Undrafted rookie tight end Colt Lyerla was all the rage when training camp started. Now he’s an afterthought.
An injury will do that.
Lyerla, who injured his knee during Family Night, has a torn MCL and PCL and is expected to miss three more weeks. That means he won’t be back before training camp ends. It also means he has zero chance of making the Green Bay Packers opening day roster.
The only question now is if the Packers will just choose to release Lyerla or if they’ll put him on injured reserve. The latter designation means Lyerla won’t play or practice this season, but the Packers will retain his rights.
That would give Lyerla a chance to shake off the rust, make the team next year when he’s fully healthy and become the hero everyone seems to expect him to be.
Although he claimed not to understand the team’s options, it sounds like he does understand them and hopes the Packers choose injured reserve.
“I don’t know what they can do and can’t,” Lyerla said, “but I’m pretty much good with whatever they decide to do even if it’s IR. I feel like a year being here and being around the guys and being able to learn the system more will do a lot of good if it came to that.”
That’s probably true.
Lyerla will have to prove he can still play though. He has the physical tools, but prior to training camp, hadn’t played football since September of 2013. The rust showed during the first week of training camp.
If he makes it through to next year, he’ll pretty much be in the same situation.