Green Bay Packers Rumors: Wide Receiver Jared Abbrederis Could Be Headed For A Breakout Season Now That He’s Finally Healthy

The Green Bay Packers are rumored to have a potential breakout star at the wide receiver position, and it’s someone who has already been with the team for two years — Jared Abbrederis.

The snake-bitten wideout is finally healthy after two seasons cut short by injury, and looks to be making a strong case not only to make the team’s 53-man roster, but to potentially make a huge impact.

Abbrederis was the star of training camp on Saturday, ESPN noted, as he caught two touchdown passes from Aaron Rodgers during Saturday’s practice. It seemed a bit of justification for the praise Packers coach Mike McCarthy has been sending his way.

“I think Jared’s had his best offseason,” McCarthy said back in June via ESPN. “I think his route running is exemplary for a young guy. His ability to recognize coverages, and his time clock, his breaking points, his ability to drop his weight — just all the specifics and details and techniques of route running, I think he’s exceptional.

“He just needs to continue to work on getting stronger. He plays the position technically and fundamentally at a very high level.”

Green Bay Packers fans haven’t really gotten a chance to see what Jared Abbrederis can do just yet. After being picked in the fifth round of the 2014 NFL Draft, Abbrederis missed all of his rookie year with a torn ACL. Just as he was set to return for his second season, he suffered a concussion during training camp and wasn’t able to make a strong enough impression to make the roster.

Abbrederis started on the practice squad, but was elevated to the active roster halfway through the year and had something of a mini-breakout game against Arizona, catching four passes for 55 yards.

There have been rumors that the Green Bay Packers are holding Jared Abbrederis in high regard, and many fans believe that Mike McCarthy had him in mind specifically when he hinted that the Packers may keep six receivers on the roster this year.

Heading into his first (healthy) Family Night, Jared Abbrederis has big day at Packers camp https://t.co/84vEj58ZDX

— Rob Demovsky (@RobDemovsky) July 31, 2016

There is still a lot of movement likely in the wide receiver position for the Packers. They are still waiting for Jordy Nelson and Ty Montgomery to be cleared for practice, though that has also cleared the way for Abbrederis to get more playing time than he would have otherwise.

The 6-foot-1 Abbrederis said he’s doing his best to focus on his game and take advantage of the opportunities ahead of him.

“I don’t ever focus on numbers,” Abbrederis said. “You’ve seen the past couple of years, injuries happen, things happen. You can’t worry about what you can’t control. You just have to control you.”

The strong early play from Jared Abbrederis has some insiders saying he could be headed for a breakout season, especially given the work Aaron Rodgers has done to incorporate the team’s new wide receivers.

As ESPN noted, Rodgers is working hard to build chemistry with the group.

“Rather, it was his interaction with his young wide receivers on which Rodgers was focused. Last month, Packers quarterbacks coach Alex Van Pelt said he and Rodgers had spoken several times about Rodgers ‘working more closely with [the young receivers] on a one-on-one basis’ and being ‘more of a big brother/coach type.'”

If the rumors of a breakout season for Jared Abbrederis are true, the Green Bay Packers could have a huge advantage in the team returning to title contention. The Packers managed a 10-6 record last season even with Nelson out, so strong play from the bottom of the wide receiver depth chart could help make the offense unstoppable.

[Photo by Matt Ludtke/AP Images]