Tyler Davis: stay or go?

The Packers have 11 unrestricted free agents who will hit the open market in less than a month. Among those players is tight end Tyler Davis, whose future with the team is very much up in the air.

Reasons to stay: OK, raise your hand if you forgot Davis was still on the roster. The veteran tight end hasn’t played since 2022 but was outstanding on special teams that season. He played a team-high 344 snaps and recorded 10 tackles. While Davis has only eight catches in 31 games for the Packers, he’s a pretty good athlete and was coming on as a blocker before suffering a torn ACL in the preseason opener on Aug. 11, 2023.

Reasons to go: With Davis out for the past two seasons, Ben Sims and John FitzPatrick have developed into useful backups. While neither is a difference maker on special teams, both are younger and less expensive than Davis, who turns 28 in April and would earn just over $1M should he make the 53-man roster. It’s also important to remember that Davis was fighting for a job in the summer of 2023, which was before he suffered serious injuries to his knee and shoulder.

Verdict: GO

Special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia thinks highly of Davis, and his opinion seems to matter to general manager Brian Gutekunst and coach Matt LaFleur. That’s why it’s difficult to completely shut the door on the possibility of Davis returning. But if the door is open, it’s only enough to allow a sliver of hope to creep in.