The Green Bay Packers loaded up on pass-catching weapons for Jordan Love in the 2023 NFL Draft, and those rookies could lead to general manager Brian Gutekunst parting ways with one of the team’s veteran playmakers.
Gutekunst and his staff doubled up on tight ends in this year’s draft, taking a pair of them in Luke Musgrave out of Oregon State and South Dakota State’s Tucker Kraft. With two playmakers coming into training camp, that could put Josiah Deguara’s roster spot at legitimate risk.
David Kenyon with Bleacher Report broke down the best player that each NFL team could cut prior to the start of training camp. When discussing the Packers, Kenyon mentioned Deguara as a likely cut candidate.
“To be perfectly honest, there isn’t a hugely compelling name in Green Bay,” Kenyon wrote. “But the Packers might move on from 2020 third-rounder Josiah Deguara, who’s maxed out at a 35 percent snap share in three seasons. It can hardly be a positive sign that Green Bay recently drafted tight ends Luke Musgrave and Tucker Kraft, too.”
Making The Case To Keep Josiah Deguara
While Deguara may have been listed as the team’s top cut candidate, there’s a real case to be made for retaining his services in 2023.
Financially, Deguara has a very reasonable contract for this season as a former third-round pick back in 2020. His cap hit is only $1.3 million for 2023, and he will be an unrestricted free agent following this season.
On the field, Deguara plays a completely different role than the other tight ends on Green Bay’s roster. The 26-year-old operates more like a fullback than a traditional tight end, working as a lead blocker in the running game while occasionally getting involved as a pass catcher.
The Packers have loved to be creative with their ground attack under head coach Matt LaFleur, and Deguara gives them another wrinkle to help run the ball. Given that skill set and his negligible cap hit for 2023, it seems more likely that Deguara will be playing for the Packers this year instead of being cut in training camp.
Latest Packers News
Even with it being the dead period prior to offseason workouts, the Packers have stayed in the headlines with a flurry of recent events.
Packers fans were thrilled to add another Packers superfan in Simone Biles. The superstar gymnast’s husband, former Houston Texans safety Jonathan Owens, signed a new deal with the Packers, and could potentially compete for a starting job.
All-Pro left tackle David Bakhtiari made headlines after bashing the team’s VP of Communications following the team’s bland schedule release video. It’s been an odd offseason for Bakhtiari, who has openly admitted he’s nearing retirement during a podcast interview with Taylor Lewan and Will Compton, while also suggesting that the Packers are in a rebuild now that Aaron Rodgers is gone.
Meanwhile, a former Packers star will be playing for a new team. The Minnesota Vikings traded former Packers pass rusher Za’Darius Smith to the Cleveland Browns in a deal involving multiple draft picks going to both teams. After a messy breakup with the Packers, Smith made it to another Pro Bowl after a 10-sack season with the Vikings, but wanted to play elsewhere in 2023.
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Packers Projected to Cut 26-Year-Old Playmaker