Green Bay Packers Cuts Tracker
GREEN BAY, Wis. – Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst’s long and tedious process of selecting his initial 53-man roster meant delivering bad news to a lot of players.
It also meant some good news.
A source said rookie outside linebacker Brenton Cox had made the 53, extending the team’s streak to 19 years with at least one undrafted free agent making the roster. Receiver Malik Heath and running back Emanuel Wilson said they made it, as well.
Heath knocked seventh-round rookie Grant DuBose out of a roster spot while Wilson beat out veterans Patrick Taylor and Tyler Goodson.
Gutekunst had to remove 36 players from the roster by 3 p.m. Tuesday. Here is all the news from throughout the day.
Huge Move at Safety
According to sources, the Packers have released Tarvarius Moore.
Packers Release Six Corners
The Packers will take four cornerbacks into Week 1.
Three veterans were released, according to sources: Corey Ballentine, Innis Gaines and Shemar Jean-Charles.
Ballentine, a key cog on special teams, worked with the No. 2 defense all summer. However, the Packers are going to roll with Jaire Alexander, Rasul Douglas and Keisean Nixon as the starters and impressive seventh-round pick Carrington Valentine as the one and only backup.
With his experience, Ballentine should garner some interest on the veteran market. Thus, a practice-squad return is not a slam dunk.
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Gaines spent most of the summer with the No. 2 defense until missing time with an injury. He started the Week 18 showdown vs. Detroit last season.
“I’m trying to get the No. 1 spot, obviously,” Gaines said last week. “Being able to play slot and safety and having that in my back pocket and being an extra safety in case of emergency. I’m always listening to the safety calls, still wired in, so I can fit in anywhere. I’m trying to be a Swiss Army knife for the defense and being able to play wherever they need me: slot, safety, nickel or dime.”
The Packers would like him back on the practice squad, and he likes Green Bay, but he should garner significant interest.
Jean-Charles was a fifth-round pick in 2021 who played in 20 games in two seasons with most of that work coming on special teams.
Three young cornerbacks were released, as well, with Kiondre Thomas, William Hooper and Tyrell Ford losing their long-shot bids. Thomas spent all of last year on the practice squad and could return. He played better in the games than the practices this summer.
Hooper had a strong preseason, but it appears Thomas might be the preference for a spot on the practice squad.
Two Draft Picks Out
Gutekunst tends to keep his draft picks. However, rookie running back Lew Nichols was one of the early casualties.
The Packers will place Nichols on injured reserve, according to a source, with the expectation that he’ll be given an injury settlement. A seventh-round pick who led the nation in rushing and scrimmage yards at Central Michigan in 2021, Nichols missed most of camp and the preseason with a shoulder injury.
With the emergence of Emanuel Wilson and the presence of steady Patrick Taylor, the injury ruined Nichols’ changes.
Once healthy, he will be free to sign with any team. Three weeks after the injury settlement expires, Nichols will be eligible to return to Green Bay.
Receiver Grant DuBose, also a seventh-round pick, was released, as well.
The Latest
The Packers have released center James Empey, who spent most of training camp snapping with the second unit. The practice squad is a possibility. Empey was a 41-game starter at BYU who joined the Packers early in camp.
The Packers have released safety Benny Sapp, the hero of the preseason finale with his game-clinching interception. He is a logical candidate for the practice squad.
“I proved that, hopefully, it’s here but I know that I proved that I can play in the NFL, no matter the circumstances that I had in the past,” Sapp said. “I walk by faith. I really don’t care what’s going on in front of me, I’m just going to keep pushing. I’m going to keep stacking days. Whenever that day comes, I’m going to be ready to suit up.”
Also released is undrafted rookie offensive tackle Kadeem Telfort. Having gotten some second-unit reps down the stretch, he’s a strong candidate for the practice squad. He had a predraft visit after a nomadic college career.
The Packers released tight end Austin Allen with the hope of bringing him back on the practice squad.
The door was open for Allen to make the 53 after Tyler Davis’ season-ending knee injury. The release of Allen leaves only rookies Luke Musgrave and Tucker Kraft as traditional, in-line tight ends on the roster, so that might be a position that Gutekunst is looking to bolster later this week.
Also at tight end, they released Dre Miller, who was moved from receiver to tight end to cover the loss of Davis.
Undrafted rookie receivers Duece Watts and Cody Chrest, a Packers shareholder, have been released, sources said.
So were undrafted linebackers Jimmy Phillips and Marvin Pierre. Pierre, who was added the roster last week, has a chance to return.
Also, according to reports, the Packers released: Cole Schneider – it was his second chance with the Packers – guard Jean Delance, running back Nate McCrary and undrafted rookie defensive lineman Jason Lewan.
List of Packers Roster Cuts
Here is the official list of cuts as reported by the team at the 3 p.m. deadline.
Quarterback: Alex McGough.
Running back: Patrick Taylor, Lew Nichols, Nate McCrary
Receiver: Grant DuBose, Bo Melton, Jadakis Bonds, Cody Chrest, Duece Watts
Tight end: Austin Allen, Dre Miller, Henry Pearson
Offensive line: Cole Schneider, Jean Delance, Kadeem Telfort, James Empey
Defensive line: Chris Slayton, Jason Lewan, Antonio Moultrie
Outside linebacker: Keshawn Banks, Arron Mosby, Kenneth Odumegwu
Linebacker: Jimmy Phillips, Marvin Pierre
Cornerback: Corey Ballentine, Kiondre Thomas, Shemar Jean-Charles, Innis Gaines, William Hooper, Tyrell Ford, Elijah Hamilton, Eric Stokes (PUP).
Safety: Tarvarius Moore (injury settlement), Benny Sapp
Special teams: LS Matt Orzech (will be re-signed), LS Broughton Hatcher, P Pat O’Donnell
It’s a Snap
The Packers will release long snapper Matt Orzech, a source said, though that’s only a procedural move. He will be re-signed on Wednesday.
Why?
Players placed on injured reserve on Tuesday are out for the season. Players placed on injured reserve on Wednesday (or thereafter) are out for a minimum of four games.
So, the plan is for the Packers to keep an injured player on the roster on Tuesday so he can go on injured reserve on Wednesday. The source would not identify that player.
Receiver Dontayvion Wicks (hamstring) and offensive tackle Luke Tenuta (ankle) are among the possibilities.
Gutekunst made only one move before Tuesday. That was the somewhat surprising news to release veteran punter Pat O’Donnell. That signals the team is prepared to go with powerful rookie Daniel Whelan.
Positions to Watch
Among the interesting positions/story lines:
Receiver: With Wicks and Romeo Doubs sidelined by hamstring injuries, will the Packers have to carry seven into the season? If the number is six, the choice could be taking two of the group of Samori Toure, Grant DuBose and Malik Heath. Heath seems like a lock, so it could come down to the former seventh-round draft picks.
Safety: This position might not be the strongest but there is real depth of NFL-caliber players. How many will make it? The choice could be taking two of the group of Jonathan Owens and Moore, a couple free-agent additions, and seventh-round rookie Anthony Johnson.
Undrafted rookie streak: At least one undrafted free agent has made the Week 1 roster for 18 consecutive years. Heath and outside linebacker Brenton Cox are the favorites to keep the streak alive.
