Packers 53-man roster predictions 2022: Tight ends
The Green Bay Packers have taken the same approach to building their team each year for a long time.
They trade well and dip into free agency when they feel they need to. They then teach their players how to perform their specific roles at the highest level. Just because you play receiver or tight end does not mean you are going to be catching passes on every play.
The tight end position is arguably the most difficult to play in the NFL. In Green Bay, it is made easier because every tight end brings their own unique strengths and talents to the table.
Here are the tight ends that will be making the final 53-man roster just before Week 1:
Packers 53-man roster predictions: Tight ends
Robert Tonyan: According to David Lombardi of The Athletic, the former Indiana State star is “expected to be ready” for Week 1 when Green Bay travels to face the Minnesota Vikings.
Tonyan is the team’s best receiving tight end. In his last full season in 2020, Tonyan should’ve made the Pro Bowl. He led all tight ends in touchdown catches with 11. It will be great to have “Big Bob” back in uniform for everyone involved.
Marcedes Lewis: Lewis is entering his fifth season in Green Bay and 17th overall season in the NFL, which is one shy of the record for a tight end. He is the only active player remaining from the 2006 NFL Draft. He is an iron man.
Lewis is still one of the best blocking tight ends in the league at the age of 38. That is his role in this offense, and he performs it to perfection. His 6-6, 270-pound frame is irreplaceable in this offense.
Josiah Deguara: After suffering a season-ending knee injury in 2020, Deguara had a very good rebound season as the team’s No. 3 tight end in 2021. The Sacramento native brought in 25 catches for 245 yards and two touchdowns. He has also proven to be a good run-blocker if need be out of the backfield. He is a player to keep an eye on, especially because of his versatility.
Tyler Davis: The 25-year-old made just four catches for 35 yards in 2021. However, the tight end made his mark on special teams. In 14 games, Davis played the fifth-most snaps on special teams last year (232).
Davis got first-team reps during voluntary OTAs earlier in the offseason with Lewis out of town and Tonyan rehabbing off to the side. Davis is just scratching the surface in Green Bay.
Dominique Dafney: Dafney, like Tonyan, also finished his career at Indiana State. He was a bouncer in Des Moines, Iowa before he got the call from the Packers to come join their practice squad in October 2020.
At 6-2 and weighing 240 pounds, Dafney is built like a linebacker. That’s why he is a perfect piece for Matt LaFleur’s run-blocking scheme. He has started only four games and played in just 15 over the last two seasons. But his ability to clear holes for Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon is a strong part of his game and the game of the Green Bay Packers.