Packer Central

Packers Sign Three Players, Release Three

The Green Bay Packers made official the signing of three tryout players from their minicamp and released three players on Monday.

Bill Huber

Nov 18, 2023; Ames, Iowa, USA; Texas Longhorns linebacker Jaylan Ford (41) looks to tackles Iowa
Nov 18, 2023; Ames, Iowa, USA; Texas Longhorns linebacker Jaylan Ford (41) looks to tackles Iowa / Reese Strickland-USA TODAY Sports
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GREEN BAY, Wis. – For Dimitri Stanley and Julian Hicks, a pair of undrafted rookie receivers, and guard Lecitus Smith, a former Arizona Cardinals draft pick, their performance at the Green Bay Packers’ rookie camp earned them spots on the roster.

On Monday, the other shoe dropped as the Packers released cornerback Anthony Johnson and defensive end Deandre Johnson and waived/injured receiver Thyrick Pitts.

All three players signed futures deals at the end of the season, with Anthony Johnson and Pitts having served stints on the practice squad.

Anthony Johnson – not to be confused with the safety by the same name – dropped an interception at Saturday’s practice. The Packers have nine cornerbacks on the roster, including seventh-round pick Kalen King and recent addition Gemon Green.

Deandre Johnson, unlike another first-year defensive end, Deslin Alexandre, had a quiet rookie camp. The Packers have nine defensive ends of the roster, none of whom were added in this year’s draft or college free agency.

Pitts was present for the rookie camp but rehabbing an injury. The Packers have 11 receivers on the roster, including Stanley – the son of former Packers receiver Walter Stanley – and Hicks along with former quarterback Alex McGough.

“It’s just good to get them in the building to start to form a relationship with these guys and find out what they’re all about and try to push them to be their best,” coach Matt LaFleur said on Friday. “You want to see everything they do, from the meeting room to on the field and how they compete. I think that’s huge for us.

“I think in my time here, Gutey and his crew do such a great job of bringing in high-character, especially high-football-character individuals, guys that truly love the game, that want to be great. And that makes our job a hell of a lot easier and it makes it a lot more fun, too, when you’re working with guys that want to put in the work, that are willing to do all the little things that it takes in order to be their best. So, it’s great to get the guys in the building, get them acclimated and start to get to know them.”

The Packers’ veterans are continuing their offseason workouts this week. The whole team will be back together for the start of organized team activities on May 20.

More Green Bay Packers News

“Amazing”: Walter Stanley’s son signs with Packers

Rookie Camp: Day 1 | Broken toe for Oladapo | Michael Pratt | Signed: Dimitri Stanley | Julian Hicks | Lecitus Smith

All-Star Scouts: Jordan Morgan | Edgerrin Cooper | Javon Bullard | MarShawn Lloyd | Ty’Ron Hopper | Evan Williams, Kitan Oladapo | Travis Glover

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Bill Huber

BILL HUBER

Bill Huber, who has covered the Green Bay Packers since 2008, is the publisher of Packer Central, a Sports Illustrated channel. E-mail: packwriter2002@yahoo.com History: Huber took over Packer Central in August 2019. Twitter: https://twitter.com/BillHuberNFL Background: Huber graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, where he played on the football team, in 1995. He worked in newspapers in Reedsburg, Wisconsin Dells and Shawano before working at The Green Bay News-Chronicle and Green Bay Press-Gazette from 1998 through 2008. With The News-Chronicle, he won several awards for his commentaries and page design. In 2008, he took over as editor of Packer Report Magazine, which was founded by Hall of Fame linebacker Ray Nitschke, and PackerReport.com. In 2019, he took over the new Sports Illustrated site Packer Central, which he has grown into one of the largest sites in the Sports Illustrated Media Group.