Skip to main content
Packer Central

Packers Sign Productive Slot Receiver to Practice Squad

New Packers practice squad receiver Coleman Owen went undrafted last year and got some experience as a rookie with the Colts.
Bill Huber|
The Packers signed former Colts receiver Coleman Owen to their practice squad.
The Packers signed former Colts receiver Coleman Owen to their practice squad. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

In this story:

Green Bay Packers

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Coleman Owen answered the alarm.

The Green Bay Packers signed the former Ohio receiver to the practice squad following a Tuesday workout, a source told Packers On SI.

"I'm a slow riser,” he told OhioBobcats.com during a blockbuster senior season in 2024. “I've got five different alarms, and usually it takes until the fourth one to get me out of bed. Once I'm up and moving around, I'm up."

Owen had a huge senior year at Ohio with 78 receptions for 1,245 yards (16.0-yard average) and eight touchdowns. That includes 10 catches for 137 yards against Syracuse, which was one of seven games of 100-plus yards.

He also had a 61-yard punt return.

Before starring at Ohio, he played five seasons at Northern Arizona. He scored 18 touchdowns, including an 85-yard punt return.

Athletic Slot Receiver

Before the 2025 draft, Owen measured 5-foot-10 1/8 and 181 pounds. He is the quintessential slot receiver with good speed (4.53 in the 40) but elite short-area quickness.

“I felt good,” Owen told KPRC-TV in Houston in April 2025. “It was really fun to go out there and do it after so much training and preparation. They’re getting a guy who knows how to come in and work hard. Being a former walk-on at my last school, I know how it feels to come in and put my head down and work and contribute any way I can. That’s the kind of guy I am.”

Owen didn’t think he’d play college football. Rather, he thought his college sport might be lacrosse.

“Didn't really have an opportunity to go anywhere,” he said after Ohio’s pro day. “Very thankful that the Northern Arizona coaches came in last second, offered me a walk-on spot there. So, I walked on there, earned a scholarship, made some of my best friends, my fiancé at that school, just fell in love with that place.

“I'm so thankful that those coaches walked into my high school coach's office at the end of my senior year, and gave me a chance to play this game, because it's brought me a lot of friends and great times. It's unbelievable.”

The Packers have a hole in the slot following Jayden Reed’s next injury sustained in Week 2 at the Jets. Owen isn’t necessarily going to be on the active roster anytime soon, but his skill-set will make him a valuable player on the practice field – and perhaps open the door for a shot on the 53-man roster.

“Just a guy who's willing to work, a guy who's willing to do anything that he's asked to do for the team,” he said at pro day. “Obviously, I'm a receiver, but I also return punts, return kicks. I'll be a gunner on punt. Just the guy who's going to come in, put his head down, and make that 53 doing whatever, whatever he can.”

Some Experience With Colts

Owen has a bit of NFL experience. He went undrafted in 2025 and was signed by the Colts. He did not make it on their roster coming out of training camp, but he signed to their practice squad and wound up playing in two games. He averaged 28.2 yards per kickoff return and caught one pass for 2 yards.

Owen suffered a concussion this preseason and was placed on injured reserve. The Colts released him a few weeks ago.

“Your preparation and training are what prepare you for moments like that,” Owen told OhioBobcats.com after he scored a preseason touchdown with the Colts.

“In the heat of the moment, you have to trust your technique and ability. My time in Athens definitely helped prepare me for these moments because of the big-time games we played in last year. Games like the MAC Championship and the Cure Bowl were high-stakes games that have helped me learn to stay calm in big moments.” 

This preseason, Owen caught four passes for 68 yards, including a 10.5-yard average after the catch. Plus, he had punt returns of 28 and 27 yards.

Asked about the strength of his game at pro day, he said: “I would say just my ability to think on the fly. Being a receiver, especially in this offense, that we have at Ohio, just being a guy who needs to read coverage and be smart as well as athletic. I just say my smarts help me out a lot.”

SIGN UP FOR OUR FREE DAILY PACKERS NEWSLETTER

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Loading recommendations... Please wait while we load personalized content recommendations

Published
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.