Cheese Curds, 3/23: Packers still need to find talent, bodies at tight end

With Big Bob off to Chicago and Big Dog still a free agent, the Packers probably need both a veteran and a rookie at the position.

Out of the four tight ends who saw time on the field for the Green Bay Packers in 2022, just two have returned, and those two are the ones on the second line of the depth chart. Josiah Deguara is back for the final year of his rookie contract and Tyler Davis re-signed with the team. With no Robert Tonyan (who signed with the Chicago Bears as a free agent) and no Marcedes Lewis (who remains a free agent), the team needs an influx of bodies and top-end at that position.

There aren’t many free agent options left besides Lewis, and the pool got a bit shallower on Wednesday. One of the top players on the market at the position is stepping away from football to deal with a major medical issue, leaving a host of less-than-exciting players on the market. Lewis might be the top option left, with names like Cameron Brate, Geoff Swaim, and Dan Arnold leading the remainder of the list.

Although it’s possible that one of those players could be a Packer in 2023, the team will need to find some youth and talent at the position in the NFL Draft. Thankfully, all signs point to the team giving this year’s top tight ends a long look, with at least one player coming to Green Bay for an in-person visit and the team meeting extensively with others at offseason events.

With this year’s tight end class being one of the deepest and strongest in recent memory, the Packers probably cannot afford to wait until day three of the draft to pick one. Perhaps that selection comes as high as #15, but a second-round pick also feels entirely reasonable.

Packers Digging Deep Into Deep NFL Draft Class of Tight Ends – Sports Illustrated
The Packers are doing a ton of homework on this year’s tight end class, from a top-30 visit with Georgia’s Darnell Washington to a number of formal meetings at the Combine to GM Brian Gutekunst attending Pro Days for other prospects.

Foster Moreau stepping away from NFL after cancer diagnosis | ESPN
Moreau was one of the top free agent tight ends on the market this spring, but a physical with the Saints resulted in his diagnosis of Hodgkin’s lymphoma. All of us at APC will be pulling for him in his fight.

Long-time coach details how Packers QB Jordan Love is preparing during crucial offseason | Packers Wire
Steve Calhoun has been Love’s private quarterback coach since high school, but he’s taking the Packers’ feedback and focusing on the items that the team recommends. For now, that’s planting his front foot on his follow-through.

Nate Weir honored with Professional Football Athletic Trainers Society award | Packers.com
Congratulations to Weir, the Packers’ associate athletic trainer and director of rehab, for being the NFC’s recipient of this award for 2023.

WR Mecole Hardman agrees to one-year deal with Jets worth up to $6.5 million | NFL.com
Hardman’s deal freed up the Jets to move small, shifty receiver Elijah Moore, which netted them another second-round pick.

2 Virginia Inmates Tunneled Out of Jail With Toothbrush, Went to IHOP | Insider.com
The two men crawled through a river of shit and came out with pancakes on the other side.