The Green Bay Packers were unable to escape training camp without a major injury. Tight end Tyler Davis suffered a knee injury in their first preseason game of the year against the Cincinnati Bengals, which was diagnosed as a torn ACL.
That will end Davis’ 2023 season before it even got started. A key contributor on special teams, Davis was also expected to see an expanded role offensively this upcoming season. With Marcedes Lewis moving on in free agency, there was a void in the lineup when it came to the blocking tight end role.
Davis, who was entering Year 3 with the Packers, was the leader in the clubhouse for that role. His experience will be missed greatly as Green Bay has only rookies Luke Musgrave and Tucker Kraft at tight end right now. Josiah Deguara can certainly handle duties there, but he was listed as the starting fullback in the first depth chart.
The only other healthy tight end on the roster right now is Austin Allen, who will have a chance to earn a roster spot with Davis going down. With Musgrave and Kraft still learning the nuances of the NFL game, Allen has a golden opportunity ahead of him.
“He’s a bit of a different athlete,” said Brian Gutekunst on Friday, “but obviously he’s got great size. He’s more your Y-type of blocker. But he’s done a nice job in camp and he’s going to get the opportunity to fill that role.”
Standing 6’8”, Allen has the size to be a difference maker as a blocker. While it won’t be often, that size could also be used as a weapon in the red zone as he can go up and over opponents. He is already catching the attention of the coaching staff, which is a positive sign.
“Austin has done a nice job,” said Matt LaFleur following the Bengals’ game. “I noticed him a little bit on teams as well. One play that stood out to me was we ran an inside zone with a cross zip, where he did a really nice job of throwing his face on the defenders leg, coming across the formation and cutting him down. He’s going to get more opportunities, especially with TD being out and he’s going to have to take advantage of those.”
The biggest thing that Allen will face when attempting to replace Davis is the special teams’ impact. If he fails to produce in that aspect, the Packers will be forced to look outside of the organization for some help. Davis played the most special teams snaps on the roster in 2022, as his loss is a bigger one than some people may realize.
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