It's really tough to use the "B" word when it comes to NFL players, but sometimes it's warranted. The dreaded "bust" label isn't exclusive to high-priced free agents or high draft selections, either. Players who are given golden opportunities and can't come through when their window is open? Well, as harsh as it may be, they're also subjected to the label no one wants to receive.
For a handful of Green Bay Packers players, it might be time to hand out some bust labels. The good news is, the story isn't over for any of these guys, but things may not be working out for them as Packers.
Which Packers players can we safely call "busts" after the 2023 season? Let's look at a handful.
1. Royce Newman
The Royce Newman experiment is over for the Green Bay Packers. For many Packers fans, that's going to come with a huge sigh of relief.
When Newman had to come in during the Packers' playoff win over the Dallas Cowboys and despite playing just three offensive snaps and seven special teams snaps in the game, he ended up having a penalty. Packers fans made sure they let their disdain for Newman be well-known after that penalty, too.
After a horrendous game early in the season against the Detroit Lions, Newman was firmly planted on the sideline until he was absolutely needed. The Packers are going in a different direction on the interior offensive line with Elgton Jenkins obviously occupying the left guard spot, and literally anyone else occupying the right guard spot.
Because of Newman's starting experience, the Packers might even be able to trade him somewhere this offseason.
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2. Josiah Deguara
If at first you don't succeed, just try and try again. Or is it, do or do not, there is no try?
Whichever you subscribe to, the Green Bay Packers took a handful of shots in the third round on the tight end position, but it took a while to get it right.
They took Jace Sternberger in the third round of the 2019 NFL Draft, and that didn't go as planned.
They followed up the Sternberger selection in 2020 with the Josiah Deguara pick, and it seems like after four years, they're going to have to say goodbye with very little to show for the investment.
The curse of the third-round tight end appears to have ended with the Tucker Kraft selection in 2023, so the third time is truly the charm, but the Packers had some trial and error for a few years there. Josiah Deguara is one of the worst misses in the Brian Gutekunst era, which speaks to the level Gutekunst has really been able to evaluate talent and pull the trigger in the NFL Draft for this team.
I mean, it's really not that bad when you think about it. But the idea that Deguara could be the next Kyle Juszczyk was clearly misplaced. He has done virtually nothing offensively in four years and hasn't scored a touchdown since the 2021 season.
We'll probably see Deguara catch on with the New York Jets this offseason, but his time in Green Bay is officially a bust.
3. Samori Toure
Look, it's a brutal position to be in to consider a seventh-round pick a "bust," but like I said earlier, there are different levels of expectations for different guys regardless of NFL Draft status.
Although he was just a seventh-round pick, there was some substantial hype surrounding Samori Toure in Green Bay thanks to the fact that NFL Draft experts felt he could go a couple of rounds higher, and also the fact that Toure did some nice things throughout the offseason to raise expectations.
.@seancliff14 🎯 @samori_toure#GBvsCIN | #GoPackGo
— Green Bay Packers (@packers) August 12, 2023
📺: Packers TV Network + NFL Network pic.twitter.com/2m6QyOGyYN
Toure actually caught five passes and a touchdown in his rookie season with the Packers, so there were some people who felt like he could have a similar impact on the team in 2023 that we saw from the likes of Dontayvion Wicks, or even Bo Melton.
But just about every other wide receiver on the depth chart outshined Toure in the 2023 season, including undrafted rookie Malik Heath. Toure ended up with just eight receptions on the season even though the Packers clearly were putting everyone out there at the receiver position, and he also had a fumble late in the regular season against the Vikings.
It's tough to call him a bust, but Toure might not be back with the Packers in 2024, and he had a great opportunity to separate himself in 2023.
4. Anders Carlson
It doesn't matter what round you are drafting a kicker in. If you decide to actually draft one, that kicker is going to have a different level of expectations heaped upon them.
The Packers invested a sixth-round pick in Anders Carlson, and for the first five weeks of the season, that was looking like a brilliant investment. Carlson didn't miss a kick for the first five games of the year, but a missed kick against the Denver Broncos started a bit of a spiral that would unfortunately last the duration of the season...into the playoffs.
Carlson's missed kick against the Broncos ended up being the difference in a two-point road loss. He missed another kick late in the year against the New York Giants in another crucial two-point road loss.
The worst miss of the year, however, came at the worst possible time. When the Packers could have taken a seven-point lead against the San Francisco 49ers in the playoffs, Carlson's missed field goal allowed the 49ers to mount a game-winning drive as opposed to a game-tying drive late in the fourth quarter.
That is a sour taste that's going to be tough to get rid of all offseason. The Packers drafted Carlson, so I doubt we're going to see them move on. But for some fans, this guy is already a bust and he's proven to be the one thing a kicker can't prove to be: Untrustworthy.
5. Eric Stokes
It's not going to be easy for Packers GM Brian Gutekunst to admit defeat on this one, but I think it's time to formally declare former first-round pick Eric Stokes a bust.
Stokes is a good player when healthy, but the problem is, he can't stay on the field.
Stokes is entering his fourth NFL season in 2024, but he's only played a total of 12 games the last two years. The Packers have built their roster in such a way that they've been banking on the contributions of Stokes, but that's got to change in 2024.
For a first-round pick to only play 28 games in his first three seasons is something you can't just live with. The Packers are going to need to make other arrangements in 2024 and I would be shocked if Stokes is someone they continue to bank on going forward.
Like I said, Stokes is a good player when he's healthy. He allowed a completion rate of just 49.5 percent back in his rookie season in 2021 and a QB rating into his coverage of just 71.3. Those are silly numbers for a rookie, even when you're dealing with some growing pains on top of it (three touchdowns allowed).
The missed games the last two years are just tough pills to swallow. The Packers will have to make a decision on Stokes's fifth-year option in the next couple of months, and as of right now, there's just no way they can pick that up. The 2024 season will either be Stokes's last in Green Bay, or the Packers can trade him to a team that wants to take a risk on his talent.