Best & Worst Case Scenarios: 2014 Packers Tight Ends

In the best-case scenario, Richard Rodgers leads all Green Bay tight ends in receiving his rookie year. But in the worst-case scenario, Brandon Bostick doesn't even make the Packers' regular-season roster.

Green Bay Packers tight end Andrew Quarless by Andrew Weber—USA TODAY Sports.

Green Bay Packers tight end Andrew Quarless by Andrew Weber—USA TODAY Sports.

It's time for the eighth annual "Best & Worst Case Scenario" series, a feature that goes back to the days of the old RailbirdCentral.com domain.

I attempt to take a look at what is the very best possible season a player is capable of producing, and on the other hand, what would happen if a player fell flat on his face (without assuming they suffer a season-ending injury). These are intended to be extreme scenarios on both sides of the spectrum. More than likely, each player is going to fall somewhere in the middle, but every now and then, they just so happen to come to fruition.

As one final note, I also try to take a look at what these scenarios would be from an individual standpoint and not necessarily what's best (or worst) for the team.

 

Andrew Quarless

Best-case scenario: With Jermichael Finley out of the picture, at least for the time being, Quarless is able to build off his career-highs set in 2013: 32 receptions for 312 yards and two touchdowns. But perhaps best of all, Quarless is another year removed from the devastating knee injury suffered in 2011 and starts to revert back to his pre-injury form. After an apparent regression in his blocking in 2013, Quarless appears to regain the strength and speed he lost. In the passing game, he nears 40 catches for 400 yards and four touchdowns.

Worst-case scenario: Quarless stagnates, not being able to get over the hump from his injury suffered three seasons ago. He's no worse than he was in 2013, but because of the infusion of talent at the tight end position, he sees less playing time than 2013. The repetitions formerly reserved for Quarless as the team's go-to in-line tight end, begin going to some combination of Brandon Bostick and Richard Rodgers. Quarless finishes the season with a pedestrian 20-some receptions for 200 yards, failing to score even a single touchdown.

 

Brandon Bostick

Best-case scenario: The two years invested into developing Bostick pay off as he has a breakout 2014 season. He still has to share playing time with the other tight ends on the roster, not to mention the wide receivers, but he still ends up leading the team in receptions and yards among players at his position. Finishing with roughly 40 receptions for nearly 500 yards and multiple touchdowns, Bostick becomes Aaron Rodgers' top option at tight end as a player with the ability to get downfield and stretch the seam.

Worst-case scenario: As much as the Packers would like Bostick to break out, he's just not the receiving option that Jermichael Finley was. And his finesse style of play doesn't allow him be utilzed as a blocking tight end. When Richard Rodgers and Colt Lyerla display more potential as downfield targets and Quarless handles the in-line duties, Bostick ends up being one of the more surprising cuts of training camp.

 

Ryan Taylor 

Best-case scenario: Entering his fourth year in the NFL, Taylor solidifies his spot on the roster mainly through solid special teams play. Even though he doesn't have the potential of the rookies brought this season and loses out on some playing time to them, Taylor is a reliable offensive player when given the opportunity. He carves out a niche role as an occasional H-back lining up in the backfield, but otherwise his biggest contribution comes as a special teams leader.

Worst-case scenario: Special teams can only carry Taylor so far. When it becomes clear he just doesn't have the same talent as Bostick, Rodgers and Lyerla, the Packers can't justify keeping Taylor based on mediocre special teams play alone. He can merely hope to catch the eye of another NFL team before being cut at the end of training camp.

 

Richard Rodgers

Best-case scenario: Rodgers justifies Ted Thompson's third-round investment by exceeding expecatations in his rookie year. His season may start slowly as he learns the Packers offense and is gradually integrated into it, but before long, Rodgers becomes the most well-rounded tight end on the roster. He's trusted to be on the field in both blocking situations and as a receiver, lining up both in-line and split out wide. Rodgers' rookie season ends with 30-plus receptions in excess of 350 yards and a handful of touchdowns, good enough to lead all Green Bay tight ends.

Worst-case scenario: In his rookie year, Rodgers' biggest contributions might come on special teams. He might get a few snaps here and there on offense, but he proves not to be ready for primetime. Most of the playing time goes to some rotation including Quarless, Bostick, Taylor and Lyerla with Rodgers finding nothing more than spot duty. He frequently finds himself on the gameday inactive list and has nothing more than a handful of receptions by season's end. Better days are down the road.

