It’s Official: Four Quarterbacks to Training Camp

Meanwhile, with the signings of second-round picks Luke Musgrave and Jayden Reed, the Packers have their full draft class under contract.

Author:
Bill Huber
Publish date:
Jul 19, 2023 10:05 PM EDT

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Green Bay Packers

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers made official the signing of quarterback Alex McGough on Tuesday. To clear a roster spot, they released center D.J Scaife. That means McGough will be one of four quarterbacks on the roster at the start of training camp.

The team also wrapped up their draft class in time for the start of camp. Along with McGough, the Packers announced they had signed tight end Luke Musgrave, the first of their second-round picks. That left receiver D.J. Reed, the other second-round pick, as the team’s lone unsigned draft pick. However, his agent, David Canter, on Tuesday night announced that Reed had signed, as well.

That means every draft pick is under contract, with rookies set to report for training camp on Thursday.

League-wide, there were 11 second-round picks unsigned at the start of the day, according to Spotrac. That was more than the rest of the rounds combined, with teams and agents quibbling over guaranteed money.

There was no reason for Reed to remain unsigned by Thursday’s reporting date, though, because the players selected directly ahead of Reed (defensive lineman Keeanu Benton by the Steelers) and after Reed (cornerback Cam Smith by the Dolphins) had signed.

When Scaife was claimed off waivers in mid-May, it was because he fit the Green Bay Way of offensive linemen capable of playing multiple positions. At the University of Miami, Scaife started 32 games at right tackle and 20 games at guard. The Packers listed him at center.

At quarterback, McGough – a 2018 seventh-round draft pick and reigning USFL MVP – joins Jordan Love, 2023 fifth-round draft pick Sean Clifford and 2018 seventh-round pick Danny Etling in a four-man position group. In the race to be Love’s backup, neither Clifford, Etling nor McGough have played an NFL snap.

At least McGough has played high-level ball in a professional league. He replaced the injured starter in Week 1 and led Birmingham to the USFL crown.

A total of 69 quarterbacks started at least one game last season. That means the odds favor someone other than Love having to start at least one game this season. That means that three-man battle will be key. Will one emerge as a capable backup? Or will the Packers have to dive into what’s left of the veteran market?