Getty Will Redmond #25 of the Green Bay Packers reacts after a play against the San Francisco 49ers during the NFC Championship game at Levi's Stadium on January 19, 2020 in Santa Clara, California.
Will Redmond’s fourth season with the Green Bay Packers is officially over before it even started.
The Packers officially placed Redmond on injured reserve on Tuesday, August 24, as part of their 80-man roster cutdown, effectively shutting down the 27-year-old safety for the remainder of the year. NFL players can be eligible to return from IR during the season, but only if they are retained for the initial 53-man roster and not placed on the list prior to the summer’s final roster cuts.
Will Redmond’s season just ended. He’s on IR. Battle for those roster spots at backup safety can really heat up now. And the Packers need one or two of them to become an ace on special teams.
Redmond has played in 35 games for the Packers over the past three seasons, serving as their top rotational safety behind Adrian Amos and Darnell Savage Jr. since the start of 2019. While his production (66 total tackles and two pass breakups) and skills in pass coverage (25 completions allowed on 34 targets over 352 coverage snaps) have been suspect at times, he has proved to be a valuable depth piece and special teams asset throughout Green Bay’s consecutive runs to the NFC Championship Game.
The Packers also waived second-year defensive tackle Josh Avery and inside linebacker Kamal Martin on Tuesday, the latter of whom’s release had been previously reported. Additionally, the trade that sent cornerback Ka’dar Hollman to the Houston Texans in exchange for a 2022 seventh-round pick was officially processed.
The roster moves are enough to get the Packers in line for the NFL’s 80-man roster deadline. They will be required to trim the size of their roster once more to 53 players next Tuesday, August 31, following the final weekend of preseason games.
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Redmond’s Value Showed on Special Teams
The Packers brought back Redmond on a one-year, veteran-minimum contract as part of their run-it-back cluster of new deals handed out this offseason, but the decision never appeared to be much about his capabilities in the secondary. It was true; Redmond did offer a certain degree of familiarity and stability as a defender, but his value was far more apparent as a special teams ace for the team.
Redmond played on 425 special teams snaps over the past two seasons with the Packers, taking a career-high 238 snaps last season (55%) while also logging four tackles in the third phase. The Packers had been hoping to get similar contributions out of him heading into the 2021 season, but he started out training camp on the non-football injury list and was hardly able to show much in the short time he did practice before returning to the sideline with a toe injury.
“Will is a versatile guy,” LaFleur said Tuesday prior to Redmond’s IR designation. “He has the ability to play in the box when we go to (our) dime (defense), or play as a deep safety. He has the corner background so he can get you out of a game there. His contribution on special teams, he’s been consistently our best special teamer over two years here. He’s an impact player in that phase of the game.”
Redmond is now the second of the Packers’ returning special teams assets to land on a season-ending injury list. The Packers were also forced to place outside linebacker Randy Ramsey on IR earlier in August after he suffered a significant ankle injury.
Backup Safety Battle Heats Up for Packers
While the Packers will have to grapple with replacing Redmond’s value on special teams — perhaps, by keeping an additional receiver or cornerback — they won’t have to look far for replacing him at safety. Guys like Henry Black, Vernon Scott, Innis Gaines and Christian Uphoff have all given the Packers promising reps throughout training camp, and Redmond’s subtraction only means there is one additional spot open on the 53-man roster.
At this point, Black seems to be a safe bet to slide in as the new No. 3 safety. He has made a handful of good plays at the nickel through the first two preseason games and has looked to have the same head for special teams, even though the unit has struggled overall. The Packers have also already seen some of what he can do after watching him rise from an undrafted rookie on the practice squad to a full-fledged member of their active roster in 2020.
Scott, a 2020 seventh-round pick, is another likely choice for Green Bay’s first active roster of the new season. He spent 15 games on their active roster in 2020 and made his presence known from a limited role, tallying 11 solo tackles and a sack despite playing just 89 defensive snaps on the year. Between him and Black, the Packers should have little trouble replacing Redmond’s special teams contributions as well.
Still, it will be interesting to see which players the Packers give opportunities in the final preseason game. Gaines and Uphoff could potentially get extended looks if the Packers are considering keeping five safeties for their active roster. They may also wish to roll with Black and Scott much of the game to determine how well each of them holds up for significant reps. After all, they would be the backup plans if something happened with Amos or Savage and remain largely untested ahead of their second years.