GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers will have at least one opening to fill on their practice squad after cornerback Micah Robinson, one of their seventh-round picks in this year’s draft, signed to the Tennessee Titans’ 53-man roster.
That spot will not be filled by tight end Ben Sims. The Packers released Sims on Saturday to create a roster spot for receiver Christian Watson. Sims, who initially signed with the Minnesota Vikings as an undrafted free agent in 2023, was claimed off waivers by the Vikings on Monday.
Robinson made the Packers’ 53-man roster coming out of training camp but was released a day later after the Packers signed linebacker Nick Niemann, a proven standout on special teams.
Interestingly, Niemann suffered a pectoral injury during Sunday’s victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers.
“It’s definitely a concern,” coach Matt LaFleur said on Monday. “I haven’t gotten the final word yet, but we’re concerned about it.”
Niemann has 11 tackles on special teams, tied for fourth in the league. Nobody else has more than six. He is third on the team in special-teams snaps behind linebackers Isaiah McDuffie and Ty’Ron Hopper.
If Niemann winds up on injured reserve, the Packers could promote fellow linebacker Kristian Welch from the practice squad. Welch, a native of Iola, Wis., has a strong background on special teams, too.
“He’s done a lot of good things,” LaFleur said of Welch during training camp. “Certainly, his value is just his ability to go out and do a lot of things in terms of special teams. He’s a four-phase guy, and then he’s got enough experience at linebacker that if you need to fill a hole, he can fill any of those three spots.”
Rookie linebacker Jamon Johnson and third-year defensive end Arron Mosby could help on special teams, too.
With the loss of Robinson and the potential promotion of Welch or someone else, Green Bay could have two vacancies on the practice squad. Plus, they never filled the International Player Pathway slot.
To say Robinson is a big loss would be an overstatement, but it is a blow in the team’s quest to groom cornerback depth.
Robinson, a seventh-round pick out of Tulane, had a solid training camp and preseason. In three games, Pro Football Focus charged him with one completion in two targets for 12 yards. He allowed zero completions in 40 coverage snaps the last two games.
Robinson will fill the hole on the Titans’ roster created when they traded cornerback Roger McCreary to the Los Angeles Rams.
“I’m a competitor. I’m a very fierce competitor,” Robinson said during camp. “Hate to lose. When you have other people in the room and you have a defense that plays like that, it makes you want to be a competitor.”
With Sims returning to the Vikings, the Packers are down to only four tight ends. Tucker Kraft, Luke Musgrave and John FitzPatrick are on the 53-man roster and Josh Whyle, a former fifth-round pick by Tennessee who caught 28 passes for the Titans last year, is on the practice squad.
Sims played in all 34 games with six starts during his first two seasons in Green Bay, including five starts last year. He caught eight passes for 63 yards and one touchdown. This season, he played in three games with one snap on offense.
Here’s a reset of the practice squad. The limit is 16 players (17 if one is part of the International Player Pathway program). The Packers have 15 (with no IPP player).
Quarterback: Clayton Tune.
Running back: Pierre Strong.
Offensive line: G/C Lecitus Smith, OT Brant Banks, OT Dalton Cooper.
Tight end: Josh Whyle.
Receivers: Isaiah Neyor, Jakobie Keeney-James, Will Sheppard.
Defensive tackle: James Ester
Defensive end: Arron Mosby
Linebacker: Jamon Johnson, Kristian Welch.
Cornerback: Jaylin Simpson.
Safety: Johnathan Baldwin.
