Packers TE Tyler Davis suffers “pretty significant” knee injury
By Paul Bretl
During the Green Bay Packers’ first preseason game against Cincinnati, tight end Tyler Davis suffered a knee injury and from the sounds of it, is going to miss significant time.
"“Unfortunately,” said Matt LaFleur after the game, “Tyler Davis, that’s going to be a pretty significant injury.”"
Davis was injured after being tackled following a catch for four yards. Before that, he caught a five-yard touchdown pass from Sean Clifford before halftime.
On Saturday, Tom Pelissero did report that Davis suffered an ACL injury.
Davis emerged last season as a core special teams player, taking the most special teams snaps on the team, consistently across five different phases. He also finished third on the team in special teams tackles, according to PFF.
He played fewer than 200 offensive snaps, but as LaFleur said last week, they were going to have to rely on Davis more on offense this season. We saw that early on in training camp, with the Packers’ heavy usage of 12 personnel, along with Josiah Degaura being injured as well as being moved to fullback on the depth chart.
Entering the first preseason game, Davis had been the most consistent blocking tight end on the roster–an important role for this position group in LaFleur’s offense.
"“TD, my heart hurts for him,” added LaFleur. “He’s been a key contributor to our success over the last couple of years. Whether it’s on teams or carving out a role on our offense. He’s the consummate professional, a great teammate. Just a great human. And we are going to miss him.”"
Green Bay was already going to be relying on rookie tight ends Luke Musgrave and Tucker Kraft heavily, but that is even more true now, as those two, plus Austin Allen, are the only healthy tight ends on the roster right now.
There is a steep learning curve that comes with transitioning from college to the NFL at tight end, given all the responsibilities that come with playing the position, but that jump is especially evident when it comes to blocking.
Musgrave and Kraft are, of course, going to continue playing important roles, but in the coming days, the Packers may look to bolster their tight end depth on the 90-man roster, considering how thin they now are, specifically looking for someone who can hold their own as a blocker. We may also see fullback Henry Pearson with more in-line opportunities as well.