Yet, despite an abbreviated camp, Deguara proved to LaFleur and his coaches the NFL game wasn't going to be too big for the rookie in Year 1. Josiah Deguara, a do-it-all tight end out of Cincinnati. "Then, we did some digging.". Variety of alignments. -- The surging Green Bay Packers lost another offensive weapon to injury, as rookie tight end Josiah Deguara suffered a season-ending knee injury in … But while many clamored that this team needed more weapons, in this LaFleur offense with his size, speed, athleticism, and muscle, Deguara is a weapon as he’s able to create opportunities for himself and his teammates while giving this Packers’ offense that element of unpredictability. Packers third-round TE Josiah Deguara has torn ACL Packers placed TE Josiah Deguara on injured reserve with a torn ACL, ending his season. The browser you are using is no longer supported on this site. Selected by the Packers in the third round (No. Once again, yes, he’s only played one game in his NFL career, but this game showed exactly why LaFleur wanted him in this Green Bay Packers’ offense. Backfield (16 snaps), In-Line Y (5 snaps), Slot (3 snaps), Backfield verticals pic.twitter.com/uVExMFPJdn, — Ben Fennell (@BenFennell_NFL) September 18, 2020. 81 – Green Bay PackersPosition: Tight end Personal information Born: February 14, 1997 (age 23)Santa Rosa, California Height: 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) Josiah Daniel Deguara (born February 14, 1997) is an American football tight end for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). 3 vertical concepts for the 6'3 242 4.72 TE/FB – creates matchup problem! Safety Raven Greene is also set to feature for the first time this season as he’s active. Build your custom FanSided Daily email newsletter with news and analysis on All Wisconsin Sports and all your favorite sports teams, TV shows, and more. Josiah Deguara , a do-it-all tight end out of Cincinnati "He said, 'Hey, why don't you check out this guy?'" "The more I'm able to do, the more I'm able to get on the field, that's what I want to do. Variety of alignments. Powered by Minute Media © 2020 All Rights Reserved. All Wisconsin Sports news from FanSided Daily, Bucks’ exit interview: George Hill’s veteran presence, Milwaukee Bucks: Trade or Keep for Biggest Assets, Green Bay Packers: 3 Matchups to watch in Week Three, Green Bay Packers: 3 X-Factors Against New Orleans, Packers' weekend injury report: List unexpectedly grows for Green Bay, Top 25 Super Bowl Performances of All Time, Each NHL Team's Most Likely Future Hall of Famer, 30 Greatest Teams in Premier League History, 28 most memorable buzzer beaters in March Madness history. It is highly recommended that you use the latest versions of a supported browser in order to receive an optimal viewing experience. "Certainly, he fits with what we want to do," LaFleur said. The Packers won’t have defensive tackle Kenny Clark out there this week after he suffered a groin injury in Week 1. Your privacy is safe with us. Losing Clark and Deguara to injury isn’t ideal, but having Turner back and Patrick healthy is good news for the offensive line. In the passing game, he was a reliable target, and while he isn’t going to blow anyone away in the passing game, he is also a well-polished route runner. "I think my mindset going into it wasn't how much they were going to put on my plate, but whatever they decided to want me to learn that I went at it with all I had," Deguara said. Much like Aaron Jones at the running back position, this offense is tailormade for Josiah Deguara, and he is going to be a key player in it for the foreseeable future. Deguara's position coach, Mike Denbrock, was a longtime family friend who served on the same coaching staff as LaFleur at Notre Dame in 2014. That will be a matchup to watch closely. Your favorite teams, topics, and players all on your favorite mobile devices. LaFleur cautions that it's only one game and there's still a long way to go. And although it’s been a very small sample size – just one game – we’ve already seen why LaFleur had to have him. recalled LaFleur of his conversation with Gutekunst. 24 offensive snaps in debut vs MIN. “I love Josiah,” is what Green Bay Packers Head Coach Matt LaFleur told reporters back in April right after the NFL Draft had concluded. Robert Tonyan (48 snaps), veteran Marcedes Lewis (32), Deguara (24) and Jace Sternberger (12) combined to play 116 offensive snaps against the Vikings, the most for the position group so far in LaFleur's 20 games as Green Bay's head coach. 