Jeff Janis: Green Bay Packers could move on from ‘People’s Champ’
Jeff Janis, the Green Bay Packers wide receiver with a ton of talent, speed and size, has flashed moments of brilliance both as a wide out and as a special teams ace over the past several years … but not enough, in my opinion, to keep him around.
We all remember what he accomplished in a reserve role against the Arizona Cardinals in that Divisional Round Playoff overtime loss two seasons ago.
His phenomenal performance in that game gave the Packers a chance to win and move on to the championship game, but he did little before or after that game to warrant he stay with the team – at least as a wide receiver.
His work on special teams has been great at times, but he has shown inconsistency in that area as well.
With a team that is stacked at wide receiver, the room at the inn is diminishing for the late-round draft pick.
In 35 regular season games over three seasons, Janis has been targeted 33 times and caught 15 of those balls for 188 yards (12.5-yard average).
As one of the more popular players on the Packers’ roster, known by most as the “People’s Champ,” Janis has been an interesting player – interesting because over the course of his career he’s been looked to as one of those who had much potential that didn’t turn to production on the field of play.
That’s because it became increasingly apparent that Janis couldn’t gain the confidence of his coaches, nor the man he needed most in his corner – quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
Janis played on 233 snaps in 2016, had 11 catches on 19 targets for 93 yards; he also rushed the ball twice for 38 yards – one of those rushes went for a touchdown, as did one of his catches.
In three playoff games this past season, Janis couldn’t replicate what he did the season before in the playoffs. This past season Janis played in three playoff games and didn’t record a single catch.
Will Janis fit into the Packers’ plans in 2017?
He does still have a single year left on his rookie contract – a contract that will pay him $702,848 this year.
Does his value as a special teams player warrant a spot on the the 53-man roster in the 2017? That will be determined when training camp and the preseason begins. If he shows vast improvement as a wide receiver, the battle for a roster spot between him and Trevor Davis could be a reality.
If his skills as a wide receiver once again have him on the bubble come August, the Packers need to cut the cord on the Janis experiment and move on.
Good and great special teams players don’t come out of nowhere, so Janis’s value to the team in that phase of the game may be enough to give him that roster spot in 2017.
However, it could also be time that the Packers consider moving on from Janis.
Giving him another shot this season may be in the cards, but Janis is going to have to bring his A game to the team during offseason workouts and into training camp if the Packers are going to continue with the experiment.
If not, expect Janis to be gone by the final cut of training camp or even sooner.
Next: Tundra Talk: Postseason considerations