The “next man up” concept is more than a little overrated. As much as teams and fans would like to believe that the loss of one player can easily be offset by reshuffling the depth chart, in practice it’s significantly more complicated.
The Packers experienced both the highs and lows of turning to the next man last season. After cutting Jordy Nelson loose last offseason, Geronimo Allison started the season hot in Nelson’s absence. But injuries derailed his season, and none of the Packers’ three rookie receivers could fully replace Allison.