The Green Bay Packers have been able to get away with manipulating the deadline to reduce the NFL roster to 53 players for some time now, but this offseason, teams across the league seem to have caught up with their magic.
According to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, the Packers lost three players via waivers: Grant DuBose, Anthony Johnson Jr. and Royce Newman.
The Miami Dolphins signed DuBose. The New York Giants took Johnson, and Newman ended up with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In short, none of the three players made it off the waivers list, which is probably what the Packers hoped they would do in order to sign them to the practice squad.
According to Matt Schneidman of The Athletic, Green Bay hasn’t signed anyone since losing all-around talent Taysom Hill to the New Orleans Saints. But that happened in 2017, so DuBose, Johnson, and Newman mark the end of a pretty long trend. But with all three performing admirably in the preseason, the Packers may have wanted to let them slip through the cracks.
After finding creative ways to exploit waivers for so long, rival front offices have gotten to the bottom of the Packers’ tactics. Whatever witchcraft Green Bay has conjured up over the years has gone unnoticed, but not anymore.
Nevertheless, the Packers have been playing a dangerous game for some time now, but it has worked to their advantage – so far.
Johnson, a safety selected by the Packers in the seventh round of the 2023 draft, totaled eight tackles and a 24-yard fumble recovery this preseason. The 24-year-old defensive back showed enough in his tryouts to be signed by the Giants.
DuBose, also a 2023 seventh-round pick, caught five balls on nine attempts for 66 scoreless yards. The 6-foot-2 wide receiver has an intriguing mix of size and route-running talent, which is why the Dolphins immediately entered him into the race.
Newman, an offensive lineman the Packers spent a fourth-round pick on in 2021, showed excellent pass protection skills this preseason. His 84.7 pass blocking rating at Pro Football Focus reflected his excellent performances, which will be a welcome addition for the Buccaneers.
Overall, the Packers had to let three good players go for nothing. Perhaps this will prompt them to change their team-building philosophy in the future.
