Jan 11, 2015; Green Bay, WI, USA; Green Bay Packers wide receiver Davante Adams (17) scores a touchdown against the Dallas Cowboys in the third quarter in the 2014 NFC Divisional playoff football game at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
The Green Bay Packers may have sustained a devastating loss in Sunday's preseason game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The team fears that wide receiver Jordy Nelson suffered a torn ACL, FOX Sports 1's NFL insider Mike Garafolo confirmed.
Head coach Mike McCarthy didn't expand on the news after the game, but said that they are waiting to get back to Green Bay to get all of the information. Nelson will undergo an MRI on Monday to learn the extent of the injury.
The Packers, however, boast incredible depth at the wide receiver position. After resigning Randall Cobb during free agency this offseason, they spent a third-round pick on Stanford product Ty Montgomery.
But second-year wide receiver Davante Adams figures to see his workload ramped up if Nelson misses an extended period of time.
The 6-foot-1, 215-pound product from Fresno State has the potential to have a breakout season.
Before Nelson's injury, Adams was already figuring to be a bigger part of this offense. In the first preseason game against the New England Patriots, Adams was targeted a team-high seven times through three series with the first team offense. He finished the game with three receptions for 17 yards.
After playing in 16 games in 2014 in which he had 38 receptions for 446 yards and three touchdowns, Adams had his breakout game in the divisional round of the playoffs. Finishing with seven receptions for 117 yards and a touchdown against the Dallas Cowboys, it was a building block entering this offseason.
During the team's OTAs and training camp, Adams has been praised by McCarthy and quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
"I never called out Davante by name last year. I was hoping that he would pick it up with his practice habits. But Davante is a very polished player, and he has an excellent demeanor for a guy who's going to be a star," Rodgers said this past June, via ESPN Wisconsin. "I mean, he carries himself like a star â which is a very high compliment. There's only been a few guys around here who've had that charisma: Charles [Woodson], Julius [Peppers], Greg [Jennings] always had it as a young player. But there's very few guys that really 'get it." And he has supreme confidence, and it's contagious. And I'm really proud of his approach and his attitude. It makes you want to get him the ball more. It makes you watch the film and have regrets about not giving him more opportunities. And that's again, another compliment for him."
Without an elite tight end, the Packers typically run a lot of their offense out of three and four wide receiver sets.
While Adams wasn't considered to be a premier playmaker in his rookie season like New York's Odell Beckham Jr., Tampa Bay's Mike Evans or Carolina's Kelvin Benjamin, he could without a doubt become a sophomore standout with through-the-roof potential and an increasing workload.
Sunday's preseason observations
*The Pittsburgh Steelers didn't exit Sunday's contest unscathed. Center Maurkice Pouncey broke a bone in his ankle, according to Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Ed Bouchette. Head coach Mike Tomlin said after the game that Pouncey's injury will likely require surgery to fix. The news is troubling for an offensive line that has ascended under position coach Mike Munchak.
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