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Bronson Kaufusi # 92 of the Baltimore Ravens pitches against Chase Daniel # 4 of the Chicago Bears in the first quarter of the Hall of Fame game at the Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium on August 2, 2018 in Canton, Ohio.
A hybrid pass rusher with experience in defensive lineman, outside linebacker and tight end has made a futures deal with the Green Bay Packers.
The Packers signed Bronson Kaufusi, one of them, on Friday Selection for the Baltimore Ravens in the third round in 2016, known for a reserve / future contract for the 2021 season. This makes Bronson Kaufusi the fourth external talent to secure a place on Green Bay’s next offseason list. The Packers invited him to visit on Monday along with Breeland Speaks, the former defensive end of the Kansas City Chiefs.
At 6-foot-6,275 pounds, Kaufusi certainly has the stature of a defensive lineman, but his Speed and athleticism have seen him preferred as an external linebacker / edge rusher during his fifth year NFL career. The same tools motivated the New York Jets to turn him into a close ending for the 2020 season, which believes his versatility.
It remains to be seen whether the Packers are more interested in him as a blocking end or as a pass rusher , but they would have the motivation to explore one of the two locations. Marcedes Lewis, the Packers’ top blocking tight end, is going to be a free agent this spring, while finding a good pass rushing depth can be difficult.
Kaufusi is now joining a group of Packers Futures players, which includes wide receiver Chris Blair, defenseman Innis Gaines and linebacker Ray Wilborn.
Kaufusi had been recognized as a versatile player prior to joining in 2016, having been with BYU had played for both the defender and the linebacker. In 2012/13 he played 20 games for the BYU men’s basketball team as a newcomer and showed his athleticism as a disruptive front defender.
While Kaufusi lacked a certain degree of speed and explosiveness, the Ravens were still of his depth potential for theirs Kader won over and took him with the # 70 overall pick, adding him to a deep group of edge rushers that at the time included veteran Terrell Suggs and current packers outside linebacker Za’Darius Smith. Unfortunately, his efforts were cut short when he broke his ankle in training camp and missed his entire rookie season.
While Kaufusi won a substitute defender job on his return in 2017, he only saw the field in three games and ended with a total of five tackles, was cut in the following preseason and spent most of the next three seasons with the Jets. He’s had a total of eight tackles, two quarterback hits, and a half sack in nine defense games.
Tech-wise, Kaufusi arrives at Green Bay, which is classified as a close end, but the position switch got him in his senior year in New York did not provide opportunities for an active roster. Hence, it is difficult to say whether Kaufusi has an interest in staying on the offensive. Even so, it wasn’t long since the Packers attempted a similar move with a talent with a deep squad.
Last December, the Packers switched 6-foot-3,287-pound James Looney from a defensive lineman to a tight end in an odd stride head coach Matt LaFleur came about due to Looney’s hard work on specialty teams. (Interestingly, the Jets gave almost the same reason for switching Kaufusi to a tight end). The experiment didn’t pay off for Looney and the Packers as it was released before the 2020 season, but perhaps a higher-level talent can fulfill his vision for such a player.
Ref: https://heavy.com
