The Green Bay Packers remain confident in tight end Tyler Davis despite two mistake-filled preseason games this summer.
Coach Matt LaFleur called Davis a “young, developing player” who can still add value, particularly on special teams.
“We still have a lot of confidence in Tyler,” LaFleur said Monday. “I know he was disappointed in the fumble and the holding penalty, but he’s done a lot of good things too…he’s done a good job in a lot of aspects. Number one, his value on (special) teams alone, it’s definitely noticeable. It’s not just in the games, but in practices as well.”
His performance on offense has been underwhelming. Through two preseason games, Davis is the Packers’ lowest-graded offensive player and the NFL’s lowest-graded tight end overall at Pro Football Focus.
Mistakes have been a big reason why. Davis has missed several run blocks, dropped a pass resulting in an interception, fumbled away the ball after a short catch and been penalized twice over just 50 snaps.
His holding penalty against the Saints wiped out a 17-yard pass play.
The turnovers were especially disappointing plays. On the interception, Jordan Love’s pass hit him right in the hands. The fumble was an excellent defensive play but still took away a chance at a scoring drive late in the first half last Friday night.
“I think there’s a lot of growth there for him,” LaFleur said. “We haven’t lost any confidence in him over two plays.”
Davis, who played 231 special teams snaps for the Packers last season, has been on the field for 14 special teams snaps this preseason – highlighting why the Packers might be willing to labor through some mistakes as the former quarterback continues developing at tight end.
The Packers also have a depth problem at tight end. Although Davis has struggled, there isn’t an obvious fourth tight end on the roster behind Robert Tonyan, Marcedes Lewis and Josiah Deguara.
Thursday night in Kansas City will be a big spot for Davis. Can he bounce back and cement his spot on the 53-man roster? Or could another poor performance make him more likely to end up on the practice squad?
