Packer Central

Packers’ Latest Roster Moves Focus on Special Teams, Defense

The Green Bay Packers made four more roster moves on Wednesday as they get ready for Saturday night’s playoff game at the Chicago Bears.
Bill Huber|
New Packers defensive lineman Anthony Campbell is shown while with the Seahawks.
New Packers defensive lineman Anthony Campbell is shown while with the Seahawks. | Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images

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Green Bay Packers

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Thirty-two and counting.

The Green Bay Packers made four more roster moves on Wednesday, including placing cornerback/receiver Bo Melton on injured reserve and promoting linebacker Nick Niemann from IR.

With that, the Packers have made 32 transactions since losing to Baltimore. Here are the latest roster moves.

Special Teams Impact

Nick Niemann had 11 tackles on special teams in eight games this season before suffering a torn pectoral at Pittsburgh. His return will help offset the loss of safety Zayne Anderson, who tied for the team lead with 14 tackles on special teams but went on injured reserve after the Baltimore game with an inkle injury, and Melton, who suffered a knee injury while making a tackle on a punt at Minnesota.

Had he stayed healthy, Niemann might have been the team’s first player with 20-plus tackles on special teams since safety Derrick Martin had 21 in 2009.

“He’s a smart guy,” special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia said on Wednesday. “He can play a lot of different places on the kickoff for us (and) he understands the system. Can play a lot of different places in the punt box for us. He’s been a personal protector before, as well, and so hopefully he’s up. We’ll see what happens the rest of the week.”

Bo Melton will be a key loss. A receiver by trade, the Packers moved him to cornerback during the offseason. He had a surprisingly strong training camp and preseason at his new position, but all of his regular-season action came on offense and, as usual, special teams.

Melton had four tackles in kick coverage this season and was a big reason why Daniel Whelan finished fourth in net average.

“He’s our inspirational guy,” Bisaccia said. “It’s not good not having him. I feel worse for him than I do for the rest of us, for what he puts into this and the spirit and the energy that he brings to us. So, he’ll be missed, for sure.”

Melton scored a long touchdown in the first game against the Bears at Lambeau Field.

“That’s a big loss for us,” coach Matt LaFleur said. “Just a Swiss Army knife. There’s nothing he can’t do. I just love the energy he brings to our football team. A great competitor. The moment’s never too big. You’ve seen him make plays now in all three phases. It’s unfortunate but somebody else’s going to have to step up.”

Practice Squad Moves

The Packers placed practice-squad receiver Will Sheppard on injured reserve and filled the spot with former University of Miami defensive tackle Anthony Campbell.

Campbell spent the 2019 and 2020 seasons at Independence Community College in Kansas before transferring to Louisiana-Monroe for the 2021 and 2022 seasons. He then spent his final two collegiate seasons at Miami, where he was coached by NFL legend Jason Taylor. He played in only one game in 2023 and was hoping for a bigger season in 2024.

“It was … depressing a little bit because I think I was ready, but I know to focus on myself,” Campbell told The Sun-Sentinel. “Coach Taylor’s been pushing me, saying, ‘Focus on your footwork’ and all that stuff. He’s been pushing me about stuff like that. So, I know I wasn’t ready. But now I’m ready.”

Campbell, however, played in eight games in 2024. In 56 snaps in two seasons at Miami, he had a half-sack, one tackle and one pass breakup.

As an undrafted free agent, he spent training camp and the preseason season with Seahawks. In 14 snaps against Green Bay in the final preseason game, he had two tackles. He spent one day on Seattle’s practice squad.

With a scant college resume, why is he getting an opportunity? At 6-foot-6 and 307 pounds, his Relative Athletic Score was 8.24.

Sheppard’s injury explains why the Packers signed receivers Julian Hicks and Kisean Johnson to the practice squad on Tuesday.

Sheppard served a brief stint on Green Bay’s 53-man roster this season but was passed over for rookie Jakobie Keeney-James when the team made a series of roster moves for the Week 18 loss to the Vikings.

The native of Jamaica moved to the United States when he was 14.

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Bill Huber
BILL HUBER

Bill Huber, who has covered the Green Bay Packers since 2008, is the publisher of Packers On SI, 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.