Packers rookie Randall Cobb gets another shot at the spotlight

Randall Cobb made a huge contribution in his NFL debut, and it looks as if the Green Bay rookie will have a chance to end his first regular season the same way.

Cobb, who scored touchdowns on a reception and a 108-yard kickoff return in the opener against New Orleans, is now being called on to step in for injured Pro Bowl receiver Greg Jennings. The Packers play host to Chicago on Sunday night.

Replacing Jennings (sprained knee) will be a group effort, and the Packers are optimistic they can have him back for the playoffs. But Cobb will take over his responsibilities in the slot. He did a respectable job of that in last Sunday’s loss to Kansas City, catching all four passes that came his way for a total of 53 yards. A fifth catch was negated by a penalty.

“I think Randall’s got a real bright future here, not only as a kick-return guy, but a guy who can really work in the slot and on the outside as well,” quarterback Aaron Rodgers said. “I think he did a nice job. He ran his routes really crisply, had his best offensive game for us in his young career.

“It wasn’t any big plays like he had against the Saints, but it was just doing the little things right every time.”

Cobb, who played some quarterback at Kentucky, also took a snap in the Wildcat formation for the Packers, gaining four yards on a direct snap at the start of the second half. It sounds as if the Packers will try that again, or at least try to keep defenses guessing about it.

“Quite frankly, I thought I was going to use it more,” Coach Mike McCarthy said.

That wouldn’t necessarily thrill Rodgers.

“Yeah, I’m not crazy about it,” the quarterback joked on his weekly radio show on ESPN Milwaukee. “I get paid to throw the football, and I like to be on the field to be able to do that.”

sam.farmer@latimes.com