Expectations should be fairly high for 3rd year Packers TE Josiah Deguara. In another all-in type of season for Green Bay, they will need to receive significant contributions across the board and Deguara is in a prime spot to do that.
It’s hard to believe that Deguara, 25, is already going into his 3rd NFL season. The 2020 third round pick from the University of Cincinnati has played in 19 out of a possible 36 games through his first two seasons. A torn ACL early in 2020 shut down his rookie campaign and 2021 was a combination of learning, developing and being behind TE’s Robert Tonyan and Marcedes Lewis on the depth chart.
The Packers are currently uncertain about the future of their TE position, as Tonyan is set to be an unrestricted free agent. According to Spotrac, Tonyan is in a position to receive roughly $10.8 million per season. Given the Packers current financial state, Tonyan’s future with Green Bay is one of many in question and the same goes for TE Marcedes Lewis.
Whether Deguara is one of the focal points in the receiving game, or more of a role-player in 2022 is to be determined. With that said, the former Bearcats Team Captain needs to add more value on the field. Last season, Josiah registered 25 catches for 245 yards and 2 touchdowns during the regular season. To be fair, there have been plenty of tight ends who have started off slower and picked up as their careers have gone along, especially if you consider 2021 Deguara’s rookie season because of his torn ACL in 2020. Players like Jason Witten, Heath Miller and Dallas Clark all started modestly and picked up steam as their careers moved forward.
As many already know, Deguara was looked upon as a handyman type of player coming out of school because of his versatility. The thinking goes that a player like Deguara could be an effective blocker at fullback and tight-end, as well as a productive receiver. Through two seasons, we’ve seen flashes of this versatility. Now, it’s time to take a jump and put the puzzle pieces together on a week to week basis.
Deguara, who holds the University of Cincinnati’s all-time career receptions record for a TE over Travis Kelce (ever heard of him) has tons of talent and potential. If the Packers are to get back to the playoffs and make noise in the postseason, #81’s contributions could go a long way in doing so.
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Alex grew up in a family of Chicago Bears fans in the suburbs of Chicago but was always a Packers guy. Alex\'s AIM name when he was in elementary/middle school was PackerAlex. He now lives in Nashville, Tennessee and you can follow him on twitter at @Alex_Mayer93.
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