Packers: Josiah Deguara injury a huge blow for offense

Packers tight end Josiah Deguara is done for the year.

Green Bay Packers rookie tight end Josiah Deguara has had awful injury luck this season.

After ankle and shin injuries kept Deguara out of two games, he’s now out for the rest of the year. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Deguara suffered a torn ACL in the Packers’ win over the Atlanta Falcons in Week 4.

This is awful news for Deguara, who already had an important role in Matt LaFleur’s offense early in his career.

Deguara impressed in the limited time he did play, and once he’s back from injury, I have no doubt he’ll have a huge role to play in this offense.

For Green Bay, the offense loses a talented blocker. With Marcedes Lewis also dealing with an injury, the Packers have lost some depth at the tight end position.

John Lovett could see an increased role with Deguara out. According to Pro Football Reference, Lovett played on 10 percent of the offensive snaps in Week 4 against the Falcons. Expect this number to go up after the bye week.

Losing Deguara for the season is awful news, both for the player and the team. He’s a player Matt LaFleur loves as he offers versatility; Deguara can block and he can catch passes. A bright future is ahead for the Packers’ third-round pick. With almost a full year before the start of the 2020 season, hopefully he’ll be fully healthy to be back for Week 1.

LaFleur and Brian Gutekunst have some additional time to decide what they will do at the tight end position. Robert Tonyan is the top pass-catching tight end on the roster and Marcedes Lewis will have an important role as a blocker when he’s back from injury.

Here’s to a speedy recovery for Deguara and that he bounces back with a huge second season in 2021.