6 Green Bay Packers Positional Battles to Watch this Summer
By Paul Bretl
Green Bay Packers Tight End Position
Until Robert Tonyan returns, there likely is not positional battle taking place. In all likelihood, Green Bay’s four tight ends are going to be Marcedes Lewis, Josiah Deguara, Dominique Dafney, and Tyler Davis.
However, upon Tonyan’s return are when things get dicey. Do the Packers roster five tight ends–something they haven’t done on the initial 53-man roster since 2011. Or will a difficult decision have to be made?
Dafney has provided versatility in his limited playing time and has mostly been utilized as a blocker where he has stood out. Among tight ends last season, Dafney ranked seventh in PFF’s pass-blocking grade and fifth in run-blocking grade. He also has the potential to become a core special teams player under Rich Bisaccia.
When it comes to Davis, Brian Gutekunst spoke highly of him following the draft:
"“TD — Tyler Davis — we picked up early in the year, and as his opportunities grew not only in the games but in practice, think we really have something there. So I’m excited about that.”"
From Davis last season we saw an active blocker, who ranked 17th as a run-blocker with his small sample size, and he made a play in the passing game as well, coming down with a 22-yard reception in coverage against Baltimore. Like Dafney, Davis has the potential to be a key special teams player as well.
If special teams are truly going to be a priority this season, then keeping five tight ends may make the most sense given what both Dafney and Davis can offer because once this group is fully healthy, it’s not as if either is going to be seeing a ton of snaps on offense. But ultimately, how each of them performs over the summer will be the deciding factor.
Honorable Mentions
Running back
Who is going to be the third running back, and will the Packers keep three or four running backs on the 53-man roster? For reference, they three last season.
Kylin Hill was the team’s third running back in 2021, but we do not know when he will be available. Other players competing for that role will be Patrick Taylor, who is a very good fit for this offense, and UDFAs BJ Baylor and Tyler Goodson.
Interior Defenisve Line
This group is pretty much set as we know who the five members of the rotation will be. But again, it’s a numbers game—do the Packers keep six as they did last year or five instead?
If it’s five, the roster is set. If it’s six, then there are some unknowns. Second-year UDFA Jack Heflin and seventh-round pick Jonathan Ford will be the front-runners for that potential opening.
Linebackers
The first three are set, with De’Vondre Campbell, Quay Walker, and Krys Barnes holding those spots. After them, however, will be Isaiah McDuffie, Ty Summers, Ray Wilborn, Ellis Brooks, Caliph Brice, and maybe Tyriq Carpenter — if he’s considered an inside linebacker — competing for that final roster spot or two. At linebacker, special teams contributions for these back-end of the roster players will be vital.
Kicker
While the Green Bay Packers do have two kickers on the roster — Mason Crosby and Dominik Eberle — I will be surprised if Crosby is not the Week 1 starter–even with the cap savings that come with cutting him. I think there is just too much risk for a team with Super Bowl hopes to rely heavily on Eberle’s inexperience.
Long-Snapper
Steven Wirtel took over as long-snapper about halfway through last season and like the rest of the special teams unit, he had his struggles. The Packers would recently sign Jack Coco, who is presumably going to compete with him for that lone starting spot.