Hoosiers at the Next Level: Jason Spriggs, OL, Green Bay Packers

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Written By Evan McShane (@veryreasonable)

Jason Spriggs | Green Bay Packers | T

Jason Spriggs has had a very unlucky start to his NFL career after a historic tenure at Indiana University. Spriggs was as durable as they come in college, starting 28 straight games to begin his IU football career. He made 47 starts in 48 games at right tackle, and as a senior he earned First Team All-American Honors. Spriggs excelled at the NFL combine and impressed many with his athleticism. He was projected as a second-rounder with potential to be a starting left tackle at the professional level. The Green Bay Packers, a notoriously conservative franchise, traded a fourth-round draft pick to move up nine spots to select Spriggs 48th overall.

It’s been an uphill battle for Spriggs, who was forced into early action as a rookie due to injuries on the Packers’ offensive line and special teams. He saw action in all 16 games as a 22-year old; however, he failed to develop consistency due to sporadic playing time. After his rookie season, Green Bay looked for Spriggs to become a major contributor. Unfortunately, he did not get off to a great start during the preseason. “You go through and you have struggles sometimes; certainly, his hit now,” Packers offensive line coach James Campen said. “If there’s a place to have it, it’s better in a preseason game than a regular-season game. I’m confident in Jason that he’ll make the corrections necessary and play much better, like he’s supposed to and like he’s capable of, this week.” The coaching staff in Green Bay kept their faith in Spriggs.

Unfortunately, Spriggs injured his left hamstring after playing just one snap on special teams during the Packers’ season-opener against Seattle. His hamstring injury forced Green Bay to place the second-year player on injured reserve. Spriggs cautiously rehabbed his way back from injury. He was designated to return to the active roster in early November. Two weeks later, Spriggs was thrown back into the fire.

The Packers’ offensive line was again wounded this year, and Spriggs was forced to fill in the gaps wherever necessary, often playing right tackle. This positional change caused him to struggle following his two-month IR stint.  “It seems like it would be a seamless transition (from left tackle to the right tackle) because it’s the same spot, generally, but it’d be like a right-handed person trying to write with their left hand,” Spriggs said. “You have to flip everything in your mind and physically. Left, you have a dominant leg and dominant arm. You switch sides and that completely changes. You have to learn how to account for those things.” Spriggs is still learning and the lack of depth and health up front in Green Bay has not allowed him to ease his way into the NFL. As Hoosier fans know, injuries are part of the game and they can hinder player development. 

After an overtime win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in late December, Spriggs started to show flashes of the player Green Bay traded up to draft. “I think he’s finding his zone and he’s kind of getting into it as far as what we’re asking him to do on the right side,” offensive coordinator Edgar Bennett said. “I think it’s showing up on the tape because you go back and look at how he was able to play (against Tampa Bay), he did some really good things for us. And he’s starting to come on.” As he transitions to the right side of the offensive line, Spriggs will become more comfortable with time. He should benefit from having a more defined and permanent role. “It’s building a platform,” Spriggs said. “Once you get that platform started, you’re able to grow. You’re not continually trying to get started and keep going. It’s nice to be able to have something steady you can build off of.”

Spriggs played in every single one of Green Bay’s offensive snaps in four consecutive games before falling victim to some awful luck. On the first play of the last game of the season, a defender inadvertently rolled into Spriggs’ knee and it buckled. Just as it seemed Spriggs was gaining momentum, he suffered a dislocated kneecap. Thankfully, he will not need surgery, but he is facing a few months of rehab yet again. The Packers hope Spriggs will be ready to go in the spring. His history of durability prior to this season should have Green Bay confident in Spriggs ability to return from injury, and ultimately find his place as a key cog in their offense.

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