If at first you don't succeed, you try again. We have all heard those words from a parent, a teacher, or a coach. It's an adage as old as time. Sometimes it would end up working out, and other times, you would be back to square one with the same result, but with more experience under your belt to try again.
Ordinarily, this sage wisdom is for the day-to-day things. Unfortunately, at a certain point, life all too often gets the best of us, and we get caught up in the rat race of life. We put these wise words in the rearview mirror, and sometimes are too content with being one-and-done in too many pursuits.
So what does that have to do with football, specifically for the Green Bay Packers?
A valid question, but one that Cheeseheads may need to be prepared to face after a former draft pick was cut by their most recent team on Monday afternoon: Josiah Deguara.
Former Packers tight end Josiah Deguara is suddenly available again
On Monday, the San Francisco 49ers announced that they have released the former Packers tight end.
After playing out his rookie contract, the Packers' 2020 third-round pick was a free agent and on the hunt for a new team. The Packers had Tucker Kraft and Luke Musgrave waiting in the wings after emerging at the top of the depth chart in 2023.
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Deguara signed with the Jaguars, signing a one-year deal ahead of the 2024 season, and though he was released at the end of training camp, the vet went unclaimed and found himself back on Jacksonville's practice squad.
Deguara would end up appearing in 15 games that year, recording just three catches for 14 yards, but logging 243 special teams snaps. Once again a free agent, he would sign with the Arizona Cardinals ahead of the 2025 season, get cut after camp, and come back to the practice squad.
In similar fashion, Deguara would end up making the team later in the season, primarily for special teams, but catching three passes for 21 yards and a score, his first touchdown since the 2021 season.
The former third-round pick was once again searching for a team when the 49ers called, signing Deguara to a one-year deal on July 31. Less than a month later, though, the former Bearcats tight end would be back on the market.
A reunion with Josiah Deguara could help Packers at a decimated position
So, where do the Packers fit in?
Why would they want to bring back a player that they chose not to re-sign a couple of years ago? A player who can't stick with another team? Simply put, the answer is depth, or the lack thereof.
In Lombardi Ave's latest 53-man roster prediction, the Packers only kept two tight ends, Kraft and Josh Whyle, with Musgrave predicted to begin the year on the PUP list.
Both ESPN and The Athletic have released roster projections since Friday's contest against Denver, both adding Drake Dabney to the mix as well.
Dabney, a more traditional tight end at 6-foot-5 and 246 pounds compared to Deguara at 6-foot-2 and 240 pounds, makes a lot of sense if Green Bay chooses to stay in-house instead of signing a free agent. He came to Titletown last season and was a practice-squad elevation in the final two regular-season games.
Still, Green Bay is in an unenviable situation with its roster, lacking depth at running back and tight end. At running back, Josh Jacobs is the unquestioned starter, but he is coming off a bit of a down year. Jacobs battled nagging injuries a season ago and has missed time throughout camp this summer. And that doesn't mention the uncertainty with the legal allegations that made headlines back in May.
Most predictions have MarShawn Lloyd and Chris Brooks in the backfield as well, but Lloyd has a well-documented injury history and is more of a speed back, and Brooks has carved out a role as a key pass protector but hasn't found the same success with the ball in his hands. Some, Lombardi Ave included, have Pierre Strong Jr. making the initial 53-man squad to fill the gap.
That all said, Deguara has carved out a role as an H-back in the NFL, a hybrid that mixes the fullback and tight end role, something that Josh Whyle has done at times despite his 6-foot-7 stature. Signing Deguara could allow Whyle to go back to a more traditional tight end role, while also giving Green Bay a bonus "back" type player who can be used in pass protection, as a pass catcher, and on special teams.
It may be an unpopular move among fans – the mere suggestion of a reunion on X (formerly Twitter) had many riled up online – but it is one that the Packers may end up considering.
Deguara comes cheap, knows the offense, and can play numerous roles. Is it likely? Probably not. Yet, could Green Bay choose to try again with Deguara, giving him perhaps one more shot in the NFL? Stranger things have happened.
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