Green Bay Packers starting quarterback Jordan Love was spotted as one of the handful of up-and-coming NFL stars working out with legendary wide receiver Chad Ochocinco Johnson.
Look for Jordan Love to get even better as the Green Bay Packers quarterback after working out with Cincinnati Bengals legendary wide receiver Chad Ochocinco Johnson this offseason.
To be fair, a lot of emerging NFL stars on the come-up were seen working out with Johnson too, including Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons, Houston Texans rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud, new Philadelphia Eagles running back D'Andre Swift and Atlanta Falcons cornerback A.J. Terrell. Regardless, it is still good to be seen with who's who and be documented in this manner.
Here is a photo featuring the former Bengals All-Pro and the new face of the Packers franchise.
There is a lot to unpack here, but I will do my best to explain why this workout is only a good thing.
Green Bay Packers QB Jordan Love works out with Chad Ochocinco Johnson
If you are somehow able to remove the on-field theatrics that made Ochocinco one-of-one during his heyday starring for the Bengals, you will find a greater appreciation for his grossly underrated NFL game. While he was never the crispest of route-runners, he was ultra-aggressive outside the numbers and über-competitive. He was very undersized, but also incredibly productive at his peak.
It is hard to quantify how his ad-libbing nature helped make him an unquestioned top-10 player in Bengals franchise history. He may not ever be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but we all knew we were watching greatness in real time during the Bengals' initial turnaround under Marvin Lewis in the mid-2000s. Athleticism, creativity and playing free all ultimately served him.
And I think that is where Love can really benefit from picking the brain of Johnson. Ideally, Love needs to play on-script to run Matt LaFleur's Green Bay offense to perfection, but the freelance component of Aaron Rodgers' game is what made Love's Packers predecessor so great. If he can implement just a little bit of that into his growing game, Green Bay just might go three-for-three.
Ultimately, I think it is more about being in the same room as other up-and-coming stars in the league than anything. Parsons is the best pure talent of any of them, although Terrell is incredibly underrated, and Swift will always be my Dawg, dawg. To be invited to workout with Ochocinco and company is a huge deal for Love and the Packers. It shows that he is open to improving his game.
Look for Love to make the most of his fantastic opportunity of leading the Packers under center.
