Lazard, Davis, and Shepherd continue impressive preseasons.
Thursday night marked Green Bay’s third preseason game. One more and then it’s onto the real thing September 5th in Chicago. Within these games saw the rise of three players in particular: WRs Allen Lazard, Trevor Davis, and Darrius Shepherd. As far as I’m concerned, because of them, the WR depth chart is wide open from spots 5-7. Who ends up claiming each spot, in the end, remains to be seen. Let’s dive into each player individually, starting with Allen Lazard.
Lazard, who was picked up by the Packers from Jacksonville’s practice squad on December 18th, 2018, he made his season debut during Green Bay’s Week 17 game against the Detroit Lions; in which he caught 1 pass for 7 yards. His 2019 preseason, however, has shown him in a completely different light. Through three games, he has tallied 7 catches on 11 targets (63.6% catch rate), for 114 yards and 1 touchdown. Not bad for three games. Lazard’s best quality is his ability to make tough, contested catches in traffic; at 6’4″, he’s shown the ability to do that. He definitely has a case to make the final 53 when all is said and done.
Next, let’s take a look at Darrius Shepherd. Signed by the Packers as a UDFA on May 6th, he has quickly shown why he also deserves a spot on the final 53 come August 31st. In three games, he’s only 5’11” but plays like he’s 6’4″. He’s shown the ability to not only make great, athletic catches, but also to hang on to the ball while getting hit/tackled. Ball security has been a huge plus in regards to Shepherd. He also has great speed/explosiveness in the open field. In total through three games, he also tallied 7 catches (11 targets), for 68 yards, and two touchdowns.
Lastly, there’s Trevor Davis. Entering his 4th season with Green Bay, Davis’ career has been up and down so far, mostly due to injury. He’s had two hamstring injuries last season. He was placed on IR on September 11th but reactivated on November 15th. He, unfortunately, suffered another hamstring injury in week 12, forcing him on IR once again. In his first preseason game of 2019, however, he’s shown up big time in multiple facets of the game. In total, he had 5 receptions on 6 targets (83.3% catch rate), for 78 yards and 1 touchdown. He also had an 18 yard gain on one rush attempt (reverse fly sweep from Tim Boyle).
Altogether, the tandem has been very productive through the first three preseason games. All three players have provided plenty of positive plays on offense & special teams and are worthy of a final roster spot come week 1. With one game remaining on the preseason schedule for Green Bay, this is the final time for them to cement themselves into position to make the final 53. Time will tell if they do or not; right now though, all three have shown a strong case to make the final cut on August 31st.
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