Packers Trade Van Lanen, Release Scott, Put Hill on PUP
GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers officially reached the 80-player roster limit on Tuesday. Unofficially, they got down to 79.
First, the unofficial move: As first reported by ESPN.com, the Packers traded offensive lineman Cole Van Lanen to the Jacksonville Jaguars for a seventh-round draft pick. Now, the official moves: Running back Kylin Hill will open the regular season on the physically unable to perform list, and safety Vernon Scott (shoulder) and receiver Danny Davis (ankle) were waived/injured.
Van Lanen ran with the starters as the No. 1 right tackle for most of the offseason but had fallen into the second unit, rotating between left tackle, left guard and right tackle. His versatility was an asset for a team that covets versatility but, with Elgton Jenkins and David Bakhtiari on the comeback trail, a unit that had been weak throughout camp could be dealing from a position of strength.
A native of nearby Suamico, Wis., who played at Wisconsin, Van Lanen was a sixth-round pick last year. He played in only one offensive snap as a rookie, a kneeldown to run out a late-season victory over the Vikings. He entered training camp this summer hoping to show he was a really good football player rather than just a really cool story.
Hill was transferred from the training camp version of the physically unable to perform list to the regular-season version. With that, he will miss at least the first four games of the regular season due to the ACL injury sustained at Arizona last season.
Hill has been going hard during his rehab, with a lot of full-speed cutting, but the decision opens the door for Patrick Taylor or Tyler Goodson to be the third man in the backfield.
The injury to Scott was a blow given he had ascended into the No. 3 role following a productive series of practices.
In a noteworthy development at practice on Tuesday, nickel cornerback Rasul Douglas joined Adrian Amos as the starting safeties with Darnell Savage still out with a hamstring injury. Going with Douglas in a combo role could free up a roster spot in the defensive backfield.
Among the true safeties, Shawn Davis would appear to be the No 3, though Dallin Leavitt has been doing on-the-field rehab following a shoulder injury. Rookie Tariq Carpenter is back following a knee injury and Micah Abernathy has been a standout as an injury replacement.
Davis is an undrafted rookie from Wisconsin. For what he lacks in size and speed, he made up for with hands. He scored a touchdown in the preseason game at San Francisco.
“Danny has shown much improvement, especially coming from OTAs to now,” coach Matt LaFleur said early in camp. “He knows what to do, and when you know what to do, you can go out there and play much more free, much more confident, much faster and I think that’s been reflective of his play.”
The Packers will close the preseason at the Kansas City Chiefs on Thursday night. From there, general manager Brian Gutekunst must pick his initial 53-man roster by 3 p.m. Tuesday.
