The Green Bay Packers got an unexpected boost in the run game from tight end Josiah Deguara against the Buffalo Bills. The Packers rushed for 208 yards against the NFL’s top run defense, thanks to some key blocks from Deguara.
The former-third round pick has had a quiet third season. He has played less than 20 percent of the snaps on offense, but that could change after last week’s performance in which he played a season-high 30 snaps. In Buffalo, Deguara was a man-possessed freeing up rushing lanes for running backs Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon.
Because Deguara’s role is highly specialized, his usage as a pro has been limited. Deguara isn’t your traditional tight end. He is more of an H-back, which is what the Packers were expecting when they selected him 94th overall in 2020. Many were surprised by the pick of a modern-day fullback on the second day of the draft, but Deguara’s impact could grow if Green Bay continues to use him as they did against the Bills.
Let’s take a look at the film to see how the Packers implemented Deguara’s versatile skillset in week 8.
This was an interesting use of Deguara (#81) out of shotgun. He starts out off the screen on the outside but motions across the field to become a blocker in pass protection. Notice how the offensive line shifts the pocket, leaving Deguara one-on-one with Gregory Rousseau. The 2021 first-round pick is an effective pass rusher with five sacks on the season, but Deguara goes head-up with him and gives Aaron Rodgers plenty of time to find Dillon in the flat.
The Packers start in I-formation, with Deguara as the fullback. Pre-snap, Deguara motions into an offset look to give the illusion that the run is going to the right. However, he quickly cuts back to the left post-snap, signaling a misdirection run. Both Deguara and David Bakhtiari make key blocks on this play, and Deguara does a good job of sticking the linebacker so Jones can run behind him for a nice gain.
Here is another look at Deguara as a lead blocker. He is super quick off the ball and understands where his eyes need to be on this power-run play. Again, Deguara walls off linebacker Matt Milano, creating a nice lane for Jones.
Of course, not every rep from Deguara was clean as a whistle. Here he is lined up in the slot on a power run play to his side of the field. Multiple guys miss their assignments, and Deguara is one of them, as he fails to block Tremaine Edmunds. It doesn’t look like Deguara has a strong base or enough outside leverage to impede Edmunds. If he flipped his hips more and had better balance, this would’ve been a better rep.
Deguara only had five receptions for 56 yards coming into this game, but I think he is worthy of more looks in the passing game. We see here that he goes in motion and then does a quick block to widen out the edge rusher before spilling into the flat. Deguara is wide-open and could pick up a sizable gain if he wasn’t the fourth option on this play call. With more time, Rodgers probably hits Deguara.
Deguara had just one catch against the Bills, but it came on a beautiful second-down call. The play starts with him blocking before he slips out of it into a TE screen. We get to see Deguara’s run-after-catch ability as he shows good acceleration to pick up nine yards.
Let’s finish off with an effective split-zone block from Deguara. This time he comes across the formation and quickly finds corner Taron Johnson. Deguara consistently found the right man on blocks, and we see it again here so Dillon can pick up nine yards.
Conclusion
Green Bay’s run blocking was poetry in motion against Buffalo, and Deguara was a key component of that. It was easily his best game of the season, as he showcased his ability to block from a variety of alignments. Whether it be misdirection or motion, Deguara can create different looks for the defense to sort through. His prowess as a lead blocker should make him a candidate for more snaps moving forward as long as the Packers can commit to running the ball.
FOX 
