Shortly after the NFL draft concludes every year, teams scramble to sign players who did not hear their names called during one of the seven rounds. With teams competing to sign the same pool of players in such a short timeframe, these players are often offered multiple contracts and have to decide quickly before another player takes that offer.
These players weigh a few different crucial factors when making their choice. Contract terms and money (typically signing bonuses and guarantees) play a significant role in deciding where they will sign their first professional contract. However, a legitimate chance to make the roster is a close second.
Arguably, no team in the entire league has given undrafted players a better chance to make the final roster than the Green Bay Packers. The Packers have had one undrafted player make the final 53-man roster for 19 consecutive years, the longest streak in the NFL.
Green Bay’s history of bringing in and developing these unheralded and overlooked rookies into quality professionals is unlike any other in the NFL for almost two decades. However, 2024 might finally be the year this impressive streak ends.
Last year, three undrafted free agents – Brenton Cox Jr., Malik Heath, and Emanuel Wilson – made the final roster for the Packers with impression preseason performances. They remained on the active roster all season, with Heath playing a regular role on offense and special teams. You have to go back to 2005 to find the last season when at least one undrafted free agent did not make Green Bay’s roster.
One contributing factor is the number of undrafted players they usually bring into camp each year. However, 2024 marked the lowest number of undrafted free agents that Green Bay has signed in multiple years, going back to at least 2013, when they brought in 10. The Packers have typically averaged double-digit free-agent classes; however, they only brought in eight players this year.
Green Bay entered this year’s draft tied with two other teams for the most selections with 11. Such a robust draft class this year, after making all 11 of those picks, did not leave much room on the roster to bring in many undrafted players. And two of the eight they did sign didn’t make it to training camp.
Michigan tackle Trente Jones might be the most touted pickup the Packers made. However, he surprisingly retired shortly after signing with the team in May after receiving a $110,000 guarantee. His undrafted counterpart, defensive lineman Rodney Mathews, didn’t even make it out of May because the Packers released him. The small undrafted class got even smaller two months before training camp even began.
The Packers are already a very young and deep team, making it more difficult for young players to make the roster. Matt LaFleur and Brian Gutekunst have assembled the youngest team in the NFL for the second-straight season. Teams often cut older, more expensive veterans in camp to open spots for these younger players.
The Packers don’t have many older or expensive veterans who are expendable. Preston Smith is the only player on the roster over 30 whose roster spot is not in jeopardy, given they expect him to play a vital role on this new defense. A young team with ascending pieces and depth up and down the roster does not bode well for undrafted players seeking an opportunity.
Two players could extend the streak to 20 seasons: long snapper Peter Bowden and offensive lineman Donovan Jennings. However, neither has had the most inspiring start to camp. The Packers released Bowden to make room for Jacob Eason during Jordan Love’s week-long hold-in.
While they have since brought him back, the fact that they let him go isn’t a good indication that he will beat out Matt Orzech. The media has favored Donovan Jennings as the player to make the roster due to his experience at the college level and the lack of depth along Green Bay’s offensive line.
Still, he just started to practice this past week, and we are quickly approaching the first preseason game. He’s running out of time while his offensive line counterparts were able to soak up all the reps he missed. Other undrafted free agents currently on the team — defensive lineman James Ester, running back Jarveon Howard, linebacker Ralen Goforth, tight end Messiah Swinson, and wide receivers Dimitri Stanley and Julian Hicks — have all had their moments. However, they all play positions that run very deep. Their best chance of landing a job is on the practice squad.
I’m not saying that none of these players can’t flash during the remainder of camp and end up making the final roster. The Packers have two different sets of joint practices with the Baltimore Ravens and Denver Broncos, and three preseason games still to come. There still is time for one of these players to impress and sneak onto the squad.
One of the recent biggest surprises coming out of camp was when Krys Barnes seemingly came out of nowhere to make the roster and started Week 1 against the Minnesota Vikings in 2020. Injuries also have a way of playing into situations such as these and might open the door for one of these players. However, with such a young and talented Packers roster that has so many recent draft picks to develop, it’s looking more likely that this impressive streak is coming to an end.
