The Green Bay Packers are coming from two consecutive losses to the New York Giants and New York Jets, in London and in Wisconsin. Now, as they move to face the Washington Commanders and then a series of difficult games against Buffalo Bills, Detroit Lions, Dallas Cowboys, Tennessee Titans, and Philadelphia Eagles, it’s fair to expect that reinforcements will be needed in order for them to perform better.
At this point of the season, though, it’s hard to acquire impactful players. Nonetheless, practice squad rules adapted because of covid are now permanent, so teams can add veteran playeNFL frers to an extra 16-man roster. Therefore, it’s easier now to find good players there.
Technically, practice squaders are free agents, so a team can sign a player from other teams’ PS freely — the only requirement is that the acquiring team must keep the player for at least three weeks on their active 53-man roster. Recently, for instance, the Packers signed linebacker Eric Wilson from the New Orleans Saints practice squad, and he blocked a punt against the Jets.
So, take a look at 10 players from practice squads around the NFL who could help the Green Bay Packers moving forward.
RB Duke Johnson, Buffalo Bills
Johnson is a veteran running back well-known for his time with the Cleveland Browns. He is a good pass-catching back, with 2,865 career receiving yards — in comparison, he has 2,144 rushing yards in the NFL. Last season, he played four games for the Miami Dolphins, and now he is on the Bills PS. The Packers might like a better option behind Aaron Jone and AJ Dillon, especially because of how much they have used 2-back sets this season.
WR Lynn Bowden, New England Patriots
Bowden is a gadget offensive piece with a really strange career path. He was drafted by Jon Gruden and Mike Mayock in the third round of the 2020 NFL Draft, but was traded before his first regular season to the Miami Dolphins for a swap of picks. After playing 10 games in 2020, he spent the entire 2021 season on injured reserve and was later released. He is in New England.
TE Jacob Hollister, Minnesota Vikings
Hollister is now with a division rival, but his best moments were with the Seattle Seahawks, where he played from 2019 to 2020 after being traded from the New England Patriots. He hasn’t been very effective since leaving the Seahawks, but can be an experienced and useful depth piece.
TE Maxx Williams, Arizona Cardinals
Williams was a highly touted prospect coming out of Minnesota in 2015, but his NFL career hasn’t lived up to the expectations. His best year was his rookie season, with 268 yards. After three seasons in the Cardinals’ active roster, he was cut and brought back to the practice squad because Arizona has invested in the position, trading for Zach Ertz and extending him, and later drafting Trey McBride. He has a higher ceiling than Hollister.
EDGE Taco Charlton, New Orleans Saints
The Packers are thin at the edge position, especially after Tipa Galeai went on IR. Charlton is a former first-round pick by the Dallas Cowboys in 2017. He obviously hasn’t had a great career, but he is a disruptive player from the edge and has had at least half a sack every year in the league. His best season was 2019, when he had five starts in ten games and five sacks for Miami.
EDGE Jeremiah Attaochu, Baltimore Ravens
Attaochu is an experienced and relatively productive rotational piece. He’s had two seasons of at least five sacks in his career. This year, Attaochu is on the Ravens’ practice squad, but he’s already been elevated once for gameday, playing eight snaps last Sunday against the New York Giants. He had two tackles, including one TFL.
CB Nickell Robey-Coleman, Las Vegas Raiders
Robey-Coleman was a good nickel corner for the Rams between 2017 and 2019. He hasn’t played a regular season game since 2020, though. If the Packers idea is to play Rasul Douglas more on the outside, maybe Robey-Coleman could be a decent addition to play inside.
CB Chris Harris Jr., New Orleans Saints
Playing inside is also the logic behind Chris Harris Jr., who recently was signed to the Saints practice squad. He is a veteran corner, 33 years old, who was a star member of the 2015 Denver Broncos defense — he was a first-team All-Pro in 2016 and two times second-team All-Pro, in 2014 and 2015. He played in Denver from 2011 to 2019 after being undrafted, and also had a good season for the Los Angeles Chargers two years ago.
S Anthony Harris, Denver Broncos
The lack of safety depth is a real concern for the Packers, and Anthony Harris is a solid player. He was a full-time starter for the Minnesota Vikings between 2016 and 2020. Harris had nine interceptions between 2018 and 2019. After being a starter for the Eagles in 14 games last season, he was cut and signed to their PS. Later, he was released from the Eagles PS and signed with the Broncos.
S Landon Collins, New York Giants
Collins is probably on the Giants PS just momentarily, with a good chance of being promoted fairly soon. However, while he is there, any team can sign him. Collins isn’t the great strong safety he was to start his career, but he still can be a situational piece. Currently, he would be particularly useful as a dime linebacker.
