (Rodgers) is concerned, he’s still a young player, he’s still growing, he’s going to get better.”
That doesn’t exactly scream confidence in Amari Rodgers, but it does sound we could see a lot of St. Brown moving forward.
EQ’s numbers don’t exactly jump out of the box score. The Packers stashed him on the practice squad for a reason, and if everything had gone according to the Packers’ plans, he wouldn’t be necessary. But when the window of opportunity has widened just a bit for St. Brown, he’s taken advantage.
His best game came against the Minnesota Vikings on Nov. 21, when he had two receptions on two targets for 43 yards and an 11-yard rush. His most clutch play came on a fourth-down conversion earlier in the season against the Arizona Cardinals. These aren’t dazzling numbers, but they’re more than encouraging for someone who was basically an afterthought entering the regular season.
LaFleur isn’t the only one who’s taken notice. Aaron Rodgers gave a ton of praise to EQ following the Vikings game.
“I’m really proud of EQ,” Rodgers said. “I got ahold of him and had a nice conversation with him at the end of training camp when he was released. I just felt like there was going to be an opportunity for him at some point during the season.”
He reiterated those thoughts and doubled down after the Packers beat the Rams.
“I do want to continue to highlight EQ. He was released from the team and he’s come back to us and done a really nice job. It doesn’t always show up big in the stat sheet, but he’s a guy I trust a lot and a guy who’s made some timely plays for us. So, I’m really proud of him and all the other guys who’ve stepped in.”
That word, “trust,” is always brought up in reference with Rodgers and his wide receivers.
It’s long been the case that Aaron Rodgers gives more looks towards his receivers as he gains trust in them, but it doesn’t always come easy. QB1 directly saying he trusts St. Brown is significant. It’s a big shot of confidence for EQ.
Losing Randall Cobb for the foreseeable future is another big blow to a team already ravaged by injuries. They should be crawling toward the finish line, yet they’re thriving.
Logically, the next move is to sub in one wideout for the other. Amari Rodgers in for the injured Cobb. Green Bay is going with someone more proven in Equanimeous St. Brown and, more importantly, someone who Aaron Rodgers trusts.
