Going into the 2018 campaign, there were some who viewed Green Bay Packers wide receiver Geronimo Allison as a potential breakout candidate, and early on in the season, he looked to be heading that way.
Through five games, Allison hauled in 20 receptions for 303 yards and a couple of touchdowns and was emerging as the Packers' No. 2 receiver behind Davante Adams.
But, a concussion and then a groin injury which eventually landed him on injured reserve cut his season short, putting him back into obscurity.
Now, 2019 is upon us, and people seem to be forgetting about Allison, particularly with the emergence of Marquez Valdes-Scantling in Allison's absence this past season.
However, if you are sleeping on Allison going into this coming season, you are making a big mistake.
The fact of the matter is that in spite of the fact that Allison does not have much of an established track record in the NFL, the path to him winning the No. 2 receiver role behind Adams remains wide open, as Randall Cobb is now playing for the Dallas Cowboys and Valdes-Scantling, while solid, did not do enough to truly separate himself in 2018.
Sure, there is also Equanimeous St. Brown and Jake Kumerow, but Allison certainly seems to be above both of those wide outs in the pecking order.
With the Packers, we know that the main part of the offense will be the connection between Aaron Rodgers and Adams, and running back Aaron Jones will also be a key piece, but what else?
We are used to Green Bay having an offensive unit loaded with big names, but that just isn't the case anymore, as the Packers are entering 2019 with a very unproven receiving corps.
That means Allison is once again ripe for a breakout season so long as he can stay healthy.
Think about this for a second: Allison was on pace to finish with 64 receptions for 970 yards and six touchdowns before getting hurt, and while we obviously don't know for sure if he would have achieved those numbers, there is no denying how good he looked over the first several weeks of the 2018 campaign.
At 6-foot-3 and around 205 pounds, Allison has great size for his position, and while he certainly does not have breakaway speed, he has very solid hands and should present Rodgers with a dependable target this season.
Yes, Adams will get the bulk of the targets, just like this past year when he amassed a ridiculous 169 targets, which was second in the league behind Julio Jones' 170. But you still need a No. 2 wide receiver, and Allison could end up being that guy for the Packers in 2019.
Of course, Allison will need to have a great training camp and preseason, because he has absolutely not locked up anything, but he probably does have the inside track to the No. 2 job, and if he performs well, Matt LaFleur will likely make him the No. 2 receiver.
The first several weeks of the regular season will then be telling for Allison and may very well indicate if he is a star on the rise or merely a replaceable receiver who won't make the team much better.
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