BREAKING NEWS : Packers sign pair of draft picks at key positions

Packers sign pair of draft picks at key positions - Acme Packing Company

If you’ve been following the Green Bay Packers’ roster over the last couple of weeks, two positions have stood out as potential weaknesses when it comes to the depth of the team: linebacker and the interior offensive line.

At linebacker, the team nearly had to go into their Thanksgiving night matchup against the Miami Dolphins with just three healthy linebackers — as starter Isaiah McDuffie was listed as questionable going into the game — including rookie Ty’Ron Hopper, who has only received defensive snaps in one career NFL game thus far. The Minnesota Vikings also plucked away former first-round pick Jamin Davis from the practice squad two days before Thanksgiving, which only put the team’s depth at the position more into question.

The interior offensive line wasn’t an issue when first-round rookie Jordan Morgan was filling in as a right guard, but the future starter is currently on the injured reserve with a shoulder injury. Over the last two weeks, the Packers’ only backup interior offensive lineman on their 53-man roster has been rookie Jacob Monk, who has been a back-to-back healthy scratch.

All of these factors explain why Green Bay’s signing of two former draft picks, linebacker Michael Barrett and guard Marquis Hayes, on Saturday wasn’t surprising.

Barrett, a smaller coverage linebacker at a listed 5’11”, 232 pounds, was originally drafted by the Carolina Panthers in the seventh round in April. He was actually traded to the Seattle Seahawks before the cutdown deadline, leading to a stint for him on their practice squad before being picked up by the Cleveland Browns’ practice squad. The Michigan product was a team captain on the Wolverines’ national championship team.

Could he be a little bigger? Sure. Can the Packers really be choosers when they’re so clearly beggars at the linebacker position? Absolutely not.

Hayes was drafted in the seventh round out of Oklahoma two years ago and has spent time with the Arizona Cardinals and Washington Commanders. He was just released from the Commanders’ practice squad on November 26th after spending the better part of two months with the team.

The loss of Davis meant that the Packers had an open practice squad spot already, but the team released receiver Malik Knowles — one of their four practice squad receivers — as a corresponding roster move to make the math add up. Barrett is now the lone linebacker on the team’s practice squad while Hayes joins Donovan Jennings and Spencer Rolland as the practice squad’s offensive linemen.

Related Posts

Packers place RB MarShawn Lloyd on injured reserve/designated to return

Packers RB MarShawn Lloyd will miss at least four games to start the 2025 season while on injured reserve.

PACKERS NEWS: 3x Super Bowl Champion, Former Top-10 NFL Draft Pick, Among Players Cut For Initial 53-Man Roster

After weeks of training camp and three preseason games, the Green Bay Packers have officially trimmed their roster down from 90 players (91 including

BREAKING : Packers release initial 53-man roster; here’s who made the final cut

Green Bay released a Super Bowl champion and a former first-round pick, among others, to reach the 53-man roster limit on Tuesday.

Packers cut former No. 8 overall draft pick – Packers can make Lions instantly regret risky Hendon Hooker cut before Week 1

The Green Bay Packers have moved on from a former top-10 NFL Draft pick ahead of the 2025 season. Veteran linebacker Isaiah Simmons was informed on

BREAKING : Lions just gifted Packers the perfect target after shocking cut they will regret

The Green Bay Packers could make a brilliant move that bolsters their offensive depth and hurts two NFC North rivals at once.

PACKERS NEWS: Recently-Released Vikings OL ‘One to Watch’ for Packers

Get the latest on OL Logan Brown. Could the Packers make a move to sign the former five-star tackle as he hits the market?

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *