Tag: Equanimeous St. Brown

Why Equanimeous St. Brown has a chance to be a great fit in Matt LaFleur’s offense

The Packers will soon get back WR Equanimeous St. Brown from IR. Here’s why he could be an ideal fit in Matt LaFleur’s high-flying offense.

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The Green Bay Packers might get back one of their injured wide receivers sooner rather than later. And no, we are not talking about Davante Adams or Allen Lazard. After landing on injured reserve earlier this season with a knee injury, Equanimeous St. Brown practiced for the first time on Monday. Green Bay now has 21 days to evaluate the 2018 sixth-round draft pick and decide whether or not to activate him to the active roster.

Before injuries hit, St. Brown had a promising start to his career with a solid rookie season of 21 receptions for 328 yards. Unfortunately, a significant ankle injury prevented him from getting on the field in 2019 and now another leg injury is holding him back in Year 3. St. Brown has yet to step on the field at all in 2020. He was a healthy scratch for the season opener against the Minnesota Vikings before missing the next three games with a knee injury. St. Brown’s 2020 campaign is still at the starting line.

We’ve heard a lot of talk about the Packers’ failure to add weapons at wide receiver. Meanwhile, the team continues to preach loyalty to who they have. Well, St. Brown is one of the guys and, if not injuries, he might already be factoring into Green Bay’s high-flying offense.

Although inconsistent for the most part, there were times during the 2018 season when St. Brown’s play was very encouraging.

For example, take this play from Week 5 against the Detroit Lions. St. Brown is going up against single man coverage and easily creates five yards of separation.

 

He then did it again with a nice out-breaking route in Week 12 against the Minnesota Vikings.

 

St. Brown brings a great blend of size, speed and twitch to the table that is prototypical of the current mold Green Bay looks for at wide receiver. Standing at 6-5, St. Brown ran a 4.48 at the 2018 combine. His speed has certainly been noticeable, too.

 

Had this been a better ball by Aaron Rodgers or not a defensive pass interference against St. Brown, it might have been a touchdown. Soon Rodgers could have himself another deep threat. 

He still has a lot to prove, but St. Brown could be returning at the right time to an offense that is well-suited for his skill set. Matt LaFleur’s creativity has been on full display for the first four games, and the return of St. Brown’s is only going to help open things up more. He’s a great candidate for the jet sweeps and end arounds we’ve seen from LaFleur’s offense as well as crossing routes. 

Upon his return, St. Brown will have to earn every rep he gets, however, it’s easy to see how LaFleur could find ways to get St. Brown involved on offense.

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Packers LB Kamal Martin, WR Equanimeous St. Brown return to practice

The Packers are getting back two potentially important young players from injured reserve.

Two young players sent to injured reserve early in the 2020 season returned to practice for the Green Bay Packers on Monday.

According to Olivia Reiner of PackersNews.com, linebacker Kamal Martin and receiver Equanimeous St. Brown both were on the field and practicing Monday for the first time since going on injured reserve in September.

Both players now have a 21-day window to be activated from injured reserve to the 53-man roster. They are free to practice, and either player can be activated at any point during the three weeks.

Under new rules this season, players only need to miss three games before returning from injured reserve.

A rookie standout this summer, Martin injured his knee during a scrimmage late in training camp and needed surgery. He was put on injured reserve on Sept. 7, before Week 1. St. Brown hurt his knee, was inactive for Week 1 and placed on injured reserve on Sept. 19, missing the last three games.

The Packers have two open roster spots and could theoretically activate both Martin and St. Brown before taking on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday.

The Packers could use the help at both positions.

Linebacker Christian Kirksey is on injured reserve with a pectoral injury, while receiver Allen Lazard is on injured reserve with a core muscle injury.

Martin appeared to be on track for a starting role next to Kirksey at linebackers before he went down. St. Brown could help the Packers replace some of the versatile roles Lazard handled at receiver.

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Packers place WR Equanimeous St. Brown on injured reserve

The Packers placed WR Equanimeous St. Brown on injured reserve.

The Green Bay Packers placed wide receiver Equanimeous St. Brown on injured reserve on Saturday.

St. Brown, who was inactive in Week 1, has a knee injury. He didn’t practice this week and was ruled out for Week 2 against the Detroit Lions.

The Packers didn’t immediately replace St. Brown on the 53-man roster. The team did elevate fullback John Lovett and defensive lineman Willington Previlon from the practice squad for Week 2.

St. Brown caught 21 passes for 328 yards as a rookie in 2018 but missed the entire 2019 season with an ankle injury.

Under new rules in 2020, players can come off injured reserve in three weeks.

The Packers have just four receivers on the active roster: Davante Adams, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Allen Lazard and Malik Taylor.

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ESPN updates Position U’s, Find out where Notre Dame landed

The Irish place very well inside the updated rankings, but not quite where you would expect them to.

Now that NFL training camps have started back up, we are all getting a look at some teams roster constructions. With that, ESPN has updated their Position U rankings after gathering data from their Sports and Information group along with numbers from Pro Football Reference.

