Green Bay Packers: Who will play slot receiver in 2020?

Running Backs

And now that we’ve covered the two groups of players that are paid to run routes downfield and catch the ball, it’s time to get weird with running backs in the slot.

The two top candidates for the job are Aaron Jones and Tyler Ervin. Jamaal Williams and A.J. Dillon aren’t incapable of working in space, but they’re not as quick and shifty as Jones and Ervin, and they are simply less equipped to create separation from their defenders on routes.

Jones was used in some really interesting ways in the passing game last year and showed the ability to run good routes out of the backfield and the slot. He was much more often used from the backfield, but some of the skills he showed can be easily applied when he lines up out wide like this route and adjustment to the ball:

Even though that route is out of the backfield, it shows how well he can use his speed as a pass catcher and his natural affinity for finding the football and hauling it in. His best use out of the slot was on early-season quick out routes that were always an easy five yards.

The Green Bay Packers used that very play to finish off their game with the Kansas City Chiefs this past season. On the first play after the two-minute warning, it was third and five and there was a big decision on whether to conservatively run the ball or to pass and try to get the first down and wrap up the game. They went with the quick out to Jones, gained eight yards, and were able to kneel the ball three times to win the game.

Finally, Tyler Ervin isn’t your everyday run of the mill slot guy. He can do anything you can imagine out of the slot. He can get a screen, run a jet sweep, or run any route. He’ll have some time in this role and defenses will always have to know where he is on the field. Ervin will be moved all around the field and the slot will be one of the many places he’ll contribute.

So who do you think will be the Green Bay Packers’ go-to slot guy or who are you excited to see play the position in 2020? Let us know in the comments below or @DairylandXpress.