Green Bay Packers: Was trading Trevor Davis a mistake?

Just a few weeks ago, the Green Bay Packers traded away Trevor Davis. But considering their need at the receiver position, was that a mistake?

Many are lobbying for the Green Bay Packers to trade for a wide receiver before the deadline in less than two weeks. The offense has been hurting in the absence of Davante Adams but prior to Adams going down with turf toe, the team traded Trevor Davis to the Oakland Raiders for a sixth-round draft pick. Are the Packers now regretting that decision after the instances of Monday night?

In the past, when Davis wasn’t on the field the special teams unit took a noticeable hit. Not just in return duties but Davis was also one of the team’s top gunners. Still, he never made enough plays as a receiver to warrant a consistent helping of opportunities on offense. That was before the most recent offseason.

On family night, Davis was arguably the most impressive player but fans wanted to see him produce during in-game action rather than a glorified practice. Understandable to some degree.

Too often Davis looked great in shorts and then for whatever reason disappeared when the pads came on. It became a trend that Green Bay Packers fans grew accustomed to and dampened any excitement they had about the speedy former fifth-rounder.

However, something finally clicked for Davis in 2019. He got off to a hot start in the spring. So much so rookie head coach Matt LaFleur raved about him every chance he got. Fans remained skeptical but Davis eventually carried his progress over into training camp.

His family night performance provided a glimpse of what was being talked about. Unfortunately, Davis missed almost two weeks during training camp with a stinger. He suffered the injury while the team was hosting a joint practice with the Houston Texans. Once he returned to practice, Davis quickly reclaimed his spot as a pleasantly surprising contributor.

He finally made his 2019 debut in week three of the preseason against Oakland. Davis was all over the field making plays and not as a returner, but at receiver. He caught five of his six targets for 78 yards and even scored a touchdown. To top it off, he even returned a punt for 17 yards. The Raiders clearly liked what they saw that night.

That performance was enough to secure a roster spot for Davis on the final 53. The following week, he played sparingly in the finale when the team took on the Kansas City Chiefs.

Not only did Davis make the team but so did undrafted rookie Darrius Shepherd. Shepherd is almost a replica of Davis and his skill set. At the time no one thought much of it considering Shepherd had played well throughout the preseason.

Davis carried momentum over into the regular season. In week one against the Chicago Bears, he made a huge play hauling in a 28-yard pass from Aaron Rodgers to help ignite the second of Green Bay’s two scoring drives. It was his only catch and target of the game but it was huge nonetheless.

Next week, the Green Bay Packers played the Minnesota Vikings and Davis wasn’t targeted. Three days later he was headed to Oakland. It was quite a surprise, to say the least.

Green Bay did not have to account for Davis right away on offense. However, for special teams, they brought in speedster Tremon Smith to return kickoffs while Shepherd handled punt returns. Once the injuries piled up before Monday’s game, Smith was cut and Shepherd was left to be the sole returner.

Monday’s matchup with the Detroit Lions was a pretty bad outing for Shepherd. He fumbled a punt that resulted in a field goal and then allowed a very catchable pass from Aaron Rodgers to hit him in the face. The result was an interception by Detroit’s Justin Coleman. To make matters worse, Shepherd’s blunder occurred in the red zone and took what was probably guaranteed points off the board.

Meanwhile, Davis has done well with the Raiders. He first saw game action in week four and had a 60-yard rushing touchdown. In week five, he recorded four receptions for 42 yards in a win over the Bears.

The Packers could have used Davis on Monday but at least a win is a win. Unfortunately, the problems are still there with Adams sidelined. Geronimo Allison exited the game after a scary blow to the head and Marquez Valdes-Scantling also had to leave the game but later returned. It is unclear if he will be hobbled for the next couple of games but what is clear is that Green Bay’s receivers are very beat up.

Now, the offense will have to rely on some more of Rodgers’ magic to weather the storm. Who knows if Allen Lazard can carry over what he did Monday but it doesn’t feel like something the team should count on.

I never thought I’d say it but I kind of miss Trevor Davis. Oh, did I mention the Packers play the Raiders on Sunday? Cheers.