The Irish have placed in their rankings, although not in the top spot for any positions. Notre Dame placed 9th in Wide Receivers, 5th in Tight Ends and 7th in Offensive Line groups. It might seem like the analysts at ESPN got some of the rankings wrong, especially at tight end, but they do give some sound reasoning.

They did not mention much at ball regarding the production of former Irish wide receivers, but the group is very solid. Golden Tate, Will Fuller, Equanimeous St. Brown, Miles Boykin and Chase Claypool make up a fantastic collection of Notre Dame alumni receivers. Claypool has been shown very well so far and that ranking could be on the rise from 9th.

This next group, the tight ends, seems a bit low given the production from the group has been top-notch. The top spot went to Miami, the U, who boasts an quite a lot of quality players, as they have had 10 drafted in the last 20 years, with half of them going in the first round. They note that the Irish have “Cole Kmet was the first tight end taken in this years draft, and the Irish have had a tight end selected for three straight years.” Alize Mack and Durham Smythe were those two other players. As we know the position is stacked right now with tons of talent, but it’s hard to argue with Miami production the last 20 years. All time is a different conversation, however.

The offensive line helped the Irish get to 7th, but that ranking also could be on the move upwards as ESPN ranked them as who’s next. “There’s a strong case to be made that Notre Dame has produced the NFL best current tackle (Ronnie Stanley) and guard (Quenton Nelson) over the past five drafts. Add in Pro-Bowler Zach Martin, and NFL starters Nick Martin and Mike McGlinchey, and what the Irish might lack in quantity, they more than make up for in quality.”

The Irish didn’t make the defensive line group’s rankings but the did make their who’s missing. ESPN noted that “the Irish failed to produce a true impact player at the next level.” This is an area where an improvement is drastically needed.

As a whole collective group, the Irish did great inside the updated Positional U rankings. The upside is there for movement in the future and could very well be happening.

LaFleur praises intelligence, flexibility of Packers WR Equanimeous St. Brown

The Packers coach said St. Brown has mastered the offensive playbook and is now flexible enough to play any of the WR positions.

A year away from the football field gave Green Bay Packers wide receiver Equanimeous St. Brown a chance to master the playbook, and now coach Matt LaFleur has confidence that the third-year pass-catcher can play any receiver spot on the field.

LaFleur said St. Brown is “really intelligent” and knows the Packers playbook “inside and out” to start training camp.

“That gives you a lot of flexibility with him to be able to move him to different positions and just put him in different spots on the field,” LaFleur said Wednesday.

St. Brown hurt his ankle during the preseason last August and missed the entire 2019 season, stunting the start to his career. While he lost valuable on-field experience, St. Brown used the time away to master the mental side and gain comprehensive knowledge of LaFleur’s detailed playbook.

It didn’t go unnoticed.

“He knows the finer details, and I thought that was pretty impressive, especially since he missed all of last season,” LaFleur said. “So, I just think that flexibility gives us a tremendous weapon. And not to mention, he’s a long guy that’s got a really good catch radius, and he’s got really good speed.”

The flexibility will be important to St. Brown getting on the field in 2020. Being able to play any of the receiver positions, including on the perimeter and in the slot, should provide more opportunities in the passing game, especially if his knowledge of the playbook translates to another layer of trust with LaFleur and quarterback Aaron Rodgers, a leader who demands a mastery of the little things from his receivers.

The Packers need at least one young receiver to step up and assume a bigger role this season. Geronimo Allison, last year’s starting slot receiver, departed in free agency, and Devin Funchess, the team’s only notable addition at receiver, opted out of the 2020 season. If LaFleur is bullish on St. Brown’s flexibility within the offense, he could help fill in the gaps at any receiver spot on the field.

As a rookie, St. Brown caught 21 passes for 328 yards. LaFleur said losing him in 2019 “hurt” the Packers at receiver, and Rodgers has mentioned on more than one occasion that he’s excited to return St. Brown to the receiver room in 2020, especially after he finished his rookie season so strong.

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Packers ‘really bullish’ on WR Equanimeous St. Brown

GM Brian Gutekunst expects WR Equanimeous St. Brown to be ready for practice Saturday and ready to make an impact in 2020.

Green Bay Packers GM Brian Gutekunst expects third-year receiver Equanimeous St. Brown to be ready for the start of practice and eventually provide an impact during the 2020 season.

St. Brown injured his ankle during the preseason last August and missed the entire 2019 season, but Gutekunst said he’s planning for the young receiver to be on the field when the Packers start practice this weekend.

“I would expect EQ to be ready,” Gutekunst said on Monday.

The Packers are banking on St. Brown to come back and help a passing game that could use a boost at receiver this season.

Like coach Matt LaFleur, who said it will be “great” to have St. Brown back this season, Gutekunst expressed confidence in what his 2018 sixth-round pick can bring to the table during his third season.

