Packers Sign 13, Including Etling, ‘Freaks List’ Safety

Ramiz Ahmed and Juwann Winfree were not retained by the Green Bay Packers on Tuesday.

Author:
Bill Huber
Updated:
Jan 10, 2023 8:53 PM EST
Original:
Jan 10, 2023

In this story:

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers signed 13 players to futures contracts on Tuesday, a list that didn’t include kicker Ramiz Ahmed or veteran receiver Juwann Winfree.

The Packers did retain quarterback Danny Etling and running back Tyler Goodson from their practice squad.

Etling, a seventh-round pick by the Patriots in 2018, had an excellent preseason as Jordan Love’s backup. Had he thrown enough passes to qualify, he would have ranked first in completion percentage and second in passer rating. Plus, he rushed for a 51-yard touchdown.

Goodson, an undrafted free agent from Iowa, also parlayed a strong preseason into a spot on the practice squad. He had a 24-yard touchdown run and a 23-yard reception during the three exhibition games. Goodson was elevated to the gameday roster for Week 17 vs. Minnesota but didn’t play.

Also retained from the practice squad were tight ends Austin Allen and Nick Guggemos, receiver Jeff Cotton, offensive tackle Jean Delance, defensive tackle Chris Slayton, outside linebacker La’Darius Hamilton and cornerback Kiondre Thomas.

The final four were kicker Parker White, cornerbacks Tyrell Ford and Benjie Franklin, and safety James Wiggins.

Franklin spent the first handful of weeks of the regular season on Green Bay’s practice squad. At Tarleton State, he intercepted eight passes with two pick-sixes in three seasons. He went undrafted and spent training camp with the Jacksonville Jaguars. At 5-foot-11 1/2, he ran his 40 in 4.32 seconds.

“That guy is really twitchy and when he breaks, he is going to break on that ball and he is going to get there and close fast,” Jaguars cornerback Shaq Griffin said. “I love the way Benjie has been attacking this field. The way he has been practicing. He is definitely a sponge.”

Ford (5-11, 188), a native of Niagara Falls, Ontario, was the 13th pick of this year’s CFL Draft by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. He played in 18 games and had three tackles on defense and 10 on special teams as a rookie.

Wiggins (5-11, 209) was a seventh-round pick by the Arizona Cardinals in 2021. He played on special teams in three games for the Cardinals as a rookie, then spent some time on the Kansas City Chiefs’ practice squad this year. At Cincinnati, he had four interceptions in 2018, missed 2019 with a torn ACL and was a second-team All-American in 2020.

In 2018, Wiggins was named to Bruce Feldman’s annual Freaks List. (Rashan Gary was No. 1 on the list.) He ran his 40 in 4.40 seconds at the Scouting Combine.

Wrote Feldman: “One of the higher-ranked recruits Cincinnati has signed in recent years, the 5-11, 205-pound one-time Miami commit from South Florida is super strong for his size. He benches 405, squats 675 and has tremendous burst, broad jumping 11-0, vertical leaping 37 inches and timing 4.40 in the 40.”

Afterward, Wiggins’ teammates started calling him “Freak.”

“He's got as much ability as pretty much any safety that I've been around," then-coach Luke Fickell, who is Wisconsin’s new coach, told GoBearcats.com. “There's still a long way to go, but he has the raw natural talent. The ability to learn the football game is where we're still trying to grow and he hasn't done it on a Saturday just yet. But I see great growth in him. And I don't just mean as an athlete – he's always been that. But his confidence in understanding and playing the game of football.”

White had a big-time senior season at South Carolina.

Winfree is leaving, in search of a fresh start and a better opportunity after the Packers drafted Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs and Samori Toure in 2022 and added another 2022 draft pick, Bo Melton, late in the season.

Winfree signed with the Packers in 2020 and spent three years on their practice squad. He caught eight passes in 2021 and one pass in three games this season but was stuck on the practice squad for the final 11 games.

Ahmed and fellow kicker Matt Ammendola, receiver Travis Fulgham, outside linebacker Tim Ward, injured inside linebacker DQ Thomas and center Michal Menet were not retained. Ahmed was elevated for the Week 17 game against Minnesota but injured his groin during pregame, perhaps the byproduct of going about 40 consecutive weeks between the USFL and the NFL seasons. He made a 61-yard field goal in the USFL.