In addition to placing Isaiah McDuffie on the NFI list on Friday, the Green Bay Packers also placed Josiah Deguara on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list, according to Aaron Wilson.
This shouldn’t come as a surprise as Deguara is still recovering from the ACL injury that he suffered last season. Not to mention that during OTAs and mini-camp he was off on his own working out. Deguara can return from the PUP list at any point; however, if he begins the regular season on the PUP list, he will have to miss the first six weeks.
While the selection of Deguara in the third round of the 2020 NFL Draft was heavily scrutinized, we saw during Green Bay’s Week 1 matchup against Minnesota why Matt LaFleur had to have him.
That game we saw his versatility on display as he lined up in the backfield, in-line as a tight end, as well as in the slot. He also made a few key blocks, and although Deguara didn’t fill the stat sheet by any means, LaFleur did draw up a few designed pass plays for him.
Deguara’s skill-set and versatility allows LaFleur to achieve that illusion of complexity that he often describes:
“We want to have like plays, meaning, plays that start out looking the same that are different. We also want to create what we call an ‘illusion of complexity,’ meaning we’re going to run the same concepts, but how many different ways can we run them?” LaFleur said via Packers Wire. “Whether it’s out of 11 personnel, 12 personnel, 13 personnel, just to make it a little more difficult for the defense.”
As good as this Packers offense was in 2020, finishing first by DVOA as well as in points per game scored, the return of Deguara can unlock a new element that was missing.
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Born and raised in Green Bay, WI and I still call it home. After my family, watching the Packers, sharing my opinions on the team through my writing and interacting with other fans is my greatest passion. You can find me on Twitter at @Paul_Bretl.
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