Jordy Nelson Injury Update: Packers WR to Miss 2015 Season After Knee Injury

An MRI has confirmed the worst: Green Bay Packers wide receiver Jordy Nelson will miss the 2015 NFL season after suffering a knee injury during Sunday's game vs. Pittsburgh.

The Packers confirmed the diagnosis on Monday, via Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com, saying Nelson suffered a "significant right knee injury."

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Nelson tore his ACL, although the MRI showed the other ligaments are still intact. 

Nelson, 30, was injured in the first quarter of Sunday's preseason game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Pro Bowl wideout caught an eight-yard pass and went down without contact before being touched down by a Pittsburgh defender.

Nelson played all 16 regular-season games in five of his seven previous seasons. He has not missed a game since the 2012 campaign, emerging as one of the NFL's best all-around receivers in the process. Last season, Nelson made a career-high 98 receptions for 1,519 yards and 13 touchdowns.

Football Outsiders' DYAR metric, which ranks performance against a replacement-level player in similar situations, ranked him as the second-best receiver in football. Pro Football Focus' grading metrics came out with a similar ranking, putting him behind only Pittsburgh's Antonio Brown. 

“It’s difficult to lose a guy like that in a meaningless game,” Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers said, via Demovsky. “I think a lot of players around the league probably do [dislike preseason games]. At least cut it down, maybe, to a couple.”

Losing Nelson for the season means Randall Cobb, who signed a new four-year deal in Green Bay this offseason, will get a crack at being the top option. Cobb blasted past all of his career highs in 2014, posting 91 receptions for 1,287 yards and 12 touchdowns. The only player to post a higher rating when thrown to than Nelson last season was Cobb, per Pro Football Focus.

The trickle-down effect becomes more concerning looking down the depth chart. Davante Adams, in his second year out of Fresno State, will now be filling the Cobb role. Adams made 38 receptions for 446 yards as a rookie last season.

Vincent Frank of eDraft.com weighed in on Adams' expanded role in the Green Bay offense after the loss of Nelson:

The Packers may also have to rely heavily on rookie Ty Montgomery or former seventh-round pick Jeff Janis to fill the third spot, barring a late-camp signing of a veteran.

Either way, Green Bay will have a ton of work to do to keep its status among the NFL's best offenses with Nelson on the shelf.

Follow Tyler Conway (@tylerconway22) on Twitter.