Answers to important Packers questions are already on the roster
The Green Bay Packers suffered a big, but underrated loss when Tyler Davis tore his ACL against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 1 of the preseason. Davis was a core special teams player that led the team with 346 special teams snaps last year and he did a lot of the "dirty work" that many […]
The Green Bay Packers suffered a big, but underrated loss when Tyler Davis tore his ACL against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 1 of the preseason.
Davis was a core special teams player that led the team with 346 special teams snaps last year and he did a lot of the "dirty work" that many players aren't willing to do. He may have not been a household name, but the Packers know how valuable he is when it comes to his role and what he provides on the field.
"That's a tough one right there. He contributed so much," Packers head coach Matt LaFleur told reporters Tuesday. "First of all, he's a big guy that can really run. And so yeah, it's gonna be multiple people that have to fill in his role. But he was an integral part, obviously, on teams, but also he carved out a nice little role for us on offense, as well. And that's a tough hole to fill in terms of just doing all the little dirty work that is often required at that position.
"He did a really nice job and we're definitely, you know, feeling that the effects of that and we're gonna need people to step up and try to fill it as best we can."
Davis is leaving a lot of snaps on the field. But as LaFleur states, there are plenty of guys who can step up in his place. Tariq Carpenter, Jonathan Owens, Tarvarius Moore (if healthy), Malik Heath, Dontayvion Wicks, Innis Gaines, Carrington Valentine -along with others- are all guys who either can see their snap count increase or they're guys who weren't on the team last year. Meaning, they can add the special teams snaps needed to fill the Davis void without forcing snaps upon others or taking them away.
LaFleur said the Packers are still working things out on Thursday, but he remained steadfast in his thinking that, ultimately, it will be a concerted effort.
"I think it's a work in progress. And I think it's going to be the collective that's going to have to pick that up," LaFleur told reporters. "Anytime you lose a guy like that – it's a big loss."
As for the Packers carrying four tight ends – well, they already have four on the roster, but Josiah Deguara is probably going to be more of an H-back in 2023, than anything. But even with three true tight ends on the roster, it doesn't sound like the Packers will look outside for help.
"I think in this profession, you always have to be willing to adjust and have to be able to adjust and we're lucky that we have other pieces on our team," said LaFleur. "… So we'll adjust as need be and should we put I mean, we've used offensive linemen there in the past, as well. So that's something that's not totally off the table."
Overall, it's smart for the Packers to see what they can do with their in-house options, first, as opposed to just denying their guys the opportunity from the get-go.
And who knows – maybe they'll find the next Davis, in return.
Featured image via Packers YouTube
