A year away from the football field gave Green Bay Packers wide receiver Equanimeous St. Brown a chance to master the playbook, and now coach Matt LaFleur has confidence that the third-year pass-catcher can play any receiver spot on the field.
LaFleur said St. Brown is “really intelligent” and knows the Packers playbook “inside and out” to start training camp.
“That gives you a lot of flexibility with him to be able to move him to different positions and just put him in different spots on the field,” LaFleur said Wednesday.
St. Brown hurt his ankle during the preseason last August and missed the entire 2019 season, stunting the start to his career. While he lost valuable on-field experience, St. Brown used the time away to master the mental side and gain comprehensive knowledge of LaFleur’s detailed playbook.
It didn’t go unnoticed.
“He knows the finer details, and I thought that was pretty impressive, especially since he missed all of last season,” LaFleur said. “So, I just think that flexibility gives us a tremendous weapon. And not to mention, he’s a long guy that’s got a really good catch radius, and he’s got really good speed.”
The flexibility will be important to St. Brown getting on the field in 2020. Being able to play any of the receiver positions, including on the perimeter and in the slot, should provide more opportunities in the passing game, especially if his knowledge of the playbook translates to another layer of trust with LaFleur and quarterback Aaron Rodgers, a leader who demands a mastery of the little things from his receivers.
The Packers need at least one young receiver to step up and assume a bigger role this season. Geronimo Allison, last year’s starting slot receiver, departed in free agency, and Devin Funchess, the team’s only notable addition at receiver, opted out of the 2020 season. If LaFleur is bullish on St. Brown’s flexibility within the offense, he could help fill in the gaps at any receiver spot on the field.
As a rookie, St. Brown caught 21 passes for 328 yards. LaFleur said losing him in 2019 “hurt” the Packers at receiver, and Rodgers has mentioned on more than one occasion that he’s excited to return St. Brown to the receiver room in 2020, especially after he finished his rookie season so strong.