“The way he finished 2018, the way he goes about his business, the way he was performing in ’19 in training camp before he got injured. We’re really bullish on him,” Gutekunst said. “I think he’s got a bright future ahead of him. Glad he’s healthy. Glad he’s back. Expecting (him) to make an impact this year.”

St. Brown, who stands 6-5, caught 11 of his 21 passes as a rookie over the final five games of the season, including a five-catch, 94-yard game against the New York Jets in late December.

Back in April, quarterback Aaron Rodgers said St. Brown made “great strides” as a rookie and has a “great approach to the game.”

Without Devin Funchess (opt out) available for the 2020 season, St. Brown has a real opportunity to emerge as the No. 3 or No. 4 receiver, while possibly securing a role as a top option in the slot.

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Matt LaFleur: Losing WR Equanimeous St. Brown in 2019 ‘hurt’ Packers

The Packers are expecting Equanimeous St. Brown to set up and help the WR position after suffering a significant ankle injury in 2019.

The Green Bay Packers didn’t make a splash at receiver this offseason, and the team’s only notable addition – veteran Devin Funchess – opted out of the 2020 season.

It’ll fall on the shoulders of a young player returning from injury to provide a spark.

Re-enter Equanimeous St. Brown into the Packers’ receiver equation.

“It’s going to be great to get E.Q. back in the fold,” coach Matt LaFleur said this week, via Wes Hodkiewicz of Packers.com. “That certainly hurt us last year, so we do have a lot of confidence in our receiving corps and they’re going to have to take that next step for us to be as productive as we’d like to be this coming fall.”

St. Brown injured his ankle during the Packers’ third preseason game and never returned, ending up on season-ending injured reserve before the start of the 2019 season. Just like that, St. Brown’s potentially promising second season finished with a whimper, and the Packers lost a likely contributor at receiver, one of the team’s shakiest positions.

As a rookie, St. Brown caught 21 passes for 328 yards, including five catches over 20 yards and 13 first downs. He averaged 9.1 yards per target despite catching just 58.1 percent of targets.

Tall and athletic, St. Brown proved to be a smooth route-runner with some fearlessness in the middle of the field and toughness as a blocker, potentially giving the Packers a new slot option in 2020.

Back in April, quarterback Aaron Rodgers said he was excited to have St. Brown back from injury.

“I’m excited about getting EQ back from injury and seeing how he feels,” Rodgers said. “He really made some great strides his rookie year, especially towards the end of the season, making plays for us and growing each week. He has a great approach to the game. It will be fun to see him healthy.”

Without Funchess available, St. Brown has an opportunity to emerge as the team’s third or fourth receiving option. He’ll battle with Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Jake Kumerow and several others for the majority of snaps at receiver behind Davante Adams and likely No. 2 receiver Allen Lazard.

St. Brown’s performance late in his rookie season should provide some hope for his third year. In November, he turned three catches into first downs against the Minnesota Vikings. A month later, he caught five passes for a career-high 94 yards against the New York Jets. An injury robbed him of his second season, but the Packers are hopeful they’ll get something meaningful from St. Brown in 2020.

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Aaron Rodgers excited to get WR Equanimeous St. Brown back from injury

From Packers QB Aaron Rodgers on Equanimeous St. Brown: “It will be fun to see him healthy.” 

A strong finish to his rookie year and a lost 2019 season has Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers excited to have third-year receiver Equanimeous St. Brown back in the mix for 2020.

After catching 21 passes for 328 yards as a rookie in 2018, St. Brown injured his ankle during last year’s preseason, wound up on injured reserve and missed the entire season. Now, he’ll return with two healthy legs and a chance to earn a legitimate role in the offense to start his third season.

“I’m excited about getting EQ back from injury and seeing how he feels,” Rodgers said during a conference call last month. “He really made some great strides his rookie year, especially towards the end of the season, making plays for us and growing each week. He has a great approach to the game. It will be fun to see him healthy.”

The Packers’ sixth-round pick had two of his biggest games late in the 2018 season, catching three passes for 53 yards in Minnesota in late November and five passes for a career-high 94 yards in an overtime road win in New York two days before Christmas. St. Brown, who ran 4.48 at 6-5, ended up averaging 15.6 yards per catch and 9.1 yards per target.

While he missed out on an opportunity to establish himself as a top target for Rodgers in 2019, St. Brown will get another chance in 2020, especially after the Packers made precious few investments at receiver this offseason. Geronimo Allison, who played mostly in the slot in 2019, departed in free agency, opening the door for a player like St. Brown – who flashed some separation ability from the slot as a rookie – to carve out a role.

“Like I said, I’m excited about seeing EQ back in the mix,” Rodgers said.

Like Rodgers, GM Brian Gutekunst is expecting a jump from St. Brown and the other young Packers receivers.

“I really like our group of young receivers and where they’re headed,” Gutekunst told Larry McCarren of Packers.com. “I’ve always talked how, I think it’s very true if you look back, that most receivers in this league really start to come into their own in Year 3. Look back at our history here, with guys like Davante (Adams) and Jordy (Nelson), that’s really where they’ve started to come into their own. So I’m excited for those guys.”

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