The Green Bay Packers were extremely depressed to hear that Jordy Nelson would miss the entire 2015 NFL season due to a torn ACL. It was a huge blow for an offense that has relied on him for big numbers for a long time. Randall Cobb was more than ready to take over the top receiver role, but went down with an injury of his own on Saturday evening in Green Bay’s preseason game against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Cobb went down with an apparent shoulder injury, and he was worried immediately that he had broken his collarbone. That didn’t end up the case, and he has been diagnosed with a sprained AC joint.
After his MRI, #Packers WR Randall Cobb has an AC joint sprain, source said. It’s minor. No word on Week 1, but could have been much worse
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 30, 2015
According to multiple reports, the Packers expect that Cobb will be able to play in Week 1. That isn’t a guarantee to say the least, but there is no question that Cobb will be back fairly early on in the season.
If Cobb is able to play against the Chicago Bears to open up the season, the Packers’ offense shouldn’t skip a beat despite losing Nelson. Davante Adams is ready to slide into a bigger role, and the Packers have both Jeff Janis and Ty Montgomery who can play a role as well. Having Aaron Rodgers under center makes things easier as well, as he is capable of making any player around him better.
Last season with the Packers, Cobb caught 91 passes for 1,287 yards and 12 touchdowns. Those numbers show exactly the type of production that he is capable of bringing to the Green Bay offense, and why the injury would have practically ended their Super Bowl hopes.
At 25 years old, Cobb is heading into the prime of his career and decided to re-sign to a long-term deal this past offseason.
Expect to see Cobb come through with a big season for the Packers and to prove that he is capable number one target. It will be interesting to see what the Packers are able to do this season, and how players step up to fill the shoes that Nelson left. Green Bay is going to be depending on Cobb each and every week, and hopefully he’s able to remain healthy the rest of the way.
