The 90 to 1 Green Bay Packers roster countdown: No. 33 – Marcedes Lewis

Veteran Marcedes Lewis should have a much bigger role than a year ago.

The Green Bay Packers, and their 90 players on the roster, are in the midst of their first training camp under coach Matt LaFleur. In an annual tradition from my 11 years at Packer Report, I rank the players in order of importance from No. 90 to No. 1. This isn’t just a listing of the team’s best players. Our rankings take into account talent, importance of the position, depth at the position, salary and draft history. More than the ranking, we hope you learn something about each player. (Note: The start of this series can be found with my former employer.)

No. 33: TE Marcedes Lewis ($2,100,000 cap)

GM Brian Gutekunst doubled down at tight end last offseason by signing veterans Jimmy Graham and Marcedes Lewis. While Graham didn’t play to his Hall of Fame resume and battled through a broken thumb, Lewis seemingly was glued to the bench. A superior blocker for most of his NFL career, Lewis simply didn’t fit former coach Mike McCarthy’s throw-it-all-the-time offense.

After playing 1,054 snaps with Jacksonville in 2017, Lewis played only 191 snaps last season. A respectable receiving threat throughout his NFL career – he had 375 catches and scored 33 touchdowns in 12 seasons with the Jaguars – Lewis caught only three passes for 39 yards. He wasn’t even targeted until Week 9. No team ran the ball less frequently than the Packers, with a run rate of just 32.5 percent. And yet, when Lewis was in the game, the offense was slanted in the other direction, with a run rate of 60.7 percent.

With new coach Matt LaFleur wanting to bring a more balanced approach to the offense, Gutekunst decided to bring back Lewis.

“I think he’s going he’s going to help us a bunch,” said offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett, who spent the 2015 through 2017 seasons with Lewis while in Jacksonville. “The good thing about Marcedes is he understands the type of player he is. He’s a great pro. He’s one of those guys that really takes pride in blocking and he still has the ability to get down the field. He’s a big target. He’s had a couple catches. He’s done some nice things. He helps you in the play-action game as far as pass protection. I think for him, just the way that he handles himself, takes care of his body, and at the same time just his presence and his size ... he’s going to be able to help us out quite a bit.”

The price tag of $2.1 million was remarkably high for a 35-year-old tight end. Through the first several practices of camp, Lewis figured prominently in the rotation.

“Obviously, I’m a big fan of Marcedes,” said Hackett. “He did a great job when we were at Jacksonville and missed him when he left. He’s a true pro. My brother-in-law played with him at UCLA, so I’ve known him for quite a while. I think the No. 1 thing is how he prepares himself as a pro. For what he can do at the point of contact in the pass protection game, for us, he was a threat in the red zone at Jacksonville and all those things are things we want to ramp up with him. I think that’s going to be some great things for him.”