Packers: Equanimeous St. Brown Could Find a Role as Slot WR

Equanimeous St. Brown will be returning from injury this season, and he could end up carving out a role as the Green Bay Packers’ slot receiver.

In the Matt LaFleur offense, whether it’s a receiver, a tight end, or a running back, having an effective slot receiver is a must. And in 2019, the Green Bay Packers didn’t necessarily have that in Geronimo Allison, who took 496 of his snaps out of the slot.

As we all saw, drops were an issue, and truthfully, Allison just isn’t much of a playmaker with the ball in his hands. Sure, we saw Davante Adams and Allen Lazard find success out of the slot for Green Bay, and into the 2020 season, we are going to see players continually rotated in and out rather than just one player occupying that position.

While Adams and Lazard will continue to see reps there, along with Jace Sternberger and Aaron Jones, Equanimeous St. Brown is someone who could fit in quite well as Green Bay’s primary slot receiver this season.

St. Brown would, unfortunately, miss the entire 2019 season with an injury, but he was able to flash as a rookie in 2018, hauling in 21 receptions at 15.6 yards per catch with five of those catches going for at least 20 yards. Not to mention that he has QB1 in his corner, which is never a bad thing.

At 6’4″ – 214 pounds, St. Brown certainly doesn’t look like a prototypical slot receiver, but in past offenses that LaFleur has been a part of, his slot receivers rarely are.

Of course, the aforementioned Allison was Green Bay’s primary slot receiver in 2019, and he clocks in at 6’3″ – 203 pounds. With the Tennessee Titans in 2018, Corey Davis took 240 snaps from the slot, and he stands at 6’3″ – 209 pounds. The year before that in Los Angeles, Cooper Kupp at 6’2″ – 208 played 465 snaps in the slot. Lastly was the 2016 season with Kyle Shanahan in Atlanta, where the 6’2 – 215 pound Mohamed Sanu was in the slot for 450 snaps.

So as you can see, the Randall Cobb’s and Wes Welker’s of the world aren’t a requirement for LaFleur.

However, it’s not only St. Brown’s size that makes him a good fit for the slot role in Green Bay. Although his frame and athleticism are indicative of a player who is going to win downfield in jump-ball scenarios – which he can – it’s St. Brown’s route running ability along with that size that would make him a matchup nightmare.

In an article by Benjamin Solak of The Draft Network, he highlighted how St. Brown’s understanding of cadence and coverages, along with the nuances to his route running, helps him create separation by manipulating the cornerback and taking advantage of all levels of the field.

He’s already going to have success creating space with his size, physicality, and explosiveness, but add in his route running as well, and St. Brown can be a real problem for opposing defenses inside.

Albeit limited, but out of the slot as a rookie in 2018, St. Brown took 99 snaps, hauling in five receptions and showing off that big-play ability with 19.4 yards per catch.

Many Green Bay Packers’ fans are excited about St. Brown’s return to action this season and for good reasons. With Green Bay needing a more consistent and dynamic presence out of the slot in 2020, St. Brown could provide them just that with his natural abilities as well as what he brings to the table as a route runner.

All stats via Pro Football Focus (subscription required) and Pro Football Reference