Aaron Rodgers Comments on Packers Usage of WR Jared Abbrederis

Aaron Rodgers is one of the most prolific quarterbacks in the NFL, and he has had some talented pass-catchers to throw to over his past few years with the Green Bay Packers.

In 2014, two of his wide receivers—Randall Cobb and Jordy Nelson—were Pro Bowlers. This year, Nelson has missed the entire season after suffering a knee injury in August, and while Cobb has 777 yards and six touchdowns, a shoulder injury has caused a drop in his numbers.

The Packers offense has stalled at times this year, but Rodgers may have found a new target in Jared Abbrederis.

In his second year out of Wisconsin, the 25-year-old, who has just eight receptions this season, is making an impression on Rodgers, per Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com. “He can get open,” Rodgers said. “He’s a good route-runner. He needs to be on the field more.”

These comments came after Abbrederis had just three catches for 33 yards in a Week 15 win against the Oakland Raiders, but one was a huge third-down conversion during a 19-play drive that led to a field goal.

Abbrederis took a huge shot from Raiders safety Charles Woodson on his first catch of the game, a 15-yard first down, but said that's just part of the game.

"You’ve got to make a play on the ball and hang on to it," he said, per Demovsky. "You know you’re going to take a hit, but you’ve got to get the reception because that’s what counts. I could feel that he was coming, but it wasn’t too big a hit. It’s just another hit."

Not many NFL fans are familiar with the young receiver, who missed his rookie campaign after suffering a knee injury and has battled injuries this season as well. But Rodgers knows him, and so does Green Bay offensive coordinator Edgar Bennett, per Michael Cohen of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

Abbrederis and the 10-4 Packers, who lead the NFC North, need all of the offense they can get in Week 16 when they hit the road to play the 12-2 Arizona Cardinals, who have the second-highest-scoring offense in the NFL.