Cheese Curds, 1/28: Packers are looking for a leap from Jace Sternberger

Hope springs eternal in the offseason. As the memories of a season-ending defeat fade (albeit slowly), thoughts turn to next year. Often, those thoughts are largely centered around who, if anyone, could take a leap for the Packers next season.

Our first two entries in today’s links represent two sides of that same coin. Today, the Packers (and their fans) are looking to tight end Jace Sternberger to make big strides next year. But a year ago, paired for the first time with a run-focused head coach, people were asking the same thing of Aaron Jones.

Jones delivered in a big way. The returns may not be quite the same with Sternberger, but the hopes for development are no different. A year from now, who knows what we’ll be saying about the Packers’ second-year tight end?

Packers envision TE Jace Sternberger as versatile ‘matchup problem’ | Packers Wire

Sternberger’s final stat line for 2019 was quite uninspiring, but the Packers showed a willingness to use him in a variety of ways, which could be foreshadowing big things to come.

Players who leveled up for all 32 NFL teams in the 2019 season | ESPN

Aaron Jones had a big leap in production in 2019 and is one of 32 players highlighted here as leveling up last season.

The Green Bay Packers’ Running Backs Were A Remarkable Bargain In 2019 | Forbes

For all his productivity, Jones was relatively cheap — he was even paid less than his counterpart in the Packers backfield.

Recent 2 Round Mock Draft would be Home Run for Green Bay Packers | Dairyland Express

Speaking of hope, Mock Draft Szn brings a lot of it, realistic or otherwise. But hey! That’s part of the appeal.

Million dollar luck strikes twice for Durham woman | NC Lottery

Maybe the Packers will get lucky and the draft will break their way. But will they be as lucky as this woman from North Carolina?