Over the next few days, the Green Bay Packers will craft their initial 53-man roster and tweak it as players become available and injury decisions are made.
With few true roster position battles, the Packers will likely use extra spots on those positions with newly remade roster groups like safety and linebacker.
There won’t be enough open spots at many positions for roster-bubble players to continue their NFL journey in Green Bay. The odds get worse when you play a position that few teams carry in the modern NFL, as is the case for fullback Henry Pearson.
The Packers have waived and re-signed Pearson a few times. He most recently returned to Green Bay’s roster on August 20. It was an uphill battle for Pearson to make the 53-man roster without much preseason work and while playing an uncommon position. But with health questions at running back and a few concerns with tight end depth, Pearson has a chance — or at least should be a priority practice squad signing.
The former UDFA spent his rookie season on Green Bay’s practice squad and was called into action twice. He played two offensive snaps against the Detroit Lions in Week 11 (a birthday debut!) and nine against the Kansas City Chiefs the following week, along with a smattering of special teams snaps.
Is it any coincidence that having a skilled fullback helped the Packers have their two best offensive games of the regular season? While they admittedly didn’t use them that much, his blocking abilities were on display, leading to some of A.J. Dillon‘s best runs of the season. Although he did commit an offsides penalty on special teams, he showed enough in limited snaps to look capable.
While the NFL has largely moved away from the fullback, the San Francisco 49ers use one effectively. Kyle Juszczyk is the league’s most prominent fullback, and head coach Kyle Shanahan is a pretty good offensive mind.
Coincidentally, Matt LaFleur’s offense shares a lot in common with Shanahan’s. We’ve seen the Packers try to fill a similar need when they drafted Josiah Deguara with the intent to play an H-back/FB-type role. Deguara didn’t work out, but that doesn’t mean the dream will die.
Teams utilizing this type of role typically look to the tight end or running back groups to find their H-back/FB, and none of Green Bay’s roleplayers in those groups fill the role.
None of the running backs on the roster are great fits there, and it’s worth noting that injuries to Dillon and MarShawn Lloyd could keep that running back room light to open the season, mainly if either player opens the season on the PUP list. Pearson could be a temporary fix if the Packers have only Josh Jacobs and Emanuel Wilson available.
Tight end Tyler Davis is probably the closest thing the team has to that type of role, but it isn’t a perfect fit, and the Packers could upgrade.
The coaching staff loves Davis. In 2022, he was one of Rich Bisaccia’s core special teams players, and his presence was missed last season as the special teams group regressed. It’s hard to imagine Davis not making the roster.
But Davis has not been impressive this offseason. Particularly noteworthy was his being one of Green Bay’s worst offensive players during their nightmare preseason game against the Denver Broncos. Thanks to his constant missed blocks in the run game, he was PFF’s lowest-graded offensive player.
Davis is also missing time thanks to a shoulder injury, further clouding his future.
Only Luke Musgrave and Tucker Kraft are locks to make the roster at tight end.
If the running back room isn’t healthy and the Packers aren’t overly pleased with their tight end depth, Pearson could make the roster, even if the chances are slim. He provides the team with something they don’t currently have and could be a fun piece for the offense.
Thanks to his recently rejoining the team, Pearson didn’t have much time to make a final impression. The fact that he’s been dropped and replaced does show that his roster position wasn’t a priority. However, the team likes Pearson enough to bring him back, and if he doesn’t make the roster, he could still be a priority signing for the practice squad and be elevated as needed, like last season.
“You’ve just got to keep going to work, keep your head down, and take every day like it could be the last,” Pearson said upon rejoining the team. “That’s all you can do, you know?”
Will 2024 be the year of the fullback? We can only hope so.