3 vertical concepts for the 6'3 242 4.72 TE/FB – creates matchup problem! Build your custom FanSided Daily email newsletter with news and analysis on Green Bay Packers and all your favorite sports teams, TV shows, and more. "He did an outstanding job and to be honest with you, we had a lot on his plate going into this game. So the play may look similar to something that the defense saw earlier in the game, but in fact, it’s different. GREEN BAY – In the midst of the pre-draft process, Brian Gutekunst brought a name to Matt LaFleur of an intriguing prospect the Packers general manager wanted the head coach to look into as a potential fit in the offense. This is the type of player that LaFleur covets as Deguara helps create the “illusion of complexity” that LaFleur often refers to. Josiah Deguara No. "Then, we did some digging." (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images). Not an easy task. Your favorite teams, topics, and players all on your favorite mobile devices. Your privacy is safe with us. LaFleur had deep connections to the Bearcats' program. ", Packers linebacker has 23 tackles on 85 defensive snaps this season, Third-year defensive back played everywhere in Monday's win over the Falcons, Second-year pro enjoyed two-sack performance in New Orleans, Former first-round pick gives Packers an intriguing chess piece on defense, Rookie first-round pick showing significant signs of progress, Rookie safety forming potent tandem with veteran Adrian Amos, Football IQ and power have allowed left guard to thrive as a rookie, Second-year receiver made his 20 snaps count against Oakland, Packers receiver lived up to his word of readiness on Monday, Packers cornerback paid homage to Nick Collins with INT at AT&T Stadium, Young cornerbacks helped keep Vikings' passing game in check. But in addition to the grit, Deguara gives this offense a skill-set that they didn’t have in 2019, and it’s a rather important one to the LaFleur offense as he fills the Kyle Juszczyk-like role as the H-back. But no matter what the circumstances were or how much was asked of him, the rookie tight end was going to be ready. Deguara, the Packers' third-round pick this past April, flashed all of those traits in his first NFL start during Sunday's 43-34 win over Minnesota. Deguara also proved reliable in pass protection, picking up a blitzing linebacker to give quarterback Aaron Rodgers enough time to find Davante Adams across the middle for a 14-yard catch in the second quarter. Now, I’m guessing that Deguara was not on the radar of many Packer fans entering the draft, I’m not going to pretend that he was on mine. It doesn’t get much more challenging than making your NFL debut up against one of the best wide receivers in football. This is a real shame after Deguara made an impressive debut last week versus the Minnesota Vikings. Trufant is out, but the Lions’ third overall pick, Jeff Okudah, is ready to make his NFL debut. While blocks don’t show up on the stat sheet, Deguara had a heck of a debut in that regard. At Cincinnati, Deguara was a very good blocker, especially against the run. recalled LaFleur of his conversation with Gutekunst. For those unfamiliar with San Francisco’s Kyle Juszczyk, he does a little bit of everything for that Niners’ offense, wearing many hats, and transitioning from one role to the next with relative ease. Deguara doesn't fancy himself as the most intelligent guy in the room. 94 overall) of the 2020 NFL Draft, the highest-drafted player out of the University of Cincinnati since Kelce was picked No. The 6-foot-2, 238-pound tight end's versatility, intelligence and athleticism were off the charts. Deguara was on the injury report with ankle and shin injuries, so it’s not surprising that he will miss this game. While I’m not declaring that Deguara will be as good as Juszczyk – although hopefully, he is – his versatility can bring a similar element to the Packer offense. In the passing game, once again, the stat sheet doesn’t tell the whole story. The hope is that we can build on this. 24 offensive snaps in debut vs MIN. And yes, it’s a very small sample size, especially with missing Week 2, but Deguara’s run-blocking grade from Pro Football Focus (subscription required) of 79.1 is the seventh-best among all tight ends this season. And he even caught his first NFL pass out of the backfield before halftime, picking up 12 yards on a short throw to the flat. In 24 offensive snaps against Minnesota, we saw Deguara’s versatility on display as he was lined up in the backfield for 16 plays, in the slot for three, and inline for five. There’s some good injury news for the Green Bay Packers offensive line as Billy Turner, Lucas Patrick, and Elgton Jenkins are all active. The following browsers are supported: Chrome, Edge (v80 and later), Firefox and Safari. All told, Deguara saw 24 offensive snaps in his debut and played an important part in the Packers establishing early momentum. Even showing the team a film clip of Degura’s hustle as he ran 50+ yards downfield after an interception to make a touchdown-saving tackle. The Packers released their inactives list ahead of Sunday’s game, which kicks off at 12 noon CT, and tight end Josiah Deguara is among the players … Deguara was targeted twice with one reception for 12 yards, but as Ben also points out, LaFleur designed several opportunities to get Deguara the ball in space where he can create after the catch as well as downfield.