The Green Bay Packers have had three different players lead the team in scoring in each of the last three seasons. In 2019, running back Aaron Jones scored 19 total touchdowns and had 114 points to lead the team. In 2020, wide receiver Davante Adams had 18 touchdowns on the season and led the Packers with 108 points. Last season, kicker Mason Crosby scored 124 points, nearly twice the amount of the next closest player on the team.
So, who is most likely to lead the Packers in points in 2022? Obviously, Adams won’t be on the list since he has been traded to the Las Vegas Raiders.
Here is a look at the top five candidates to lead the Packers in points in 2022. Rankings are based on the players’ history, their projected roles on the team this season and their health status and injury history.
- TE Robert Tonyan
Tonyan caught 11 touchdown passes in 2020, the last season he was fully healthy. Last year, he wasn’t as productive early in the season in part due to increased blocking responsibilities and then suffered a season-ending knee injury in the Packers midseason game in Arizona.
The Packers say that Tonyan is on track to be ready for the start of the 2022 season. If that is the case, he could once again be one of Aaron Rodgers’ favorite targets in the red zone.
Matt LaFleur likes to scheme open his tight ends and Tonyan has good hands and experience scoring in the red zone. Keep in mind that 13 of Tonyan’s 15 career touchdown catches were 25 yards or less.
If Tonyan is ready to start the season, he has a chance to return to double-digit touchdown catches and be among the team’s leading scorers this season.
- RB A.J. Dillon
Dillon led the Packers with 803 rushing yards and played in all 17 games, starting two. He has split carries with Aaron Jones. Dillon scored seven total touchdowns last season, five on the ground and two as a receiver.
Dillon is the Packers best short-yardage runner and is very tough to bring down one-on-one. The Packers will probably run the ball more frequently in the red zone and Dillon is a candidate to get many of those carries.
Expect Dillon’s touchdown total to go up in 2022. He may also catch more passes and find the end zone that way. Dillon’s point totals should be looking up this season.
- WR Allen Lazard
Wide receiver Allen Lazard is the early favorite to lead Packers wide receivers in catches this season after the trade of Adams. He has also been a reliable end zone target for Rodgers, catching a career-high eight touchdown passes a year ago on 40 total catches.
It is conceivable that Lazard’s catch total could double in 2022 and without Adams to look for in the red zone, his touchdown total should also rise this season.
Lazard has good hands and runs precise routes which has helped him earn Rodgers’ trust. If he continues to be a trusted target, he should be the favorite to lead the team’s wide receivers in touchdown catches.
- RB Aaron Jones
Jones had a career-high 19 touchdowns in 2019 and led the team in scoring that year. Since then, his end zone trips have gone down to 11 in 2020 and 10 last year.
Jones is capable of scoring from anywhere on the field with his speed and cutting ability. Any time he carries the football or catches it in space, he can break a long gain. In fact, Jones has seven touchdowns of 25-or-more yards in his career.
Expect Jones to catch more passes this season in Adams’ absence and that should mean more touchdown catches as well.
Overall, Jones should see the end zone more often this year than he did in the last two campaigns.
- K Mason Crosby
While he struggled at times last season, Crosby is the favorite to win the Packers kicking job again in 2022 and to lead the team in scoring.
With a new holder in Pat O’Donnell and a new special teams coordinator in Rich Bisaccia, Crosby is hoping to bounce back from his struggles in 2021 that saw him miss nine field goals and two extra points in the regular season.
Throughout his lengthy career, Crosby has been remarkably consistent. He has scored more than 100 points in 14 of his first 15 NFL seasons and has averaged 7.5-points-per-game.
If he continues at that pace in 2022, he will score 127.5 points which would easily make him the favorite to lead the Packers in points.
Follow Gil Martin on Twitter @GilPackers
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