Just the mindset you have to have and all the extra things that come with this league. He led Green Bay with eight receptions for 68 yards and two touchdowns in the 2019 preseason and was the featured kickoff and punt returner for the first two months of the regular season. The Packers' cut decisions at wide receiver were pretty straightforward aside from one unexpected move. I’m glad that I landed here. You're seeing just that desire to improve and get better. Our subscribers make this coverage possible. "People kind of assumed he was whatever type of player just based off a couple plays that didn't go his way. Getty GREEN BAY - With Devin Funchess opting out before the start of training camp, the only brand-new members to the 2020 Green Bay Packers’ training camp receiving corps were free-agent signees Reggie Begelton (Canadian Football League) and Malik Turner (Seattle). Obviously, they saw something in me.”. He is hoping to change that come cutdown day on Saturday. While Taylor was originally expected to join them on the cut pile, Matt Schneidman of The Athletic reported later in the morning the Packers intended to keep him on their initial 53-man roster for the 2020 season. “I just believe you need to trust your training, trust the work that you put in,” he said. Taylor played collegiate football for Ferris State. And then you see it on the field.". The 6-foot-1, 220-pound Taylor spent all of 2019 on the practice squad after being signed as an undrafted free agent out of Ferris State, a Football Championship Subdivision program in Big Rapids, Michigan. — Matt Schneidman (@mattschneidman) September 5, … ", Packers tight end paved his own path with help from mother Tammy, Fourth-year running back had a career-high 95 receiving yards vs. Atlanta, Meditation, sharpened focus have led to Packers cornerback's strong start, How Molly Crosby's cancer battle strengthened her husband's own comeback, Veteran steps in at RT, plays well alongside Lucas PatrickÂ, Seventh-year center continues to be as humble as he is productive, Former seventh-round draft pick filled in as signal-caller in a tough spot, Mike Pettine finding more ways to get the Smith Bros. and Rashan Gary on the field together, Pass-catching improvements have made Packers running back the total package, Aaron Rodgers fine with his Pro Bowl wideout not practicing if he's physically ready for the game, "Swerve" has been a perfect fit for Green Bay. After starting the 2020 season on the practice squad, Shepherd was promoted to the active roster in time for last Sunday's 37-30 win over the New Orleans Saints, playing 23 snaps. YEAR TEAM G REC YDS AVG LNG TD 1st 1st% 20+ 40+ 2019 Green Bay Packers GREEN BAY – For as much publicity as Darrius Shepherd drew a year ago, the former undrafted free agent was relatively unheralded during his second training camp with the Packers. The 5-foot-11, 186-pound receiver continued to catch the ball at the same frequency he did during his improbable rise from a tryout player at Green Bay's rookie minicamp to becoming the only rookie free agent to make the Packers' initial 53 in 2019. “He's a guy this offseason who just mentally got to kind of take a breath and just hone in on the details of our offense. Official Game Stats for WR Malik Taylor. WK Game Date OPP RESULT REC YDS AVG LNG TD ATT YDS AVG LNG TD FUM LOST; 3 : 09/28/2020 Be sure to download our app on iTunes or Google Play. And 'Shep' is picking Davante's brain about releases and certain things," quarterback Aaron Rodgers said. When it comes down to it, you have to be happy with what happens.”. Powered by. Packers WR Darrius Shepherd never stopped believing in himself Second-year receiver completes comeback to Green Bay’s 53-man roster Oct 02, 2020 at 06:05 PM Few roster projections — if any — gave Malik Taylor very good chances to make the Green Bay’s active roster this season, and yet the 2019 practice-squad holdover was one of just five Packers receivers left standing after Saturday’s cutdown deadline. 2 spot behind Adams. Taylor has a different body type than most of the receivers on the team in that only Allen Lazard is heavier at 227 pounds, though Lazard is four inches taller. 82, the number his father wore in college, Shepherd wants to step up and show how far he's come over the past 11 months. Then there is Malik Taylor, who is known only to the Packers' front office and coaches. There is also the possibility that the Packers are using Taylor as a placeholder for another addition that could come over the next few days. Malik Taylor is an American football wide receiver for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). He did participate in Central Michigan’s pro day in 2019, and he ran a 4.4-second 40-yard dash and posted a 36-inch vertical leap. So what is it about the second-year wide receiver that convinced the Packers to keep him? We always talk about digging at the details and that's what's gonna make you successful. Three Packers bright spots, three concerns, Packers rookie LB Kamal Martin sidelined by knee surgery, Packers seeking more interceptions from safeties, Run stopper Tyler Lancaster showing pass-rush prowess, ience with former CFL star Reggie Begelton, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. Just go out there and do what you’ve been doing the whole training camp. Taylor was obviously in the mix to make the roster, but few people would have put money on him over others like Kumerow or Shepherd prior to the cutdown. Another possibility? This has been an undeniably tough stretch for Green Bay's receiving corps, which lost Equanimeous St. Brown (knee) to injured reserve two weeks ago. Click to subscribe to Packers News at packersnews.com/subscribe. “What I did when I came out here is I had the mindset to do everything right, to do all the little extra things,” Taylor said. "Damn near every time I come in the Hutson Center … I walk in and do the same thing, put my helmet down. Career Stats for WR Malik Taylor. If not, you just have to keep your head up and go to the next thing.”