Packers Sign Brother of Former NFL Standout

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers signed a seasoned rookie linebacker on Wednesday, adding former West Virginia and Cincinnati standout Jared Bartlett. To create a roster space, they released undrafted rookie safety Kahzir Brown.

Williams went undrafted this year. He signed with the Jets but was released last week.

Williams started 62 games in five seasons – 50 with West Virginia from 2019 through 2023 and 12 with Cincinnati in 2024. He stuffed the stat sheet last year, leading the Bearcats in tackles (69), sacks (7.5) and tackles for losses (11.5). He ranked second in the conference and sacks and fourth in TFLs to be an honorable mention on the all-Big 12 team.

Bartlett’s brother is Stephon Tuitt. A second-round pick by the Steelers in 2014, he started 79 games in seven seasons. He had a career-high 11 sacks in 2020.

“I try and talk to him about football as much as I can so I can grow my understanding,” Bartlett said in 2021. “Usually, it starts off with a little bit of criticism then he tells me what I can do to fix my mistakes to where I can use my skill-set to produce the most and be the most productive.”

Separately, Bartlett said of Tuitt, “I'd say it's less trading tips and more him giving me advice. I try to talk to him about football as much as I can so I can grow my understanding.”

The 2020 season would be Tuitt’s final season in the NFL due to a knee injury and the death of the brother of Tuitt and Bartlett, Richard Bartlett III.

The death, obviously, impacted Jared Bartlett, as well.

“With my brother passing away, it kind of put a lot of things into perspective,” Jared Bartlett said. “Just not taking every day for granted.”

He added: “Just trying to live up to his legacy, everything he taught me while he was here.”

His nickname is “The Wolf.” He was called a “beast” by Cincinnati linebacker Jack Dingle.

“He's a true professional the way that he leads, the way that he carries himself,” Bearcats linebackers coach Cort Braswell said. “A guy like that who's been in a successful program that joins us raises the standard. He sets the tone about how we ought to go about work.”

Before the draft, Bartlett measured 6-foot-1 3/4 and 238 pounds. He posted decent testing numbers, including a 4.65 in the 40-yard dash. His 10-yard time was excellent, though, as part of a 7.25 Relative Athletic Score.

Before the draft, he told Draft Diamonds: “A successful career, I don’t just want to say I made it to the NFL or that I was on a team. I want to make a difference and an impact, I want to earn respect and help my team win as much as possible. I want to make a name for myself.”

The Packers are strong at linebacker with last year’s starters, Quay Walker, Edgerrin Cooper and Isaiah McDuffie as well as 2024 third-round pick Ty’Ron Hopper back for 2025. The Packers also signed former top-10 pick Isaian Simmons, re-signed veteran Kristian Welch and signed Jamon Johnson as an undrafted free agent.

Simmons is off to a strong start at training camp.

“How quickly he can pick everything up and how quickly he can get everything down will determine how much we can really do with him, but I think he’s off to a really good start,” defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley said on Wednesday.

“He’s a great teammate, he brings great energy, obviously he has great physical tools. Our job is to develop him, right, within our scheme and try to maximize what he can do and help us win games this year. He’s in a good spot, and I’m excited for the preseason games and these practices that are coming up to see what he can do.”

Back to Bartlett, he’ll have a familiar face in Green Bay with rookie offensive lineman John Williams. Willliams was an aerospace engineering major at Cincinnati. Why did Barlett initially go to West Virginia?

“I knew before I visited that West Virginia was where I wanted to go,” Bartlett told Rivals. “The more I researched the school, the more I fell in love with it. I want to major in aerospace engineering, and they have a great program. The school just seemed to have everything I was looking for, and when I went up there, my love for the school just multiplied.”

More Green Bay Packers News

Through one week of #Packers training camp, here's an update on the team's eight draft picks.https://t.co/DqmHxShV3M
— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) July 30, 2025