Getty David Moore #83 of the Seattle Seahawks carries the ball against Derek Barnett #96 of the Philadelphia Eagles during the NFC Wild Card Playoff game at Lincoln Financial Field on January 05, 2020 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
The Green Bay Packers may have found a possible answer for their personnel issues on punt and kickoff returns.
On December 30, Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst signed former Seattle Seahawks veteran wide receiver David Moore to the team’s practice squad. He also activated wideout Marquez Valdes-Scantling from the reserve/COVID-19 list.
Moore was a seventh-round pick for the Seahawks in the 2017 NFL draft and caught 81 passes for 1,221 yards and 13 touchdowns over 51 games, 16 of which he started. He also served as one of their primary returners in his final two seasons with the team, averaging 8.5 yards on 22 punt returns and 16.3 yards on four kick returns.
Moore signed a two-year, $4.75 million contract with the Carolina Panthers this past offseason, but he was waived during final roster cuts. He has since spent time on the practice squads of the Las Vegas Raiders and Denver Broncos.
The Packers are especially short on options in the return game at the moment after rookie Amari Rodgers was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list earlier in the week. They also recently placed Malik Taylor on injured reserve and will not have him available for the remainder of the regular season, which could create an opportunity for Moore.
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Could Moore Have Role in WR Rotation?
The Packers’ receiving room is in a better place now that Valdes-Scantling has been activated, but there could be value in finding a place in the rotation for Moore.
While guys like Equanimeous St. Brown and Juwann Winfree have spent more time with the Packers and would have a leg up on knowing the system, Moore has twice as much receiving production as the two of them combined. He also displayed great attention to detail during some of his brightest moments in Seattle, including with his footwork on this spectacular 38-yard touchdown catch in Week 2 of the 2020 season.
Moore’s capabilities as a return specialist are reason enough for the Packers to consider elevating him from the practice squad in the next few weeks, but why limit him to special teams when he could also offer Aaron Rodgers another postseason weapon?
Cobb Still ‘A Little Ways Away Yet’
Valdes-Scantling’s return wasn’t the only good news for the Packers’ receiving corps this week. They also saw veteran wideout Randall Cobb make a miraculous return to the practice field just three weeks after undergoing core-muscle surgery that was expected to shut him down for the remainder of the year. He was officially designated for return on December 30, opening his 21-day window to be activated and giving him a chance to return in time for the postseason.
For now, though, the Packers are staying patient and simply enjoying having him back on the practice field.
“It’s great to have a guy like that out there,” LaFleur said Friday. “You talk about a guy that you love being around, just the energy he brings, his attention to detail. He’s so helpful for his other teammates and he’s always upholding that standard. So, it’s great to get him out there. I still think he might be a little ways away yet, but I thought he did pretty well considering he had surgery (in early December).”