Green Bay Packers beat writer Paul Imig will be analyzing the 25 most important players to the Packers' success in the 2013 season. Check back each day to see the latest player on the list.
Note: This is not a list of the team's 25 best players or a series about past success, but rather which of them means the most to how Green Bay will fare this year. Criteria such as depth at that player's position, general expectations and overall importance of that player having a good season are all highly considered.
29 / Seventh NFL season
During training camp in 2012, there were rumors and speculation surrounding James Jones and whether the Packers were looking to trade him. At the time, Jones was fourth on Green Bay's depth chart at wide receiver. If tight end Jermichael Finley was also taken into consideration, Jones could have arguably been viewed as Aaron Rodgers' fifth option. It seemed like Jones had gotten as much as possible out of his talent and that he would likely never rise above that type of role.
A year later, Jones is coming off a season in which he led the NFL in touchdown receptions. No, it wasn't Brandon Marshall or Calvin Johnson or A.J. Green or Julio Jones. Jones outdid them all. The 14 touchdown catches by Jones are remarkable for another reason: It took him until his fifth NFL season to even produce that many total career touchdown receptions. Jones proved to Rodgers that he was reliable, and together, the duo became difficult for opposing defenses to stop near the end zone.
Despite that accomplishment, Jones ranks No. 18 on this list because he's still likely going to be the third or fourth option for Rodgers in 2013. With Randall Cobb and Jordy Nelson on the roster, the offseason departure of Greg Jennings doesn't move Jones up more than one spot on the depth chart. Having that protection around Jones at his position means that, while he's going to be important to the Packers' success this upcoming season, Green Bay's other weapons at wide receiver keep him from ranking any higher in this series.
Jones will likely revert back to his production level from the 2010 and 2011 seasons. That means expecting around 650 receiving yards and six touchdowns from Jones in 2013. It's difficult to imagine that Jones' incredible touchdown total from last season won't just be an anomaly in his career. He's a good wide receiver who has shown a lot of improvement since being drafted by the Packers in the third round in 2007, and that's a credit to the work he's put in over the years. But it's so rare for a non-elite wide receiver to be at the top -- or even near the top -- of the NFL in touchdown receptions that expectations for Jones this upcoming season need to be in check.
Jones is in the last year of his contract and will turn 30 years old once the 2013 season is over. It's not like general manager Ted Thompson to re-sign a player in his 30s, so Jones will be playing with the added pressure of an uncertain long-term future in Green Bay.
Unlike Jennings, Nelson and Cobb last season, Jones stayed healthy. Jones has been on the field for all 16 regular-season games for each of the past four seasons. In the same way that the Packers expect A.J. Hawk to stay healthy because of his history, Green Bay's coaching staff and front office expect Jones to be available on game days. Injuries happen and it can often be of little fault to the player, but Jones will be counted on to be a steady presence in the lineup all season.
The Packers still have good depth at wide receiver, but it's not nearly as good as it was in recent years. With Jennings in Minnesota and Donald Driver retired, there is a big dropoff -- at least in terms of proven production -- from Jones to the next group of wide receivers. Cobb, Nelson and Jones are practically guaranteed to be the top three receivers in 2013, but after them, it's a wide-open battle.
Behind Jones is Jarrett Boykin (a 2012 undrafted free-agent signee), Jeremy Ross (who's more of a punt return threat), two seventh-round picks (Charles Johnson and Kevin Dorsey) and several undrafted players who the Packers picked up in recent months. At least two of the players from that group will make the active roster in 2013, and it's certainly possible that one of them becomes a solid contributor in Green Bay for many years. But, at the moment, they're all unproven.
If Boykin, Ross, Johnson, Dorsey or one of the undrafted receivers emerges as a dependable target for Rodgers, Jones will need to really play well in order to continue his career in Green Bay beyond this upcoming season.
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