The Green Bay Packers made a flurry of transactions on Tuesday. One of them was to release safety Jonathan Abram, who they had signed off of waivers from the Las Vegas Raiders earlier this month. Another was to sign tight end Nick Guggemos to their practice squad. Finally, the team reported that they had signed safety Innis Gaines from their practice squad to the active roster.
#Packers announce roster moves 📰https://t.co/0RmyuyvUKB
— Green Bay Packers (@packers) November 29, 2022
This will be the third time that Gaines has been elevated from the practice squad this season. He first played in Week Eight when the Packers lost 27-17 to the Buffalo Bills. Gaines also played last Sunday night in Philadelphia, a game the Packers lost 40-33.
Gaines has not played a single defensive snap all season. However, he has been used on special teams regularly in the two games in which he was been active. In Buffalo, Gaines played nine special teams snaps, or 41% of the special teams plays. On Sunday night, he played 18 special teams snaps, or 58% of the special teams plays.
Will Innis Gaines See Action at Safety Against the Bears?
Packers safety Darnell Savage injured his foot on the first drive of the game against the Eagles and did not return. Prior to that, he had been benched by the Packers coaching staff for his poor play. The play on which he hurt his foot was actually his first play of the contest. Perhaps not surprisingly, he got hurt while missing a tackle.
In other words, the Packers’ 2019 first round draft pick has been increasingly disappointing as the season has progressed. What is more, the Packers picked up his fifth year option before the season began. This means that even if they cut him, 100% of his salary will still count towards next year’s cap.
All of this to say that even if Savage is healthy for the Bears game, he may not get as much playing time. Rudy Ford started in his place against the Eagles and had a solid game (all things considered). Still, there may be opportunities for Gaines to see a defensive snap or two.
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