Scott Has Opponent for Potential Punting Battle
GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers signed 12 members of their practice squad to contracts on Monday, a day after their season-ending loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC Championship Game.
Among them is punter Ryan Winslow, who was signed to the practice squad on Dec. 26.
Winslow, an undrafted free agent out of the University of Pittsburgh in 2018, punted six times in two games for the Arizona Cardinals in 2019 in place of veteran Andy Lee. He had a net average of 44.2 yards on those kicks.
Scott was 28th out of 30 qualifying punters with a 37.0-yard net average this season. While he finished 18th with a 45.5-yard average, just off the franchise record of 45.6 set by Tim Masthay in 2011, he had two punts returned for touchdowns. The lack of improvement from the 2018 fifth-round pick was discouraging for the club. He was 26th with a 38.8-yard net as a rookie and 24th with a 39.9-yard net in 2019.
Winslow competed in training camp for the Chicago Bears in 2018 and the Cardinals in 2019 and again this past summer.
As a senior at Pitt in 2017, Winslow was named first-team all-ACC as he averaged a career-high and conference-best 44.5 yards per punt. He was the team’s punter all four seasons.
His father, George Winslow, punted at the University of Wisconsin for two seasons – he was the Badgers’ first scholarship punter – and then the Cleveland Browns in 1987 and New Orleans Saints in 1989.
Also re-signed were outside linebacker Tipa Galeai, inside linebacker De'Jon Harris, guard Zack Johnson, tight end Isaac Nauta, defensive linemen Willington Previlon and Anthony Rush, cornerback Stanford Samuels, receivers Reggie Begelton and Juwann Winfree, and running backs Mike Weber and Dexter Williams.
Begelton and Winfree were not listed in the team announcement but signed, as well.
Begelton, Winfree, Galeai, Harris, Rush, Samuels and Williams all saw at least some action on special teams if not from scrimmage. Johnson, Previlon and Weber were practice-squad elevations who did not get on the field.
One practice-squad player who didn’t get a deal was defensive tackle Brian Price, even though he saw action in the final two regular-season games and the first playoff game.
The other practice squad players were kicker J.J. Molson, cornerback KeiVarae Russell and receiver Seth Roberts. Russell, a fourth-year player, impressed on special teams in the playoffs. No deal was announced but he presumably will be asked back. Roberts, a sixth-year player, spent the final three months on the practice squad but never was a gameday elevation. Molson was signed to provide insurance should something have happened to veteran Mason Crosby.
The Packers signed receiver Chris Blair, safety Innis Gaines and linebacker Ray Wilborn to futures contracts on Jan. 8.
