Packers preseason 2017: Which wide receivers stay, who gets the boot

Jeff Janis

Oh yes, Janis is a curious case indeed with the way he constantly teases you with flashes of his tremendous athletic ability to then only let you down with a series of mental errors.

According to most reports, the fourth-year veteran hasn’t demonstrated any sort of improvement as a pass catcher this summer and is in serious danger getting eighty-sixed next month.

The fact that Janis has a mere 33 receptions on his ledger in three NFL seasons is a result of his inability to run crisp and precise patterns.

Worse yet is the struggling receiver’s inability to get on the same page with (Aaron) Rodgers, who expects his targets to recognize several different gestures and/or signals that are called to counter specific looks on the part of the defense.

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Thursday’s performance was an accurate microcosm of Janis’ career considering how he bobbled and dropped a routine (Brett) Hundley pass on third down in the first quarter and then redeemed himself with a sensational 20-yard touchdown grab.

The scoring connection saw the enigmatic 26-year-old sell the slant pattern to C.J. Smith III and leave the cornerback standing in place by then breaking his route to the outside and hauling in the perfectly lofted delivery.

It was Janis’ only catch of the evening, but his double move might have been the best route he’s run since first arriving in the Dairy State.

And for all his warts, No. 83 remains a terrific gunner on special teams.

Janis’ future with the team will be determined in the next two weeks…if not sooner.

A few more plays like the one he made against Smith may be enough to get him through, but even that may only be another setup for failure once the games start to count.

Odds of making the squad: 50 percent