Several Former Jaguars Now Play Key Roles with Green Bay Packers

Several former members of the Jacksonville Jaguars now play key roles on the offensive side of the ball for the Green Bay Packers.

Coming to Lambeau Field this weekend to face the Green Bay Packers will be the 1-7 Jacksonville Jaguars. The Jaguars are, of course, a fairly uncommon opponent for the Packers. The two teams only play each other once every four years, and Jacksonville comes to Green Bay just once every eight years.

However, despite the unfamiliarity between these two franchises, over the last two years, in particular, there is a growing connection as several former Jaguars now find themselves in Titletown. And these aren’t just any players; they all have key roles on this Green Bay Packers team.

Marcedes Lewis

The first addition came in May of 2018 when the Packers signed then free agent Marcedes Lewis to a one-year deal. Lewis was drafted in 2006 by Jacksonville and had spent his entire career there up to that point. While never a prolific pass catcher, his ability as a blocker has made him an integral part of the Matt LaFleur offense.

When Lewis is on the field, it’s like having a sixth offensive lineman in the lineup, and a pretty good one at that. Lewis helps the tackles in pass protection, and he’s allowed only three pressures of his own, none of which have been a sack. As a run blocker, his Pro Football Focus ($) grade is the 13th best among all tight ends, and he’s doing all of this at 36 years old.

In addition to his impact on the field, “Big Dog,” as he’s affectionately referred to, is one of the leaders on this Packers team off of it. Over the summer, Aaron Rodgers mentioned how excited he was to have Lewis back for the 2020 season (via Packers Wire):

"“I was really excited to see ‘Big Dog’ come back. He not only provides a great presence to our run-blocking scheme but our locker room. He’s just a consummate professional, a fantastic leader for our football team. Bringing him back was an important part of shoring up that (tight end) room.”"

Tyler Ervin

Last December, Tyler Ervin was cut by Jacksonville and eventually claimed off waivers by the Green Bay Packers. Ervin immediately stepped on the field and transformed what wasn’t just a bad punt return team, but a historically bad punt return team.

This season, after taking a few snaps here and there on offense in 2019, Ervin’s role has expanded, and as I mentioned recently in an article highlighting the Packers’ “Unsung Heroes,” Ervin is an integral part of this offense. While he isn’t filling the stat sheet week after week, between his positional versatility and raw speed, he is an important part of what creates that “illusion of complexity” that Matt LaFleur wants in his offense.

As the primary motion man, which is a key part of LaFleur’s system, Ervin’s presence before the snap can freeze defenders, which opens up passing lanes and allows the offensive line to get into a better blocking position in the run game.

With Ervin on the field, defenses have to account for him at all times, or he is someone that will burn you with that speed. Although he doesn’t rack up huge stats of his own, he creates opportunities for his teammates and makes life a little easier for other members of the offense.

Allen Lazard

Somehow, Allen Lazard went undrafted in 2018, and somehow, he spent much of that season on the practice squad. Well, that was until the Green Bay Packers plucked him off the Jacksonville practice squad in December of that year.

Last season we saw Lazard turn into a reliable receiving option, and although he’s only played in three games this year, he’s developed into a legitimate No. 2 receiver here in Green Bay.

In three games, Lazard had totaled 254 receiving yards on only 13 receptions with two touchdowns, including an impressive 146 yard game against New Orleans. And once again, he’s been a favorite target of Rodgers’ on third and fourth downs, hauling in all six passes thrown his way for a ridiculous 162 yards and six first downs.

Where Lazard has really taken a big step forward this season is as a deep threat, where he is averaging 2.62 yards per route run, the ninth most in the NFL, and a full yard more than what he averaged in 2019.

While many fans wanted the Green Bay Packers to add Will Fuller at the trade deadline, and yes, that certainly would have been helpful, this Packers’ passing game will get a serious boost when Lazard does return. And that very well could be Sunday against the Jaguars.

So having said all of that, Packer fans, I think we owe Jacksonville a big and sincere thank you. In two years, they’ve provided this Green Bay offense with three key players, and, of course, we can’t forget about Offensive Coordinator Nathaniel Hackett either. He, along with LaFleur and Luke Getsy, have helped orchestrate one of the league’s most dynamic offenses that is third in points per game and second by DVOA. So again, thank you, Jaguars.