. The following browsers are supported: Chrome, Edge (v80 and later), Firefox and Safari. Malik Taylor focused on 'digging into the details' Packers WR Malik Taylor talks about getting into the regular-season routine and continuing to compete for a spot on the roster. — Matt Schneidman (@mattschneidman) September 5, 2020. "I always believed in myself but having to go through last year really kicked in, 'Hey, this is what I want to do,' and (I) worked to get better. “My mindset is still going out there every day, doing the best that I can, controlling what I can control. So he comes into training camp and has a better grasp on our offense and what we're asking for.”. The front office does a great job. "That sticks with you. Sure enough, Taylor was retained behind Davante Adams, Allen Lazard, Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Equanimeous St. Brown. Six other receivers on the roster, from Davante Adams to Darrius Shepherd, are relatively known quantities in that they either have draft status with the Packers or have regular-season game film to their name. Malik Taylor #86 of the Green Bay Packers looks on prior to a preseason game against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium on August 15, 2019 in Baltimore, Maryland. Malik Taylor, WR, Green Bay Packers, stats and updates at CBSSports.com. The Packers have seen something in Taylor that fans and reporters have missed, a byproduct of there being no preseason games for players to showcase their growth. The Packers have expressed an interest in deploying return specialist Tyler Ervin as both a receiver and a rusher in the upcoming year with his versatile skill set creating matchup problems for opposing defenses. Shepherd didn't receive a single contract offer as a college free agent despite winning four NCAA Division I FCS titles at North Dakota State and leaving as the school's second all-time leading receiver. The Packers began reducing their numbers from 80 to 53 players on Saturday morning with the release of fan-favorite wideout Jake Kumerow, who received the company of fellow wide receivers Darrius Shepherd, Reggie Begelton and Malik Turner over the next few hours. Can he contribute on special teams? Shepherd encountered some adversity during that eight-game stretch, particularly against Detroit in Week 6 when he dropped a pass on the goal line that led to an interception and muffed a punt. Adams commends Shepherd for not allowing those rookie setbacks to "rattle" him and points to the young receiver's football IQ as an invaluable resource that's helped everyone in the receiver room, the three-time Pro Bowler included. Follow the Heavy on Packers Facebook page for the latest breaking news, rumors and content! Video related to packers keep unlikely receiver for initial 53-man roster, Taylor told reporters last week of his experience in 2019, Matt LaFleur Shoots Down Narrative About Packers QBs. Don’t ever let somebody tell you, you can’t do something. He didn’t make the Packers out of training camp, but the coaches felt he had tremendous upside and could play physically and would spend the entire year learning the offense on the practice squad. He is hoping to change that come cutdown day on Saturday. Latest on WR Malik Taylor including news, stats, videos, highlights and more on NFL.com The dude is so smart just naturally, and then what he does with it – his focus, the way he helps out other guys on the field – and this is only his second year in the league.". In 2016 and '17, Taylor caught 108 passes for 1,923 yards and 11 touchdowns to get on the radar of NFL scouts. Latest on Green Bay Packers wide receiver Malik Taylor including news, stats, videos, highlights and more on ESPN "Something about him just wanted to help me out and we've kind of just grown from there and became friends.". The Packers kept four tight ends along with three other running backs, all of which have pass-catching potential the team aims to exploit. Now back on the active roster and wearing No. Obviously they see something in this receiver rom. “Obviously, they saw something in me. These are the fine line by which Taylor must stand above the others in the room, all of whom have either NFL or CFL experience. Does that mean anything for Taylor? "It's crazy, I can go back to college and I remember watching Davante Adams highlights and trying to figure out how he was killing these guys in the league," Shepherd said. Remember, Lazard was completely left off the initial 2019 roster and was given even slimmer odds to make an impact last season. He was released on Oct. 29, 2019, but signed to Green Bay's practice squad two days later. If they keep you, they keep you. Has his run-blocking been physical and effective? First off, it should be noted that Taylor is expected to be the sixth receiver in the rotation this season despite there only being five true wideouts on the roster. Then there is Malik Taylor, who is known only to the Packers' front office and coaches. The former sixth-round pick will be eligible to return to practice after the bye week. The Packers are keeping former Ferris State WR and 2019 UDFA Malik Taylor on their initial 53-man roster, per source. Shepherd's rigorous study habits didn't change, either. Last year, it was a big thing for me to come into the NFL, obviously from a D-II school. Lazard's injury leaves Shepherd and first-year receiver Malik Taylor as the only other receivers currently on the active roster behind Adams and third-year veteran Marquez Valdes-Scantling, though running back Tyler Ervin also has been working in the receiver room this year. Thank God. The pair often use the word “consistency,” but for them they want it to come on the finer points of the position, not so much splash plays that would wow a crowd.