Green Bay Packers: Expect Trevor Davis to make final roster

While written off by many, fans should expect wide receiver Trevor Davis to make the Green Bay Packers’ final 53-man roster.

There has been a lot of talk this offseason around who will be the Green Bay Packers number two receiver behind star Davante Adams. However, there is also the question of who will hold that final roster spot at the receiver position?

Last season the Green Bay Packers kept seven receivers on their roster, but given needs elsewhere in 2019, I wouldn’t be surprised if that number dropped to six.

So with that in mind, we know that Adams, Geronimo Allison, Equanimeous St. Brown, and Marquez Valdes-Scantling are all safe. I’d also expect J’Mon Moore to be fairly safe as well – even though he struggled in 2018 – since giving up on a fourth-round pick prior to his sophomore season seems a bit premature.

This leaves the Packers with one roster spot available for a receiver – if they even choose to keep six – but who will the job go to?

The fan-favorite is Jake Kumerow and although he has received plenty of praise from quarterback Aaron Rodgers, he is 27 years old – the oldest receiver with a chance to make the team – and the Packers have a few options with more potential that are also younger than him.

In Training Camp there will also be Teo Redding, Allen Lazard, and of course Trevor Davis, who a number of fans don’t want to see make the final 53.

When it comes to Davis, he is a hot button topic amongst Packer Nation since he hasn’t really shown anything as a wide receiver and some question his ability as a return man.

Yet prior to his injury-riddled 2018 season where he had limited opportunities, he put together a very nice 2017 season returning punts and kicks.

Davis would finish third in yards per punt return that season with 12.0 and seventh overall in yards per kick return with 22.8.

However, some are still reluctant to want Davis on the final roster to primarily be a return man but my question is, who else should Green Bay use?

The Packers don’t want to expose a player like Jaire Alexander to those type of injury risks and Tramon Williams just won’t provide the spark that a team hopes to get in the return game.

For a number of years now, it has felt as if the Green Bay Packers just wanted someone back there to catch the ball cleanly, rather than making something positive happen. But the good teams in this league take advantage of those opportunities and the Packers need to do the same moving forward.

They can’t continue to play scared on special teams and Davis has shown that he can be that player to provide a spark.

From an offensive standpoint, Davis wasn’t able to make a splash under former head coach Mike McCarthy and his system. However, with Matt LaFleur and a more modern offense, Davis’ athleticism and speed could be a weapon on jet sweeps or deep shots off of play-action, which will be a staple of this offense.

So far through OTAs and Mini-camp, Davis has caught the attention of new wide receivers coach Alvis Whitted as well as coach LaFleur who had this to say about his performances in practice:

"“I’ve been really impressed with him. I feel like he’s come a long way. The effort and the intensity level with which he practices has certainly improved.”"

It is great to see Davis standing out in offseason programs, however, we won’t truly know the strides that he has made offensively until the pads are on during Training Camp and into the preseason.

With that said, fans shouldn’t write Davis off and the impact that he can make on this Green Bay Packers team as a return man could be enough for him to make the final roster given the Packers’ lack options at that position.