Green Bay Packers: Several Roster Moves Made on Monday

Following a few much-needed days off after a Thursday Night win over Arizona, the Green Bay Packers were back on the practice field on Monday preparing for Kansas City—and with that, several roster moves were made.

The first two were expected given the types of injuries sustained in Arizona, as both Kylin Hill and Robert Tonyan were placed on season-ending IR.

Without Hill, Green Bay will need to find a new kick returner, and those responsibilities could belong to Malik Taylor, who had 11 return attempts in 2020. Also, look for the Packers to elevate Patrick Taylor from the practice squad—although he won’t see much playing time if any on offense, the Packers need more than two running backs on the roster.

When it comes to mitigating Tonyan’s absence, that’s obviously a much more difficult task. As I wrote recently, both Josiah Deguara and Dominique Dafney will likely see their roles in the passing game expanded; however, it’s going to be a group effort.

"“He (Tonyan) means so much to this team,” said Matt LaFleur following the Packers win in Arizona via the Wisconsin State Journal. “It’s so cool, I just told him, to watch a guy when you first get here and see the amount of progress that he’s made as a player and the work that he puts in on a daily basis. It’s really cool when you see that progress and you see a guy reach their potential. And I still think there’s more out there for him."

Fortunately, with Deguara, Dafney, and Marcedes Lewis, the Packers are well-equipped from a blocking standpoint to absorb Tonyan’s absence.

The two other moves officially made center around the Green Bay Packers getting two of their three receivers back.

Allen Lazard was activated off the reserve/COVID list while Marquez Valdes-Scantling was activated off IR—where he has been since Week 4 after suffering a hamstring injury against San Francisco.

Lazard was coming off his best game of the season against Washington prior to landing on the reserve/COVID list, hauling in five receptions for 60 yards and a touchdown, according to PFF ($$).

He’s been a reliable target for Aaron Rodgers over the last two seasons, particularly on third downs, and could be utilized in a similar fashion to Tonyan in the passing game now that he is out. Lazard is also affectionately referred to as a “goon” by Matt LaFleur for his blocking abilities in the run game.

"“He’s a complete receiver. You can see it in the running game. He’s kind of our enforcer. Defensive backs know where he is at all times because he’s going to try and punish you,” LaFleur said last season via Packers Wire."

Without Valdes-Scantling, the Green Bay Packers have missed his big-play ability. But MVS is also an active blocker in the run game, and with that speed of his, he attracts the attention of opposing defenses, which can help create for his teammates.

"“83 has been hurt,” Rodgers said via Packers Wire when asked about the lack of big plays. “That definitely is a big part of it. We haven’t had a ton of that stuff in the plan. Also, we’ve seen a lot of Cover-2. With 83 not playing, and them clouding Davante a bunch, we just haven’t had the same opportunities.”"

The Green Bay Packers have had to navigate these first two months of the season without several key players, and that will, unfortunately, continue with Hill and Tonyan on IR.

However, as they find themselves in the midst of a difficult stretch on their schedule, Green Bay has some important players returning as well, and perhaps there could be more in the coming days.