Colt Lyerla invited to tryout with Packers
Colt Lyerla is getting his chance to remake his image as an NFL tight end. The Packers may need him after letting Jermichael Finley walk this offseason.
Steve Dykes
Colt Lyerla still faces an uncertain future, but at least he's playing some football again. The beleaguered former Oregon Ducks tight end made an appearance on the Green Bay Packers' rookie orientation roster Friday, according to ESPN's Rob Demovsky. He is with the team on a tryout basis, hoping to earn a contract on a team in need of tight end help.
Lyerla is trying to enter the league after leaving Oregon for personal reasons during his junior season. He was coming off a one-game suspension for violating team rules, though the violation was never specified. There had been reports that he and head coach Mark Helfrich had been at odds, though Lyerla’s issues may have extended beyond the Oregon football program.
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Lyerla was witnessed by police snorting cocaine in a Eugene parking lot a little more than two weeks after leaving Oregon. At the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis this past February, Lyerla addressed his arrest, and his prospects at the next level.
“I’d say that I’ve put myself in a position where my back’s against the wall, to a point that if I don’t do everything perfect and the right way, that I won’t be able to play football, let alone be successful in any shape and form.”
From a purely football perspective, there is every reason to believe Lyerla can become an NFL contributor. He played multiple position for the Ducks, contributing at running back and splitting out wide in addition to his in-line duties. Lyerla has a nice frame at 6’4, 242 pounds, to go with a 4.61 40-yards dash, 39-inch vertical and 128-inch broad jump recorded in Indy.
Lyerla didn’t post eye-popping numbers at Oregon, topping out at 25 receptions for 392 yards and six touchdowns in 2012, but he was also just a sophomore in eligibility. He was a player trending upwards, quickly.
Lyerla's off-field issues won't be ignored by NFL teams, and understandably, but his potential could earn him a relatively inexpensive contract as an undrafted free agent. The Packers' interest makes sense, after they let go of Jermichael Finley in the offseason. The team has said that it may bring Finley back, and drafted Richard Rodgers out of Cal in the third round of the 2014 NFL Draft, but adding Lyerla could help the Packers soothe depth concerns while they decide on a first-team option.
If Lyerla plays up to his capability, he will be signed quickly and could go on to a long career. His margin for error is slim, however, and it appears he knows it.
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