Getty Head coach Matt LaFleur of the Green Bay Packers looks on from the sidelines during the first quarter against the Los Angeles Rams at Lambeau Field on November 28, 2021 in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
The Green Bay Packers are giving one of their rookie wide receivers a chance to find a new team for the 2022 season.
According to the NFL’s transaction wire for September 1, the Packers waived former Wisconsin Badgers wide receiver Danny Davis III from injured reserve with an injury settlement. He will be eligible to sign with a new team once he returns from his injury.
Davis, an undrafted rookie, sustained an ankle injury midway through training camp that caused him to miss their second preseason game against the New Orleans Saints. He was waived with an injury designation the following week during 80-man roster cuts and reverted back to injured reserve once he went unclaimed on the waivers.
Danny Davis with the touchdown for the Packers.
Prior to the NFL, Davis played five seasons for the Badgers and collected 131 catches for 1,642 yards and 13 touchdowns over that span, reaching career-high marks in receptions (32) and receiving yards (478) during his senior year in 2021. He would be a prime candidate to move to the USFL if he does not latch on with a team this offseason.
The Packers still have nine more players on their injured reserve list who could be eligible for injury settlements in the coming weeks. All of them reverted to IR after being waived and going unclaimed on the waivers, meaning none of them are eligible to return for the Packers this season. Some of the top candidates for injury settlements include safeties Shawn Davis and Vernon Scott and wide receivers Osirus Mitchell and Malik Taylor.
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Packers Loaded Up With Rookie Talent
Davis was looking good in the preseason for the Packers, but his chances of making their 53-man roster were slim-to-none prior to his injury. That’s because the Packers used three of their 2022 draft picks to add rookies who are now part of their seven-man receiving rotation to begin the new season.
For the moment, the most intriguing of the Packers’ three rookie receivers is Romeo Doubs, a fourth-round selection who took advantage of his injury-afforded reps in training camp and quickly put himself on the map with Aaron Rodgers and the offense. Doubs has some issues to work through regarding dropped passes, but he was clearly a step ahead of where most mid-round rookies start and finished the preseason with eight catches for 82 yards and two touchdowns on 15 targets.
The Packers also have their more coveted rookie receiver, Christian Watson, looking to catch up with the offense after missing the entire preseason. Green Bay traded both of their second-round picks (Nos. 53 and 59) to move up for Watson at No. 34 overall, but both sides determined after OTAs that it was in his best interest to get a clean-up procedure on his knee. As a result, fans are eager to see what he can bring to the team.
Seventh-rounder Samori Toure is also on the roster as the seventh and final man in the rotation, but it remains to be seen whether he will have a chance to get involved in the offense or will simply be kept for the sake of depth and long-term development.