Although he’s developed into a pretty nice return man, the Green Bay Packers haven’t gotten much out of Trevor Davis in two seasons. The former fifth-round pick has only eight career receptions.
He’s spent the majority of training camp this year watching because of a hamstring injury. Yes. The old Green Bay Packers’ special.
Add it up and you can see how that might cost Davis a roster spot. The Packers certainly have plenty of receivers they want to keep. Davis’ importance as a return man is paramount to him making the team.
And now that might be taken away by rookie cornerback Jaire Alexander. Special teams coach Ron Zook, for the second week in a row, has said he wants to see Alexander field punts.
Zook says again that he'd like to see Jaire Alexander return punts this week. Alexander only played a few snaps last week as he eased back onto the field from a groin injury. #Packers
— Michael Cohen (@Michael_Cohen13) August 22, 2018
We haven’t seen much of Alexander in the preseason because of a groin injury. He’s played only 10 snaps, all of them coming against the Steelers last week. He hasn’t returned a punt, but has the speed and showed he was more than capable in college.
With just two preseason games left, the Packers will have a small sample size with Alexander. However, if he shows something as a return man, that could and should put Davis’ job in jeopardy.
Although Zook has spoken glowingly about Davis as a returner, there’s not a huge incentive for the Packers to keep him around just for that. And the chances of them doing so will decrease if someone else proves capable.
If Davis doesn’t make the team, the question then becomes who returns kicks? The answer probably depends on who does make the team. However, receiver Randall Cobb has been effective in that role before. The Packers will have options.