Packers General Manager Brian Gutekunst spent about 30 minutes Sunday evening talking about the third Packer team he’s assembled, some tough cuts in a coronavirus restricted environment and relaxed rules for injured and practice squad players designed to make life a little easier for the 2020 NFL season now ready for liftoff.
There weren’t any major shockers on the waiver wire this weekend, unless you consider Jake Kumerow getting cut in favor of another undrafted free agent college receiver in Malik Taylor. Kumerow drew a lot of praise from both Matt LaFleur and Aaron Rodgers and he was also a fan and media favorite, but it wasn’t enough to stick on the 53 man roster for a second straight year.
Gutekunst touched on the receiver debate, along with the general health of his team following a camp with 15 practices and no pre-season games and if special teams are the ticket to the roster for newcomers, it was a pretty cheap ticket with next to no live special teams work all summer.
Gutekunst wasn’t surprised at the low number of waiver claims around the league since Saturday’s cut deadline. He estimated around 17 players were claimed, compared to 36 last year and an annual average of nearly 40 over the past decade.
Bringing in players for workouts now that the season is underway will be cumbersome because of covid testing. Gutekunst believes teams will continue bringing in prospects for a look but only to increase their player pool data base since many of these prospects were simply passed over in the spring.
Teams will have 16 practice squad players available to them, double the number from just two years ago, all because of the potential for virus infections. Teams will also be allowed to bring players back from injured reserve in as little as three weeks. In the past, any player moved to IR before the final cut was lost for the season. After he made the final 53, the player could be “designated for return” after missing a minimum of 6 weeks. All the moves are designed to give teams flexibility in case of positive tests moving forward.
While nothing official has been released, various media outlets have reported on practice squad signings for the Packers. Gutekunst declined comment on his squad. Here are some of the names.
Dexter Williams, Darius Shepherd, Alex Light all return after being on the roster last year.
Delontae Scott, Reggie Begelton, Krys Barnes, Stanford Samuels, Tipa Galeai, Willington Previl0n were all camp players coming back.
Robert Foster (cut by Buffal0) and Scoota Harris (cut by New England) are both new to the team.
Hang on to your hats, opening week is here.
