Green Bay Packers: Geronimo Allison poised for big 2019

After injuries cut Geronimo Allison’s 2018 season short, he is poised for a breakout season in 2019 for the Green Bay Packers.

Geronimo Allison has come a long ways from being an undrafted rookie out of the University of Illinois and is now someone who will play a big role in this Green Bay Packers’ offense moving forward.

In his second NFL season in 2017, we saw flashes of the playmaker that Allison could be, including a game against the Cincinnati Bengals where he would haul in six of eight receptions for 122 yards.

Entering the 2018 season, Allison was ready for it to be his breakout season in the NFL and through the first four weeks, it looked as if it would be. Over those four games, Allison totaled 289 receiving yards which led the entire Green Bay Packers team and in every game, he had at least 60 yards receiving.

And of course, we all remember the spectacular throw and catch in the corner of the end zone between him and Aaron Rodgers that was a part of a fantastic week one comeback against the Chicago Bears.

Unfortunately, a concussion and then a hamstring injury would sideline Allison for much of the remainder of the season and that break out season that appeared to be in the works, never came to fruition.

Now as we get closer to Training Camp, many are wondering, who will take over that number two receiver role behind Davante Adams? While Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Equanimeous St. Brown are popular choices, Allison cannot be forgotten about.

For one, Allison has developed trust with Rodgers during his time with the Green Bay Packers as evidenced by the aforementioned week one touchdown reception. We all know that gaining Rodgers’ trust can take some time through practice reps and we have seen players such as Jeff Janis – who was very talented – struggle to see playing time as a result of that disconnect.

My point being, Rodgers wouldn’t make that throw in week one to just any receiver.

Now with new head coach Matt LaFleur taking over and the slot receiver playing an integral part of his offense, Allison is in position to step in and play a much higher percentage of his snaps from the slot with Randall Cobb gone, which will get him plenty of targets in this offense.

According to Pro Football Focus, over his career, Allison has played just under a third of his total snaps from the slot. So while it may not seem like it, he does have a fair amount of experience from there. And through offseason programs, Allison has taken a heavy number of snaps from the slot as well.

LaFleur wants his entire receiving corps to be able to move around and line up anywhere at any given moment – so in addition to more slot snaps, we will still see Allison lining up outside as well – and Adams has taken notice on how well Allison has done up to this point:

"“He’s the guy who’s been working a lot in the slot, and he’s used to playing a little more outside, but this is making him a little more dynamic,” Adams said. “I think Matt has really tested him or challenged him to widen it out so he can play multiple spots. … Him being able to move around right now and be healthy, be himself and just play, being able to have all those things, it’s going to be dangerous.”"

“It’s going to be dangerous” – high praise from one of the most talented receivers in the game.

Allison is poised for a big season in 2019, and while he may not be the big free agent name or the top draft pick that many wanted to see the Green Bay Packers bring in this offseason, he has the work ethic and the skill set to take over as the Packers’ number two option at receiver and can put himself on the NFL map this year.