Packers Beat Out Rams, Claim 5th-Round Rookie CB From Seahawks

Getty The Packers claimed rookie cornerback Kyu Blu Kelly off the waivers from the Seahawks on November 13.

The Green Bay Packers have secured some additional help for their cornerback room in their first string of NFL roster moves to begin Week 11.

According to the NFL’s official transaction wire for November 13, the Packers claimed fifth-round rookie cornerback Kyu Blu Kelly off the waivers from the Seattle Seahawks on Monday and cut safety Innis Gaines to clear a spot for him on the 53-man roster.

The Packers had competition for Kelly. Per Ari Meirov of The 33rd Team, the Los Angeles Rams (3-6) also tried to claim Kelly from their NFC West rivals, but the Packers (3-6) hold a higher waiver priority over them and beat out their claim.

Now, Green Bay reinforces its depleted secondary with a rookie cornerback who scored an impressive 8.76 relative athletic score (RAS) ahead of the 2023 NFL draft. Kelly has played 37 snaps on special teams this season but only a single defensive snap.

The Packers have not yet officially announced the acquisition of Kelly, but they did confirm Gaines’ departure. They had just bumped Gaines up from the practice squad on November 11 heading into their road matchup with the Pittsburgh Steelers, but he did not play on defense in the loss. And considering Gaines has already used up all of his elevation opportunities, he appears unlikely to return to Green Bay’s practice squad.

Kyu Blu Kelly Went No. 157 Overall to Ravens in 2023

Kelly spent four seasons as a starting cornerback at Stanford before reaching the NFL, earning consecutive second-team All-Pac-12 honors in his final two years and leading the conference with 13 pass deflections in 2021. He also drew rave reviews at the 2023 Senior Bowl with director Jim Nagy putting a “fringe Top-100 grade” on him.

Ultimately, Kelly fell further than the top 100, but the Baltimore Ravens took a chance on him in the fifth round (No. 157 overall), liking his experience and durability.

Despite expectations, though, Kelly could not lock down a depth spot with the Ravens. He played a whooping 118 snaps in the preseason but struggled in coverage, allowing six receptions for 73 yards and two touchdowns on 10 targets. In the end, Baltimore waived him at the 53-man roster deadline with hopes they could bring him back on the practice squad, but the Seahawks struck first and claimed him for their active roster.

Since then, Kelly has played just a single defensive snap for the Seahawks, who also made him a healthy scratch in three of their first eight games before waiving him. In Green Bay, though, he might actually have an opportunity to crack the rotation and show what he can do on defense, especially if the Packers’ depth woes continue.

Cornerback Depth Remains a Problem for Packers

The Packers now have more depth with Kelly joining the roster, but one young and moldable cornerback isn’t going to entirely solve their depth issues at the position.

Right now, the Packers are essentially playing without three of the four cornerbacks they expected to lead their depth chart when they came into the season. All-Pro Jaire Alexander is sidelined with a shoulder injury after missing a chunk of time with a back injury earlier in the season. Eric Stokes is stuck on injured reserve after a failed attempt to come off the PUP list in Week 7. And Rasul Douglas is now a Buffalo Bill.

Fortunately for the Packers, a couple of backups have answered the call. Seventh-round rookie Carrington Valentine has looked, at times, like a hidden gem, giving up a single reception on eight targets in the win over the Rams. Meanwhile, Corey Ballentine had two pass breakups in his first start for the Packers against the Steelers in Week 10.

Keisean Nixon, however, has been uneven in the slot. He has allowed receptions on 80% of his targets (32 of 40) and has been somewhat unreliable as a run defender this season. Even if the Packers can live with his lower quality of play, they are running out of options in the event another one of their cornerbacks goes down with an injury.