Jared Abbrederis placed on injured reserve
GREEN BAY - Wide receiver Jared Abbrederis missed Thursday's game against the Chicago Bears due to injury, and four days later the Green Bay Packers placed him on injured reserve with a thigh contusion, according to a league source. The move likely will end his season.
To fill Abbrederis' roster spot, the Packers promoted wide receiver Geronimo Allison from the practice squad. Allison's agency, OTG Sports Management, announced the news on Twitter.
Abbrderis, who is now in his third season, enjoyed a terrific training camp that drew positive feedback from quarterback Aaron Rodgers, coach Mike McCarthy and others, but the momentum quickly faded when the regular season arrived.
Abbrederis was the odd man out in a receivers room with seven options, four of whom were fighting for minimal reps behind Jordy Nelson, Randall Cobb and Davante Adams. The former Wisconsin star, who has battled injuries since being drafted by the Packers in 2014, played 14 snaps in the opener against Jacksonville — due in part to injuries to Jeff Janis (broken hand) and Trevor Davis (shoulder) — and caught one pass for 8 yards. It would be his only contribution of the season.
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His playing time faded in the coming weeks, and snap counts dissipated from six against the Minnesota Vikings to zero against both the Detroit Lions and New York Giants. It was a low point during his time on the active roster.
Abbrederis received four snaps in the loss to the Dallas Cowboys but was a nonfactor.
"Everyone’s got a role," wide receivers coach Luke Getsy said on Oct. 13. "What Mike (McCarthy) does, why he’s one of the best in the NFL, is when he looks at an opponent, he says, ‘How do we want to attack this game?’ or ‘How do we want to approach this game?’ That’s part of it. Then he does a great job of laying out everyone’s role during the week, so sometimes it’s no-huddle and a tempo thing we want to attack, and sometimes it’s get the right guy for the right play or it’s rolling the personnel. I think having the ability to do all of those things is a really good weapon for us. I don’t see anything changing as far as Mike’s approach and just making sure that we feel like we’re doing what we feel is best to win that week."
When asked about Abbrederis' role after two games without a snap, Getsy's answer was fairly vague.
"Every week it’s different, there’s no doubt about that," Getsy said. "Every week is different. Sometimes, he’s on the brink of being a big part of the game plan and sometimes it’s just not.
"But he’s been awesome. He’s been awesome. He attacks every day. You guys see him at the beginning of practice, at least, but that guy is ready to play. There’s no question that he’ll be ready as soon as that opportunity presents itself."
Unfortunately for Abbrederis, his opportunity never arrived, and the trip to injured reserve likely ends his season.
The Packers can bring one player back from injured reserve provided that player missed at least eight weeks, but with key contributors like cornerback Sam Shields and running back Eddie Lacy on IR, it's highly unlikely general manager Ted Thompson would use the designation on Abbrederis.
With Ty Montgomery functioning more like a running back than a receiver, the promotion of Allison gives the Packers six wideouts. Allison, an undrafted free agent from Illinois, was the surprise of training camp with his steady play and reliable hands. He caught nearly every pass thrown in his direction and developed a bit of chemistry with Rodgers.
Allison caught six passes for 119 yards during the exhibition season, including an impressive grab on a 51-yard gain.
— Tom Silverstein of the Journal Sentinel contributed to this report