Getty Kurt Benkert #7 of the Green Bay Packers scrambles with the ball against the New York Jets in the first half of a NFL preseason game at Lambeau Field on August 21, 2021, in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
For Green Bay Packers quarterback Kurt Benkert, Sunday night will be a long time coming. A very long time.
The third-string signal caller has spent all year as a member of the Packers’ practice squad. In fact, his entire professional career has been defined by practice. But all that is going to change December 12 at Lambeau Field — probably.
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After more than three and a half years as a professional football player, Benkert is set to suit up for his first NFL game this weekend against the Chicago Bears. The career reserve QB took to Twitter Wednesday with an inspirational message of positivity, hard work and hope for all those toiling to transform their dreams into realities.
Been in the league 1,319 days & Sunday will be my first time suiting up for a game.
Moral of the story: keep going.
“Been in the league 1,319 days & Sunday will be my first time suiting up for a game,” Benkert wrote. “Moral of the story: keep going.”
Benkert is in line to replace second-string quarterback Jordan Love on the roster, who the team designated to the reserve/COVID-19 list Monday, December 6.
Benkert’s Spot on Packers’ Sideline Not Set in Stone
GettyJordan Love, of the Green Bay Packers, throws a pass during warmups before a preseason game against the Houston Texans at Lambeau Field on August 14, 2021, in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
Love could still clear the league’s virus protocol in time for Sunday and spoil Benkert’s big moment.
The Packers’ backup has noted publicly that he is vaccinated. While NFL players’ medical records are not open to the public, league protocol suggests that Love must have tested positive for coronavirus because those players who are fully vaccinated are not forced to sit out simply for being identified as close contacts of positive cases.
To make it back to the sideline by Sunday, Love must test negative for the virus on two separate occasions at least 24 hours apart. He still has four days to make that happen.
Benkert’s Long Road to NFL Dream
GettyKurt Benkert, of the Green Bay Packers, scrambles with the ball during a preseason game against the New York Jets.
Benkert has taken a long and winding path to what will be the realization of a lifelong dream on Sunday, should his chance to suit up hold through the week.
The 26-year-old went un-drafted in 2018 out of the University of Virginia. He signed on with the Atlanta Falcons in September 2020 and was subject to a rollercoaster of transactions after that, being waived by the team on two occasions over the next year.
Benkert eventually caught on with the Packers in May 2021. The team waived him in August, then brought him back on September 1, just 11 days prior to the start of the regular season. He has been a fixture on Green Bay’s practice squad for the last 13 weeks.
Should Benkert find himself on the Packers’ sideline come Sunday, he has an outside shot of actually playing. Technically, every backup quarterback has a reasonable chance to get on the field considering the number of quarterback injuries sustained in the NFL each season — even despite the league creating rule after rule to protect signal callers at all costs.
But Benkert’s chances may be better than the average backup QB for two reasons. The first is that starter Aaron Rodgers has a fractured toe. The reigning MVP has talked about the pain he has endured in recent weeks and should anything go wrong, Benkert is sure to get the nod. After all, Green Bay is in contention for a Super Bowl again this year, and risking Rodgers’ health just to win a game against the hapless Bears in Week 14 doesn’t exactly fit into the definition of playing the long game.
The second reason is that the Packers have dominated the Bears during Rodgers’ 14-year tenure in Green Bay. This weekend will be recently returned rookie QB Justin Fields’ first trip to Lambeau Field, it will happen in frigid winter weather, and it will happen under the bright lights of Sunday Night Football. The Packers (9-3) may well jump all over the Bears (4-8) early and often, allowing for a drive or two to fall to Benkert at the end of a blowout victory.
After more than three and a half years, fans have to imagine that if Green Bay calls Benkert’s number, he’ll be ready.