WR Jeff Janis Signs with Cleveland Browns
One of Green Bay’s core special teams players is off to greener pastures. Wide receiver Jeff Janis has agreed to a contract with the Cleveland Browns.
A seventh round pick in 2014, Janis’s breathtaking athleticism never materialized into a significant role on offense. He did mature into a legitimate special teams ace, blossoming into one of the league’s top punt cover men over the past few seasons.
What this means for the Packers
Janis’s folk hero status in Wisconsin notwithstanding, his loss in Green Bay is somewhat limited. Though it’s true that he was a top-tier talent on special teams, even in that capacity his role had dwindled in Green Bay.
Trevor Davis took over Janis’s kick return duties in 2017, a role that was itself diminished greatly by the league’s continued effort to eliminate kickoffs entirely.
Davis also showed promise as a punt cover man himself, and he’s one of just a few players on the Packers who could match Janis’s speed down the field.
This does signal a final end to the perennial campaign to mold Janis into an effective wide receiver. Though it was fine if he never contributed in that respect, it was puzzling, especially given the range of opportunities he received. He was on the field for more than 200 snaps in 2015 but managed just 19 total targets.
He did catch the most spectacular Hail Mary pass an insane run of miracle catches in Green Bay, though. We’ll always have that.