Packers Sign Player for Fifth Time in 18 Months

The Green Bay Packers needed an offensive lineman for the practice squad and filled it with a familiar face. A very familiar face.

Packers center Lecitus Smith in action against Seattle in the preseason. | Kayla Wolf-Imagn Images

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers had an open spot on their practice squad and filled it with a familiar face on Wednesday.

An incredibly familiar face.

For the fifth time, they have signed interior offensive lineman Lecitus Smith. The move comes a day after the Packers placed starting center Elgton Jenkins on injured reserve and promoted linebacker Kristian Welch from the practice squad.

The revolving-door last year-and-a-half is remarkable. That he keeps returning to Green Bay speaks to his work ethic, attitude and, yes, talent.

This year, the Packers …

• Signed Smith to the training camp roster on Aug. 5.

• Released Smith among the final roster cuts on Aug. 26.

• Signed Smith to the practice squad on Sept. 24.

• Elevated Smith to the gameday roster for the Sept. 28 game at Dallas.

• Released him from the practice squad on Nov. 4, part of a flurry of roster moves necessitated by Tucker Kraft going on injured reserve.

• Signed Smith to the practice squad on Wednesday.

That’s just in the last three-plus months. In 2024, the Packers …

• Signed Smith to the offseason roster on May 6 following a successful tryout at the rookie camp.

• Released Smith among the final roster cuts on Aug. 27.

• Signed Smith to the practice squad on Aug. 28.

On Oct. 15, the Patriots signed Smith to their 53-man roster off Green Bay’s practice squad. He spent the rest of the season with New England, even starting one game as an extra tight end, before he was released in March 2025.

Smith was a sixth-round pick by the Arizona Cardinals in 2022. He played in 10 games with two starts for the Cardinals as a rookie but didn’t play in any games in 2023. Last season, he played in eight games for the Patriots, with five snaps on offense and 28 on special teams.

Smith kept grinding this year, even though he was without a team between his release from New England and returning to Green Bay in August.

“Oh, no, no, no, no,” Smith said. “It’s not hard to keep going because we’ve been playing this game since 8 years old and this is what you’ve been doing for many, many years of your life. The alternative to that is like, ‘Oh, wow, what’s next?’ So, you don’t stop grinding. You just keep praying for a call. Keep grinding, keep praying for a call. It’s all you can do but the grind don’t stop.”

His desire to continue his NFL career didn’t stop, either.

“I want to show that I can be a consistent, good football player for this team,” he said. “I think that’s what they want to see out of me. They want to see a guy that can play multiple spots – both guard spots, center, of course – and be able to do it consistently. Not high one day and low the next or no drop-off. Just being a consistent, good football player. I get to that point and I’m consistent with that, I think I’ll be happy with myself.”

Packers Practice Squad

Here’s an updated look at the configuration of the Packers’ practice squad:

Defensive tackle: James Ester.

Linebacker: Jamon Johnson.

Cornerback: Tyron Herring.

Cornerback/safety: Johnathan Baldwin, Jaylin Simpson.

Quarterback: Clayton Tune.

Running back: Pierre Strong.

Tight ends: McCallan Castles, Drake Dabney.

Receivers: Isaiah Neyor, Will Sheppard, Jakobie Keeney-James, Michael Woods.

Offensive line: G/C Lecitus Smith, T Brant Banks, T Dalton Cooper.

International: DL Dante Barnett.

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