The Packers are down a key special teamer and tight end. Matt LaFleur told reporters that Tyler Davis suffered a significant knee injury last night and is expected to miss the regular season (per ESPN’s Rob Demovsky on Twitter). Indeed, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero tweets that Davis suffered a torn ACL.
Davis had a pair of catches on Friday against the Bengals, including a five-yard touchdown reception. On the second catch, he took a hard hit from defender DJ Ivey before limping off the field. After getting looked at by trainers, the tight end was carted to the locker room.
“TD, my heart hurts for him. He’s been a key contributor to our success the last couple of years,” LaFleur said after the game (h/t Packers Wire). “Whether it’s on teams or carving out a role on our offense, he’s the consummate professional. Great teammate, great human…We’re going to miss him.”
A 2020 sixth-round pick by the Jaguars, Davis has spent the past two seasons in Green Bay. He saw a significant role in 2022, leading the Packers in special teams snaps while contributing 10 tackles. The 26-year-old also added four catches for 26 yards.
Davis was expected to see an even larger role on offense in 2023. With Robert Tonyan and Marcedes Lewis now playing in Chicago, Green Bay was going to need one of their tight ends to step up. Various reports indicated that Davis was looking like the best blocking tight end during training camp, and his role last night hinted that he was in line for some receiving work, as well.
The Packers did use some draft capital at the position, selecting Luke Musgrave in the second round and Tucker Kraft in the third. The team is also rostering Austin Allen, and they have Josiah Deguara and Henry Pearson listed as fullbacks on the depth chart.