Packers still have confidence in TE Tyler Davis
By Paul Bretl
It’s been a very rough start to the preseason for Green Bay Packers’ tight end, Tyler Davis. However, the team remains confident.
Davis entered training camp with a lot of buzz after Brian Gutekunst, Matt LaFleur, and Rich Bisaccia all praised the young tight end at various points this offseason.
Once considered a roster lock, Davis now finds himself on the Packers roster bubble–at least to those of us on the outside looking in.
Against San Francisco, Davis had a catchable pass deflect off his hands which resulted in an interception. He also missed a few blocks as well.
Then this past Friday against New Orleans, Davis was called for a penalty that took away a 17-yard gain through the air. He would then fumble just before halftime. For what it’s worth, Davis is the Packers’ lowest graded player on offense, according to PFF ($$), through two preseason games.
But despite the poor play on offense, the Packers still have confidence in Davis.
"“We still have a lot of confidence in Tyler,” said Matt LaFleur on Monday. “His value on (special) teams alone is definitely noticeable.”"
Perhaps there is a level of coach speak taking place here, but it’s also a good reminder that for a player in Davis’ position, special teams contributions may trump what takes place on offense.
Once Robert Tonyan is available, Davis will be the fourth tight end option, which means he will see little playing time on offense. So just like every other fringe roster player, special teams are going to be Davis’ path to playing time, and contributions are going to be a must.
Now, this isn’t to absolve Davis from his struggles on offense–he needs to be better. Without Tonyan, the Packers were probably hoping Davis could contribute on offense in that pass-catching role. Marcedes Lewis and Josiah Deguara don’t fit that true pass-catching mold, which is why we’ve seen Davis playing with the starters so much in practice.
If Tonyan isn’t available Week 1, the tight end position is very much a concern, given Davis’ recent play. However, that might not mean that he is now off the roster either, as long as he can be an impact player on special teams, where most of his playing time will occur.
Final roster cutdowns will occur on August 30th. At that time, rosters have to be at 53 players.