Dairyland Express
Fansided

What to Know: Packers Round Out Roster, Signing TE Sal Cannella

By Paul Bretl

Apr 17, 2022; Birmingham, AL, USA; Philadelphia Stars linebacker Josh Banderas (52) chases down New Orleans Breakers tight end Sal Cannella (80) during the first half at Protective Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 17, 2022; Birmingham, AL, USA; Philadelphia Stars linebacker Josh Banderas (52) chases down New Orleans Breakers tight end Sal Cannella (80) during the first half at Protective Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

With an open roster spot and training camp right around the corner, the Green Bay Packers had four players in for workouts on Wednesday, most notably wide receiver John Brown, who would add some more speed to the receiver position.

However, it wasn’t Brown who the Packers would end up signing, but rather tight end Sal Cannella, according to Sports Illustrated’s Bill Huber. Cannella was a 2020 undrafted rookie and has no NFL snaps.

What you need to know about the newest Green Bay Packers tight end, Sal Cannella.

At Auburn, Cannella was a receiver, catching 23 passes on 52 targets over three years while averaging 12.1 yards per catch with four touchdowns. He stood out as a run-blocker — which we know is very important in the Matt LaFleur offense — grading out quite well according to PFF’s metrics in his final two seasons.

Cannella spent this past spring playing for the New Orleans Breakers in the USFL, where he was an All-USFL selection. Cannella finished the season with 34 receptions, which was the most among tight ends, and 368 receiving yards, the 11th most out of all pass-catchers, along with two touchdowns.

Canella stands 6’5” and weighs 230 pounds. He posted a Relative Athletic Score of 7.31, including a 4.74-second 40-yard dash time at his Pro-Day.

For more on Cannella’s game, here is what Pro Football Network’s Tony Pauline had to say about him in his 2020 pre-draft report:

"“Positives: Big-bodied college receiver who projects to tight end at the next level. Finds the open space in the defense, extends his hands and makes the reception away from his frame. Plays smart football, displays focus and concentration and gets vertical to come away with the difficult catch. Sacrifices his body to make the reception.“Negatives: Must be more consistent as a downfield blocker. Average quickness and speed.“"

The Green Bay Packers tight end position is pretty well set heading into 2022 with Robert Tonyan, Josiah Deguara, and Marcedes Lewis as locks to make this roster, along with Dominique Dafney and Tyler Davis being the clear front runners for that fourth and potential fifth spots on the depth chart.

But as we look ahead to 2023, the tight end position could look much different with only Deguara being under contract at the moment. With eight tight ends on the roster currently, they could look to stash a few additional tight ends on the practice squad this season in an effort to begin building out what would be a very thin group.

Training camp for the Green Bay Packers begins next Wednesday.

Home/Green Bay Packers