After trading two players for draft picks on Tuesday, the Green Bay Packers have two open roster spots. They also have two players eligible to return from injured reserve.
Those players are receivers Trevor Davis and Jake Kumerow.
Nothing has been announced yet, but logic says the Packers will activate Davis this week. One of the team’s deadline trades was to send running back Ty Montgomery to Baltimore. Montgomery was the Packers primary kick returner. That’s a role Davis filled more than capably last season.
Davis was also the Packers primary punt returner. Cornerback Tramon Williams has been filling in there this year.
Davis has offered nothing as a receiver in his three-year career. He is a threat as a return man, however. Mel Gray he is not, but the comparison is fair. When he played for the Lions, pretty much all Gray did was return kicks and punts. In some years he didn’t even get touches as a running back or receiver.
Davis averaged 22.8 yards per kick return and 12.0 yards per punt return last year. By comparison, Montgomery averaged 21.0 per kick return with the Packers this season. Williams has averaged just 5.1 yards per punt return.
Davis could add another element to the Packers when he returns — a return man you have to worry about. What’s more, the Packers NEED a kickoff returner now that Montgomery is gone.
Kumerow’s situation isn’t so clear. The Packers need another receiver right now like Mike McCarthy needs another cheeseburger. They already have six on the roster. Technically, Davis would make seven.
In addition to that, if the Packers bring Kumerow back, they will have burned both of their IR designations to return. Yes, the time to use a designation to return is running out. A player who gets such a designation has to be out eight weeks and there are only nine left in the regular season. The belief here is the Packers sit on that designation and keep Kumerow where he is for another week.
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JEFF fucking JANIS.
Nothing says they have to use this. Something that just occurred to me, this team has actually been pretty healthy, especially considering their recent history. Some minor week to week injuries, the one major injury to Wilkerson. It seems like a major story for the packers at this point in other seasons is the talk of the 7th player being placed on IR.
Another hole for next year, a return man, unless they resign Davis. I would say as of now that Alexander is too valuable to risk injury to.
I’m not so sure Davis is a real threat as a kick off returner with a career long 34 yards. But he’s had better results as a punt returner with a long of 65 yards, . Although T Willy is no slouch with a long of 13 yards.
Nobody is going to confuse this special teams squad with that of the 1996 squad, that’s for damn sure. No offence Zook, keep doing what you do……i guess.
You know, your post made me realize that I no longer know what’s decent or acceptable in terms of kick/punt returns ever since these new rules were put in place. Not surprisingly, we’re only average in both categories. Ranking 13th in kick return average, and 14th in punt return average.
Also not surprising, we’re tied second-to-last in punt return attempts this season…. with 8….. eight. That means we’re either facing a combination of the most dominant gunners and punters in the league, or our special teams blocking and fielding is fucking terrible. I think we know which one of these scenarios is the accurate one.
Not any of this is worth a damn if the whole ST unit lacks the discipline to avoid penalties! Davis could come in a rip off another one of those 65 yard returns but guess what? The flag at the 10 yard line for an illegal block is bringing it back. That’s what they do because they lack the discipline to avoid that kind of shit.
Zook needs to be shown the door.