The Green Bay Packers claimed two players off of waivers on Wednesday, just one day after submitting their initial 53-man roster. The two players were safety Zayne Anderson from the Buffalo Bills and tight end Ben Sims from the Minnesota Vikings. To make room for Anderson and Sims, the Packers parted ways with linebacker Tariq Carpenter and defensive lineman Jonathan Ford.
Anderson may not play a ton of snaps on defense, but he could contribute on special teams after making three special teams tackles for Buffalo during the preseason. Today, however, we are focusing on Sims and what he could bring to this Green Bay team. The Packers had previous interest in Sims, who they hosted on an official top-30 visit ahead of the 2023 NFL draft. In college, he caught 78 passes for 785 yards and 12 touchdowns over 43 games and 30 starts at Baylor.
Buy Packers TicketsBut back in April, Sims was not among the 259 draft picks and ended up signing with Minnesota as an undrafted free agent. And despite having a solid training camp and preseason, he was unable to secure a spot within the Vikings’ deep tight end room. Now, he finds himself in Green Bay, where there should be plenty of opportunity to earn snaps on a far less crowded depth chart.
Between Luke Musgrave and Tyler Kraft, Sims is the third rookie tight end on the roster. The Packers are hoping they can count on Musgrave as a receiving tight end, but no one has stepped up as a blocker. That could be where Sims enters the equation after what he put on tape for Minnesota during the preseason.
If you couldn’t already tell, we are looking at Sims’ skillset for this week’s film room.
Let’s get started.
At Baylor, Sims was counted on as a run blocker. In fact, he logged nearly 1,000 run-blocking snaps in college. Sims (#81) is too slow off the ball in our first play, however, he does his job by maintaining solid leverage to prevent the defender from scraping down the line of scrimmage. Also, it does look like the defender trips rather than Sims forcing him to the ground. Honestly, I don’t think it’s the cleanest rep regarding hand placement, but he is clearly a willing blocker who finishes plays and is unafraid to get his hands dirty.
The Packers already have an H-back in Josiah Deguara, but I do like this rep from Sims. Here, he is tasked with a split flow block and does a good job attacking the defender’s inside shoulder, opening up a nice hole for the running back for a decent gain.
Sims caught only three passes in the preseason. And while he isn’t known for his receiving ability, this was a solid route and a good catch to pick up 33 yards. Sims uses his size (6-5, 250 lbs) to high point this ball and then shows toughness to finish the play through contact. He may not catch a ton of passes during his NFL career, but he is capable.
In this play, Sims showcases his play strength as a run blocker. He uses good leg drive to wash the defender down the line of scrimmage and open a hole for the running back to get into the end zone. This is a good example of Sims proving he can generate movement in the run game.
Sims’ technique as a blocker needs some fine tuning but there is something to work with. He has a tendency to bring his helmet first, which prevents him shooting his hands and gaining initial control. However, even though the edge rusher gets his hands into Sims and extends his arms, Sims recovers and rotates his hips to wall off the defender to create a rushing lane. Solid rep overall.
Let’s finish off with another catch, shall we? It is obvious that Sim can run and has surprisingly decent wiggle after the catch. He tested well, as evidenced by his RAS score, and that athleticism translates to the field. Sims could use his deceptive speed to his advantage, and I must say I wasn’t expecting this juke move to make a guy miss. It’s a really nice play by Green Bay’s new tight end.
Conclusion
Sims is a tough-minded player and a good athlete. For those reasons, I think he could have a role on special teams, filling in for injured Tyler Davis. From an offensive perspective, I’m not confident the Packers will play him over their other options. He would primarily be utilized as an in-line blocker, but he is raw and needs to continue working on his technique. You could probably make the same argument for Kraft, but he is also a third-round pick who needs to develop. Unless someone gets injured, I’m not sure Sims will see a ton of snaps on offense, but he has a chance to be a core special teamer.
