The Green Bay Packers think they found an ascending young player at tight end in Tyler Davis, who caught the eye of new special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia and could become a core player for Bisaccia in 2022.
Last month, general manager Brian Gutekunst said he thinks the Packers “really have something” in Davis, who was signed off the Indianapolis Colts practice squad in late September of last year and went on to play in 14 games for the Packers in 2021.
“As his opportunities grew, not only in games but in practice, I think we might have something there. So I’m excited about that,” Gutekunst said when asked about the tight end group following the draft.
Matt LaFleur added more intrigue on Tuesday. The Packers coach said Bisaccia, a long-time coordinator of special teams in the NFL, was especially impressed with Davis when he took the job in Green Bay.
“He certainly made his mark on special teams,” LaFleur said. “I know he’s a guy that Rich was really excited about when we hired him, just what he can bring. He’s a guy that’s going to give you great effort each and every snap, and he can really run.”
At his pro day before the 2020 draft, Davis ran the 40-yard dash in 4.71 seconds at 252 pounds.
Last season provided a glimpse at what Davis can do on offense and special teams. He played 121 snaps on offense and caught four passes, including a 22-yarder from Aaron Rodgers against the Ravens in Baltimore. He mostly played on special teams, seeing 232 snaps for the third unit, or roughly 65 percent of the Packers’ total special teams snaps in 2021.
LaFleur said Davis kept improving and made the most of his opportunities during his first season in Green Bay.
“Tyler is a guy that I didn’t know a whole lot about when we acquired him. It was just something you could see each day when we were out there as he was learning the offense and getting his reps on the scout team. Then he got forced into play, and I thought he did a hell of a job,” LaFleur said.
Davis’ ability to play a dual role at tight end and participate on several special teams groups gives him a tremendous opportunitiy to make the 53-man roster, especially with Robert Tonyan still recovering from an ACL injury.
As is the case with all young players, Davis – a sixth-round pick of the Jaguars in 2020 – needs to keep improving.
“He’s a young player that needs to continue to learn and develop and show us what he can do.”
