The Green Bay Packers may have lost Jordan Nelson for the 2015 season with a torn ACL injury, as the wide receiver was injured on Sunday against the Steelers and the first diagnosis was the tear and now Davante Adams and Ty Montgomery may have to step in to start with Randall Cobb, while Wes Welker and Reggie Wayne remain on the free agent market.
According to Pro Football Talk and NFL.com, Nelson had to leave the preseason game against the Steelers after catching a pass from Aaron Rodgers. Nelson was able to limp off of the field and Ian Rapoport reports that the "initial diagnosis" for the injury is a torn ACL. Nelson will have an MRI to confirm the results of the injury and it came on a play when he was not contacted by a defender from the Steelers.
The Packers have Super Bowl aspirations this season and they have one of the deepest offenses in the league, but now that will take a hit. Nelson has been one of the most productive players in the league over the past few years and he was going to be the number one option for Rodgers alongside Randall Cobb. The Packers have Cobb in front with rookie Ty Montgomery, Davante Adams, Jeff Janis and Myles White and it could be up to those players to step up if the team doesn't add a free agent.
Adams was expected to take another step forward this season and he could be the number two option behind Cobb, while Montgomery comes out of Stanford with an impressive career behind him. Montgomery should get a chance to prove himself and the team is high on Janis as well. Eddie Lacy comes in after rushing for over 1000 yards last season, while Rodgers will have Andrew Quarless and Richard Rodgers as the main tight ends.
The Packers reportedly had interest in Wes Welker earlier in the offseason, but no deal ever came close to happening. The team could pick up interest in Welker again, while players like Reggie Wayne and Brandon Lloyd are available on the market. Wayne is reportedly having a physical with the Patriots and he could be an option as a third or fourth wideout for the Pats. The Packers also could look at Wayne depending on how things go with Nelson and Wayne's physical with the Patriots. UPDATE: Wayne has signed with the Pats.
Nelson comes in after putting up 1519 yards last season with 98 catches and he had 13 touchdowns for the Packers. Nelson has only missed four games in the last five seasons and in 2011 he put up a career best 15 touchdowns and Nelson has had at least 1260 yards in three of the last four seasons. Cobb is a strong player and an all-round explosive option and he will have more pressure with Nelson out. Adams comes in after putting up 38 catches for 446 yards and three touchdowns last season and he will have to be relied on even more if Nelson misses the season.