It's not often that you hear about an NFL franchise being "keenly disappointed" that they lost a practice squad candidate to another team, but in this day and age of high-flying offenses and continual acts of unintentional injury attrition - Jordy Nelson - the importance of organizational depth, especially among the offensive skill positions, cannot possibly be overstated. It's not really all that surprising then to hear from Bob McGinn and Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel that sources within the Green Bay Packers organization indicate the team is "keenly disappointed" to have lost undrafted free agent tight end Mitchell Henry to the Denver Broncos this weekend.
Henry, a Western Kentucky product signed by Thompson immediately after the 2015 NFL Draft, as awarded to the Broncos and GM John Elway via waivers on Saturday.
While Henry had little-to-no chance of impacting the Packers roster this season, it's likely that Thompson and head coach Mike McCarthy believed that with some seasoning and time to develop, Henry could potentially turn into a serious contributor for a Packers offense that is fairly unsettled at the tight end position.
Andrew Quarless, set to enter his sixth NFL season, and Richard Rodgers, on the verge of NFL Year Two, currently sit atop the depth chart for the Packers. Neither player is well-established as an offensive threat at this point, though Rodgers did 20 receptions, 225 yards and two touchdowns during a promising rookie season. With Nelson done for the year, Quarless and Rodgers will see ample targets, but it's uncertain what they'll be able to do with the increased looks.
And considering the Packers haven't had a serious receiving threat at the tight end position since Jermichael Finley, it makes sense that Thompson would be upset over losing a developmental prospect he liked at the position.
While Henry played in Conference USA during college and faced questions of his functional strength and blocking ability entering the pre-draft process, he's considered a natural hands catcher who could have a future in the NFL as a move tight end or H-back - qualities that would have potentially fit well in Green Bay.
