The tight end position is one that has a great deal of uncertainty around it for the Green Bay Packers in 2022.
While Marcedes Lewis is back and is on track to tie an NFL record, no other tight end on the roster has a full guarantee or role.
Josiah Deguara and Dominique Dafney are both not traditional tight ends and have not produced consistently over a full season. Special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia is apparently very high on tight end Tyler Davis, but that does not mean much for Davis’ role on offense.
Robert Tonyan is recovering from an ACL injury and is apparently healing well, but could still miss time or not return to his 2020 form.
For these reasons and more, Bleacher Report’s Alex Ballentine has linked the Packers to former Minnesota Vikings tight end Kyle Rudolph.
Neither Josiah Deguara nor Marcedes Lewis became serious receiving threats in Tonyan’s absence, so it would make sense if the Packers were to use the free-agent market to find another veteran option. The 32-year-old would provide good insurance if Tonyan struggles to recover from his injury or gets reinjured during the season.
Kyle Rudolph Is a Reliable Receiving Option
The Green Bay Packers are familiar with Kyle Rudolph after his 10 seasons spent with the Vikings.
While he is, and never has been, a 1,000+ yard receiving tight end, he is an incredibly reliable receiver, even at 32 years old.
Last season with the New York Giants, Rudolph had 26 receptions for 257 yards and a single touchdown. While none of those numbers jump of the stat sheet, no Packers tight end had more receptions or receiving yards in 2021. It is also important to note that Rudolph was playing for the Giants, as incompetent an offense as one will find in the NFL.
That being said, Rudolph had a drop percentage of exactly 0% last year. In fact, he has a drop percentage of 0% over the past three seasons.
One would have to go back four seasons to find the last time Rudolph dropped a pass: just one in 2018.
There is also this stat: New York Giants quarterbacks had a passer rating of 93.6 when targeting Kyle Rudolph. This also does not jump off the page, but when one considers Daniel Jones had a passer rating of 84.8 and Mike Glennon one of 49.7, it is clear that Rudolph made them look better when they threw his way.
