The Power Sweep

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Packers 2017 Recap: WR Max McCaffrey

Max McCaffrey played for the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2017. Did you know that?

2017 Stats

  • Appeared in five games with zero starts for the Jacksonville Jaguars (18 snaps on offense, 13 snaps on special teams)
  • Caught one pass for four yards

Expectations going into the season: Low
Expectations were: Not met

Analysis: McCaffrey ends up a footnote for the Packers in 2017

Max McCaffrey had every opportunity to catch on with the Packers but couldn’t stick.

A midseason addition to the Packers’ practice squad in 2016, McCaffrey earned rave reviews for his performance in the early portions of the Packers’ 2017 training camp. He produced so consistently in practice that backup quarterbacks sparred over the chance to throw to him.

“It’s something we’ve kind of been joking about the past couple days, who Max prefers and who is claiming Max as their primary receiver,” Joe Callahan told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Michael Cohen.

McCaffrey produced in games, too, regularly finding himself among the Packers’ most targeted receivers in the preseason.

But McCaffrey lacked one thing his fellow bottom of the roster receivers all possessed: potential.

While McCaffrey was likely at or near his ceiling as a player already, the Packers generally prefer more developmental prospects for the practice squad and the lower end of the roster.

As a result, McCaffrey found himself without a job as the Packers went with the towering Michael Clark and the power-packed DeAngelo Yancey to fill out the practice squad.

McCaffrey spent several weeks with the Saints after that before he was signed to the Jacksonville Jaguars’ active roster, where he played five games. He was released in late October and got another shot with the Packers, lasting just a few weeks before the San Francisco 49ers came calling. He played out the remainder of the season on the 49ers roster but was never active for a game.