Green Bay Packers: Important season for Quinten Rollins
Quinten Rollins is entering his fourth, and most important, season with the Green Bay Packers.
Selected in the second round of the 2015 NFL Draft, the Green Bay Packers hoped Quinten Rollins would help strengthen the secondary.
The team had just lost cornerbacks Tramon Williams and Davon House in free agency, and general manager Ted Thompson responded by using his top two draft picks on Damarious Randall and Rollins.
The fact that both Williams (now 35-years-old) and House are back with the team, and that the Packers traded Randall for a backup quarterback this offseason, tells you everything you need to know.
But Rollins still has a chance to prove himself this year.
The 25-year-old has been unlucky with injuries. He has missed 15 regular season games over the past three years, including 10 last season due to a torn Achilles.
But as he makes his return from a significant injury, he will have to compete for a spot on the Packers’ 53-man roster.
Green Bay used its top draft picks on cornerbacks Jaire Alexander and Josh Jackson. Along with veterans Williams and House, and last year’s top draft pick Kevin King, the cornerback room has become crowded.
Michael Cohen of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported in May that some Packers scouts believe Rollins should be moved to safety. Time will tell whether Mike McCarthy and his coaching staff agree.
Assuming Rollins does make the 53-man roster, whether at cornerback or safety, he’ll need to stay healthy and play well. His rookie contract expires next March, and it will almost certainly take a good performance in 2018 for the Packers to offer Rollins a new deal.
The Packers will have a number of tough decisions in free agency next spring. Clay Matthews, Muhammad Wilkerson, Randall Cobb, Ha Ha Clinton-Dix and Ty Montgomery are just some of the team’s upcoming free agents.
Rollins has put together some good performances in Green Bay. Arguably his best came as a rookie in 2015. In a meeting with the St. Louis Rams (a year before they moved back to Los Angeles), he made two interceptions, including a 45-yard pick-six.
But Rollins has struggled in recent years, in part due to injuries.
Getting better injury luck will help. But Rollins must prove he’s fully healthy, and can play at a high level this season.
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Rollins’ first task is to secure a spot on the 53-man roster. The next will be to earn a new contract beyond this season.