Packers need TE who can impact both run and passing games
By Paul Bretl
We all know that tight end is a major need for the Green Bay Packers in this year’s draft. At the moment, they have only four tight ends on the roster, and Josiah Deguara, who is actually more of an H-back, is the only one with somewhat significant experience on offense.
In general, this is a position that must be addressed, but specifically, what the Packers should be looking to add at tight end is someone who can impact both the passing game the run game as a blocker.
If we look at the makeup of last season’s tight end room, to a degree, there was some predictability with how that group was utilized. Robert Tonyan was really the only pass-catching threat at the position, with Deguara and Marcedes Lewis combining for just 22 targets the entire year. Instead, when those two were on the field, more often than not, they were blocking.
Not that Tonyan wasn’t asked to block at all, or that Deguara and Lewis didn’t run routes, but from the defense’s perspective, all three of those players had fairly defined and specific roles.
However, adding a player who can be a reliable pass-catcher while also holding their own as a blocker will shed some of that predictability and allow Matt LaFleur to better achieve the illusion of complexity, as he calls it.
As LaFleur has described, the illusion of complexity can be accomplished by running similar plays from a variety of formations or plays that look similar to the defense initially but end up quite different. In short, this means keeping defenses guessing and off-balance.
In order to have this element within the offense, versatility, and for tight ends, the ability to affect the run and passing games are required. This then allows LaFleur to get more creative as a play-caller, which can lead to mismatches and leaves defenses a bit unsure of whether a running or passing play is incoming, with the personnel or formation not providing that tell.
This added unpredictability to the Packers’ offense should, in turn, make things easier on first-year starting quarterback Jordan Love, with the play design shouldering some of the workload by creating opportunities for the skill position players.
Finding this player is, of course, easier said than done, but fortunately for Green Bay, this year’s tight end class is one of the deepest that we’ve seen in years, which means they should have the opportunity to fill this specific role. Lance Zierlein of NFL.com recently ranked tight end as the second-strongest position group in this year’s draft class. A few prospects who can provide those receiving and blocking elements are Michael Mayer, Sam LaPorta, Josh Whyle, Luke Schoonmaker, and Brenton Strange.
As I wrote recently, with the depth of this draft class, along with the added value that can come from taking a tight end on Day 2 rather than Day 1, my guess is that the Packers don’t address tight end at pick 15. However, if for the reasons just mentioned, Green Bay is serious about bringing in someone who can impact the offense in a variety of ways, selecting Mayer in the first round could very well be on their radar.