Packers Roster Moves Before Playoffs Include Change at Quarterback

The Green Bay Packers have a new third quarterback on the end of the roster with Desmond Ridder. Plus, there are three additions to the practice squad.

Green Bay Packers quarterback Clayton Tune looks for a receiver against the Minnesota Vikings. | Dan Powers/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers made a change at the back of their quarterback depth chart on Tuesday, releasing last week’s starter, Clayton Tune, and promoting Desmond Ridder from the practice squad to the 53-man roster.

The Packers also welcomed back a couple familiar faces to their practice squad, signing receiver Julian Hicks and tight end Messian Swinson. They also signed receiver Kisean Johnson to the practice squad.

Big Opportunity for Desmond Ridder

The Packers signed Ridder to the practice squad before Wednesday’s practice last week.

“He’s a guy that we’ve seen up close and personal,” Packers coach Matt LaFleur said on Friday, two days before the Week 18 loss at the Vikings. “We played against him when he was in Atlanta and watching what he did in that game, he led them to a win. So, he’s got experience in the system. I think he’s put in the time. Sean’s been working with him, too. Yeah, he’ll be ready to go if need be.”

Sean is quarterbacks coach Sean Mannion, who was a third-round draft pick in 2015 and a backup through the 2021 season. It was up to Mannion to give Ridder a crash course to get ready for the Minnesota game. Ultimately, he wasn’t elevated for that game but now he’ll be on the roster for the playoffs.

“It’s trying to really prioritize, ‘Hey, what are the things we have to get covered’ in sequence,” Mannion explained. “How do we get him in and out of the huddle? How do we get him to understand our protection scheme? How do we get him to understand our formations? So, you try to stick to the same teaching progression. It’s just really, really accelerated.”

With three quarterbacks on the roster, the Packers would be able to designate an emergency third quarterback for Saturday’s playoff game at the Bears.

Tune had a mission-impossible type of game against the Vikings. Surrounded almost entirely by backups and facing one of the best defenses in the NFL, he was part of one of the worst pass-game performances in franchise history.

The Packers released Clayton Tune today. He was part of one of the worst pass-game performances in franchise history, though putting that all on his shoulders would be unfair. From earlier today: https://t.co/nkA6cRHKD8

— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) January 6, 2026

Ridder was a third-round pick by the Falcons in 2022. With Atlanta, he started four games as a rookie and 13 games in 2023. That includes Week 2, when the Falcons beat Jordan Love and the Packers 25-24. Ridder was 19-of-32 passing for 237 yards with one touchdown and one interception and rushed 10 times for 39 yards and one touchdown.

Ridder spent last season with the Raiders. He threw passes in five games, including a loss in his lone start of the season to Atlanta, when he was 23-of-39 passing for 208 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions and rushed five times for 28 yards.

Packers assistant coach Luke Getsy was the offensive coordinator for part of last season. This season, Ridder spent training camp with the Bengals and served two short stints with the Vikings but didn’t get any game action.

“The thing with Desmond is he’s a quick study,” Mannion said. “He’s a very intelligent guy. He’s been exposed to the type of football, the type of scheme in some way, shape or form at some of his other steps – in Atlanta or some of the other places he’s been. There is some common threads to some degree, so I think that helps kind of accelerate that timeline but, yeah, you’re learning fast.

“But you try to stick to the same teach progression, really, hone in on, ‘Hey, what are the priorities for this week that we have to jump forward to.’ But it’s post-practice work, it’s those type of things.”

More Practice Squad Moves

Kisean Johnson (6-0, 216) is an undrafted rookie from Western Kentucky who spent training camp with the Cleveland Browns.

At Western Kentucky last season, he caught 75 passes for 925 yards (12.3 average) and seven touchdowns.

Before one season with the Hilltoppers, he was a third-team FCS All-American at Alabama State in 2023, when he caught 61 passes for 829 yards and seven touchdowns.

With 4.63 speed in the 40, his Relative Athletic Score was 4.28.

Green Bay Packers wide receiver Julian Hicks makes a catch during training camp. | Sarah Kloepping/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Julian Hicks (6-2, 201) almost quit the game at one point but was signed by the Packers as a tryout player at the team’s rookie camp following the 2024 draft.

He trains with former NFL receiver Mohamed Sanu.

“His nephew went to Albany with me,” Hicks said during the preseason, when he caught five passes. “I met him, connected with him through that. Always told him I was a big fan of his game and would love to work out with him if the opportunity came. Me and him ended up working out. We got super-close. For my draft process, everything I did was with him – workouts, 40 time, mentality, learning everything I can and just tried to pick his brain.”

Messiah Swinson (6-7, 259) initially joined the Packers as an undrafted free agent in 2023. He failed to make the roster and opened the season on the practice squad before he was signed to the Panthers’ 53-man roster. After he was released by Carolina a few weeks later, he returned to Green Bay’s practice squad.

At training camp summer, he failed once again to make Green Bay’s roster. He spent the season on the practice squads of the 49ers and Cardinals.

He will add a big blocker should he get an opportunity.

“I just try to take pride in that and take pride in and do it to the best of my ability,” Swinson said while in Carolina. “My in-line blocking, my run blocking and stuff like that — I didn't have any catches in the preseason. They asked me to do a job and I felt like I went and did it to full extent.”

The Packers have only two tight ends on the roster, Luke Musgrave and Josh Whyle. Drake Dabney was elevated from the practice squad the last two weeks.

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