Following Davis’ Torn ACL, Packers Have Hole at Tight End

The Green Bay Packers might need to add a tight end after Tyler Davis sustained a torn ACL at Cincinnati on Friday night.

Author:
Bill Huber
Publish date:
Aug 12, 2023 4:26 PM EDT

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Green Bay Packers

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers suffered a significant blow to their special teams and tight end depth when veteran Tyler Davis suffered a torn ACL during Friday’s preseason victory at the Cincinnati Bengals.

The injury, first reported by NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, will end Davis’ season.

“Unfortunately, that’s going to be a pretty significant injury,” coach Matt LaFleur said after the game. “My heart hurts for him. He’s been a key contributor to our success over the last couple years, whether it’s on teams or carving out a role in our offense, and he’s the consummate professional. He’s a great teammate, just a great human and we’re going to miss him.”

Davis caught two passes for 9 yards and a touchdown against the Bengals.

After Family Night, LaFleur said they’d have to rely on Davis “a little bit more” on offense this year given the youth at the position.

While he wasn’t destined for a marquee role on offense with the additions of Luke Musgrave and Tucker Kraft with Day 2 picks in the NFL Draft, the Packers made a point to keep Davis this past offseason because of his performance on special teams. Last year, Davis was first on the team in special-teams snaps and fourth with 10 tackles. Six of those came during the final four games.

The Packers probably are going to have to add a tight end. There are only four under contract: Musgrave, Kraft, Josiah Deguara and Austin Allen. Musgrave and Kraft are rookies and Deguara is more fullback than tight end.

The wild card could be Allen, who entered the league as an undrafted free agent last year. While he hasn’t played in a game, he caught 38 passes for 602 yards as a senior at Nebraska in 2021. At 6-foot-8, he’s got potential as a receiver and on special teams; he’s blocked two punts during training camp.

After the draft, they signed former Florida State standout Camren McDonald but he was released recently and signed with the Rams.

Also on Friday night, offensive tackle Luke Tenuta suffered an ankle injury while blocking for running back Patrick Taylor and was carted to the locker room. He will be visiting a specialist for a further evaluation with the hope of avoiding surgery.