 

Colt Lyerla

Best-case scenario: First of all and most importantly, Lyerla steers clear of any off-field trouble. With no distractions, he's allowed to concentrate on football, and displays the potential people saw in him as a college football player. Like most rookies, he undergoes a learning curve, but there's reason to believe the Packers may have unearthed a diamond in the rough. Despite sharing playing time with the other tight ends on the roster, Lyerla finds a way to grab more than 25 receptions for 250-plus yards and a handful of touchdowns, hinting of bigger things to come.

Worst-case scenario: Whether it's drugs or plain old poor decision-making, Lyerla somehow manages to find trouble, even in tiny Green Bay, Wisconsin. Things don't go very well for him before getting in trouble either. He tends to be mistake-prone on the field despite flashing talent from time to time. After his off-the-field issues catch up to him, it's not a difficult decision for the Packers to part ways with a player that doesn't show much remorse and isn't worth the trouble of keeping around.

 

Jake Stoneburner

Best-case scenario: Stoneburner makes the proverbial second-year jump, improving greatly from Year 1 to Year 2 in the NFL. No longer does he seem plagued by the rookie mistakes made in 2013. He's a better special teams player, and more importantly, he shows the receiving talent he did during his time at Ohio State. There's not room for Stoneburner on the 53-man roster unless there's injuries ahead of him on the depth chart, but the Packers are determined to keep him on their practice squad.

Worst-case scenario: There's little improvement shown by Stoneburner over the course of the past year. He occasionally flashes potential with an impressive grab or a surpringly solid block during training camp, but he can't seem to put together the entire package. After an up-and-down performance during the preseason, Stoneburner is eventually cut without so much as an invitation to the practice squad.

 

Justin Perillo

Best-case scenario: Perhaps because expectations are so low, Perillo has a way of surprising people with his size and athleticism. He makes a handful of eye-catching plays during training camp and the exhibition season, but unfortunately he's a victim of a deep depth chart at the tight end position. Making it past the NFL's first mandated cutdown date qualifies as a best-case scenario as he gets one more week of NFL exposure before being cut.

Worst-case scenario: Perillo starts at the bottom of the tight end totem pole, and can't find a way to make a climb up. Once he puts the pads on in training camp, he doesn't display the same level of athleticism as the other players on the roster and the Packers have no choice but to part ways with him on the cutdown date to 75 players if not before.

Offensive tackles are next in the series.

Brian Carriveau is the author of the book "It's Just a Game: Big League Drama in Small Town America," and editor at Cheesehead TV and its "Pro Football Draft Preview." To contact Brian, email [email protected].

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Comments (3)

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HankScorpio's picture

July 28, 2014 at 07:40 am

The TE group is one of the most intriguing to watch this camp, IMO. I can see things shaking out in a dozen different ways.

Quarless may or may not prove to be a well-rounded "tradional" TE in the mold of a guy like Mark Chmura.

Same for Richard Rodgers, although rookie TEs are always a dicey proposition.

I don't hold the same fascination with Colt Lyerla that many seem to have but if those people are right and I'm wrong, I guess the same hold true for him.

Brandon Bostick may or may not turn into a legitimate pass catching threat in the mold of the glorified WRs that dot NFL rosters.

Ryan Taylor may or may not step up to a strong challenge for his roster spot and contribute a little on offense while picking up his ST play.

Jake Stoneburner may or may not make a year 2 jump and prove himself a valuable role player.

It'll be fun to watch it all unfold. Hopefully at least one or two is closer to the upside end of things. Early indicators suggest that Richard Rodgers will. But it is still very early and anything can still happen.

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Imma Fubared's picture

August 06, 2014 at 09:04 pm

Great analysis. I was high on Lyerla. Thought he should have a chance and he had the physical skills for sure. With that said, I read, hey if this guy was destined for greatness a lot of other teams would have pushed his troubles behind and drafted him. No one did so maybe they know something football wise that the Packers don't?

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zeke's picture

August 06, 2014 at 09:26 pm

Exactly. That's why UDFA's never make NFL rosters. Ever.

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