Getty Equanimeous St. Brown #19 of the Green Bay Packers catches the ball as he is hit by Trae Waynes #26 of the Minnesota Vikings in the second quarter of the game at U.S. Bank Stadium on November 25, 2018 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
The Green Bay Packers proved in the opening week their offense isn’t lacking for weapons in the passing game, but that list still won’t include a much-anticipated wide receiver during Week 2’s home opener against the Detroit Lions.
Third-year wide receiver Equanimeous St. Brown will miss a second straight game for the Packers after being ruled out with a knee injury Friday’s official injury report against the Lions (0-1). He was a surprise inactive last week in Minnesota after being left out of the injury report and was only able to practice in a limited capacity on Wednesday, missing the final two sessions on Thursday and Friday.
St. Brown had a standout rookie season for the Packers in 2018 — catching 21 passes for 328 yards — and looked to be developing into a promising option last summer before a preseason injury ended his 2019 season before it could even begin. The Packers, however, remained high on his potential coming into 2020 training camp and kept him as one of just five wideouts on their 53-man roster.
The Packers have not yet provided any further details about his injury or return outlook beyond what has been listed in the injury report.
St. Brown was among four Packers ruled out for Week 2’s game against the Lions, including star nose tackle Kenny Clark (groin) as well as outside linebacker Randy Ramsey (groin) and veteran guard Lane Taylor — who will miss the remainder of the season with a knee injury and is expected to be placed on injured reserve in the near future. Ramsey will also be missing his second straight game after parlaying an impressive camp into a roster spot.
The Packers also listed four players as questionable: defensive lineman Montravius Adams (toe), rookie tight end Josiah Deguara (shin/ankle), safety Raven Greene (quad), offensive guard Lucas Patrick (shoulder) and guard/tackle Billy Turner (knee). Both Turner and Greene missed Week 1’s game with the same injuries, while Patrick dropped out in the first half with his injury.
Will Packers Hurt at WR Without St. Brown?
The Packers didn’t have St. Brown against the Vikings, but it didn’t seem to cost them any receiving production with Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Allen Lazard both shining as secondary options behind top wideout Davante Adams, who tied a Packers record with 14 receptions for 156 yards and two touchdowns.
While the assumption had been that Green Bay would acquire new pass-catchers in the offseason to enhance their 2020 offense, the Packers brass decided to mostly re-invested in the same group of receivers who had been with the team last year. The plan shifted to all-on on the returning group once Devin Funchess — their only significant free-agent addition to the position — opted out due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
There were question marks for each one. Valdes-Scantling had nearly reached 500 yards by the midpoint in the 2019 season, then drastically dropped off after suffering an ankle injury. Lazard rode the momentum of a hot entry but didn’t always become the No. 2 guy when the Packers needed one. St. Brown was bouncing back from a serious injury without OTAs or preseason games to recalibrate.
The final wide receiver of the bunch, Malik Taylor, wasn’t even a member of the Packers’ active roster last season. He was a surprise keep at this year’s 53-man cutdown deadline and beat out more recognizable names like Jake Kumerow, Darrius Shepherd and Reggie Begelton for the fifth receiving spot.
None of that stopped quarterback Aaron Rodgers from gouging the Vikings defense for 364 passing yards and four touchdowns in Week 1 of the new season, though.
Despite a few drops, Valdes-Scantling finished four yards shy of 100 with a 45-yard touchdown reception. Lazard was also efficient with four catches for 68 yards and his own touchdown catch, which he nearly scored two plays earlier on a deep reception before getting tripped up five yards from the goal line. Rodgers also tagged versatile running backs Aaron Jones and Jamaal Williams with four receptions each.
It would be hasty to rush to judgment on the offense after just one performance, but good things could be on the horizon if Week 1 was just a sampling of what the Packers can accomplish with their current personnel. At the very least, it would seem to buy St. Brown some time to work back from his injury.
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