‘No Lie Was Told’: Packers Give Real Chance to Undrafted Free Agents

Undrafted free agents Malik Heath, Brenton Cox and Emanuel Wilson kept the Green Bay Packers' impressive streak alive.

Author:
Bill Huber
Publish date:
Aug 30, 2023 10:33 PM EDT

In this story:

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Malik Heath went undrafted and signed with the Green Bay Packers. Emanuel Wilson went undrafted and signed with the Denver Broncos.

Their stories could hardly be more different, though they ended up at the same spot with a place on Green Bay’s 53-man roster.

Wilson lasted just a few days in Denver. He said he got his butt chewed for not knowing what he was doing, even though he was new to the team and no coaches talked to him.

Heath, meanwhile, was quickly integrated into the offense. By the start of training camp, he was getting reps alongside Jordan Love and the starters.

Position coach Jason Vrable “kept saying, ‘We’re going to give you a shot. You just got to be ready. We’re going to give you a shot. We believe in you,’” Heath said on Wednesday. “I felt it. At first, I wasn’t getting my hopes up because I was undrafted. But now, Day 3 of training camp, I was like ‘Oh, yeah, they really messing with me, so I’ve got to come with it.’”

No team spends less on its undrafted free agents than the Packers. Literally. Tight end Ben Sims, who was claimed off waivers from the Vikings on Monday, received more guaranteed money from the Vikings than Green Bay paid its entire undrafted class.

But the Packers, year after year, have found treasure in the trash that is undrafted free agency. Heath, Wilson and Brenton Cox made Green Bay’s initial 53-man roster, marking a 19th consecutive year that at least one made the team.

General manager Brian Gutekunst downplayed the success rate, other than success breeds success in a positive feedback loop.

“When we get to UDFA recruiting, we certainly use that quite a bit,” Gutekunst said on Wednesday. “The one thing I do appreciate working for the Green Bay Packers is that it’s really about, you’re going to get a real opportunity. You’re going to have an opportunity.

“Just because somebody was drafted ahead of you or may have been here for previous years doesn’t mean you’re not going to get an opportunity to make the squad. I do think as we’ve gone into camps that I’ve been a part of here, for the most part, it’s been an open competition and let the guys who perform the best and earn it.”

Wilson said he had no idea about Green Bay’s undrafted history. But the players’ agents do know. While signing bonuses and guaranteed money matter, so too does a client’s chance for success.

Heath beat out seventh-round pick Grant DuBose.

“The opportunity is real around here, for sure,” Heath said. “I don’t know about other organizations but, around here in Green Bay, they treat undrafted players just like they got drafted. Like the players say, once you’re in here after the draft – the draft don’t mean nothing when you come in here.”

Wilson beat out Patrick Taylor, who played in 23 games the past two years.

“This organization gives you the opportunity each and every day,” Wilson said. “I’m blessed with that.”

Especially considering his checkered past, the Packers certainly didn’t need to keep Cox given the strength of the outside linebacker group. But Cox played too well to risk him on waivers.

“No lie was told,” Cox said. “They definitely gave me a shot, left everything in the past, as it should’ve been. I appreciate Matt (LaFleur), I appreciate the organization for doing that.”

Teams pick their rosters not just based on the top 53 players of today but the best 53 for next week, next month and next year.

So, for Cox, Heath and Wilson, making the roster isn’t the finish line. They’ve earned their spot in the main locker room, with Cox next to Rashan Gary, Heath nearby Jordan Love and Wilson next to AJ Dillon. Now, it’s up to them to prove they should stay.

“Me going undrafted, it turned on a switch in my head,” Heath said. “Go time. I got to prove the world wrong and I’m still going to prove them wrong. I ain’t done yet. Just because out in the locker room with the 53, that don’t mean nothing. I still got to go out with that same (undrafted) mindset like somebody still trying to take their job. Got to keep working.”