Last week, the Packers elevated Juwann Winfree and Micah Abernathy to the roster for Week One. Winfree’s elevation was due to Allen Lazard’s injury that kept him out. This week, though, the Packers have elevated just one player from the practice squad: running back Patrick Taylor. Green Bay went into their Week One loss to the Minnesota Vikings with just two running backs. It looks like there may be a change of game-planning with the addition of a third running back.
#Packers elevate RB Patrick Taylor from the practice squad to the active roster for gameday.#CHIvsGB | #GoPackGo https://t.co/qGbk8s8DRf
— Green Bay Packers (@packers) September 17, 2022
Will Allen Lazard Be Ready to Go?
Since Juwann Winfree was not elevated to the roster again this week, it is a hopeful sign that Allen Lazard will indeed be healthy enough to play against the Chicago Bears. The Packers currently have seven wide receivers on their roster: Lazard, Sammy Watkins, Randall Cobb, Amari Rodgers, Romeo Doubs, Christian Watson, and Samori Toure. Toure did not dress last week. That could be the case this week, too, if the Packers decide to go with just six wide receivers on gameday.
As I noted in my Three Players to Watch as the Packers Take on the Bears article, Allen Lazard has scored three touchdowns in his last four games against Chicago. In his previous game against them, which occurred late last season, he had six receptions for 75 yards and a touchdown.
Is Amari Rodgers Done?
As many are aware by now, Aaron Rodgers had a very curt and blunt response to Amari Rodgers’ role in the offense. “He’s returning for us. That’s about all I got on it.” Meanwhile, he went on to praise rookies Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs: “These are good kids. They really are. They want to please, they want to do the right thing, they care about it.”
There have been some posts on Twitter by fans wondering or claiming that Patrick Taylor’s elevation to the roster means Amari Rodgers is “done.”
Amari Rodgers is getting no snaps
— Mƙĥūß🇿🇼 (@mukumoya) September 17, 2022
Is that a bad sign for Amari Rodgers in terms of his role in the offense?
— Mike Gasparino (@MikeGasparino) September 17, 2022
Amari Rodgers is done at this point https://t.co/x1w9ahUKYF
— Carlos Silva (@CarlosS29143608) September 17, 2022
As we saw last week in Minnesota, Amari Rodgers has no role in this offense right now. Unless Patrick Taylor is going to return kicks and punts, Rodgers is very much “not done.” As far as taking snaps as a third running option, that is something that both Allen Lazard and Randall Cobb have done in the past. While Rodgers did run some of those plays during preseason, neither Lazard nor Cobb were on the field.
It is also Week Two. The season is a long one. Maybe Amari ends up with a bigger role in the offense by the end of it, and maybe he does not. In any case, it is far too early to write him off completely.
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