Of all the moves that the Green Bay Packers made this offseason, re-signing tight end Tyler Davis didn’t garner much attention, but tight ends coach John Dunn was certainly happy to have him back.
“Tyler’s a stud,” said Dunn on Wednesday. “He is as dedicated of an individual as they come. There’s not enough good words I can say about Tyler, just him really being one of the veterans in the room, just the guidance.”
Davis’ 2023 season was cut short after he sustained an ACL injury during the preseason. During the 2022 season, Davis was on the field for 175 offensive snaps and primarily used as a blocker, with just four receptions for 26 yards.
With such a young group of tight ends last season, as well as receivers, Davis was never going to be a focal point within the Packers’ offense, even if he was healthy. However, in an inexperienced room, Davis’ veteran presence helped provide some stability, even though he wasn’t able to be on the field with them.
“Obviously before the injury just the example on the field or in the meeting room—how you go about your business, how to be a pro,” added Dunn. “And then unfortunately he did have the incident, but then afterwards not disappearing, right? Still being there for those guys, being involved, where they could ask questions or he could help, he could lend guidance.
“So, it just speaks to who he is as a man, it speaks to him as a teammate, he loves this game, he loves this team, I can’t say enough good things about Tyler. But it didn’t surprise me. Because that’s who he is, that’s who he is as a man.”
Looking ahead to this season, Tucker Kraft and Luke Musgrave will dominate the snaps at the tight end position. But this summer there still will be the opportunity for Davis to carve out a role.
Davis was a core special teams player for the Packers during the 2022 season. He led the team with 344 snaps, playing across five different phases, while also ranking third in tackles. When Davis was ruled out for the season last August, special teams coach Rich Bisaccia equated losing Davis like losing his right hand.
Offensively, Davis could compete with second-year tight end Ben Sims for that primary blocking role at the position. GM Brian Gutekunst has preached all offseason about the importance of competition within every room, and blocking is where Davis has the most experience in that regard.
Without Josiah Deguara, the H-back role that was on the field for about 15 or so snaps per game last season is up for grabs. The most likely replacement is fullback Henry Pearson, however, with Davis’ blocking experience, along with his athleticism, helping him to impact the passing game and be moved around the formation, that could result in the Packers seeing if he can compete for that role as well.
I certainly wouldn’t call Davis a roster lock, but if I were putting together a 53-man roster prediction today, he would be on it. His ability on special teams, along with the variety of ways he can help support the tight end position, make him a valuable back end of the roster contributor.
“What we tell these guys is, they obviously have to earn that right for the creativity to do the things that we’re asking them to do,” said Dunn about the tight end room.
“Obviously all these guys are talented and we’re going to ask them to do what they can do, accentuate their strengths, but I think yeah, in terms of the creativity, right, it’s limitless. But we have to be able to do those things, execute those things to earn the right to be able to do those things on the field on Sundays.”