Getty Andre Szmyt #91 of the Syracuse Orange kicks a field goal during the second quarter against the Pittsburgh Panthers at the Carrier Dome on October 18, 2019 in Syracuse, New York.
The Green Bay Packers could be looking to add an emergency punter/holder after clearing some space from their practice squad on Tuesday, January 4.
According to the NFL’s transaction wire, the Packers worked out former Syracuse punter Nolan Cooney and hosted former Cincinnati punter James Smith for a free-agent visit on Tuesday. They also released cornerback Jayson Stanley and rookie guard/tackle Jon Dietzen from their 16-man practice squad to create more roster openings.
The Packers are stable in the punting game with starter Corey Bojorquez averaging 46.8 yards on 52 punts through 16 games, but he has made a handful of mistakes as the holder in kicking operations that have contributed to some of Mason Crosby’s misses. While the Packers are almost certainly not looking to replace him for the playoffs, they may find it useful to secure a contingency plan for both punting and holding in the event that Bojorquez suffers an injury or misses more time with COVID-19 issues.
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Both Cooney & Smith Found Collegiate Success
Cooney — who overcame cancer in high school — only spent one season as the Orange’s starting punt but turned out excellent numbers with an average of 44.8 yards on 74 punts during his redshirt senior season in 2020. He also spent his final three seasons at Syracuse as the holder for field-goal and extra-point kicks, which could appeal to the Packers with ongoing issues for their kicking operation.
While Cooney went undrafted, he joined the New Orleans Saints back in May as a UDFA signing and competed with starter Blake Gillikin until he was released in mid-August.
As for Smith, he was a four-time All-American Athletic Conference player for the Bearcats and finished as the program’s all-time leading punter with an average of 43.6 yards on 235 career punts and just three touchbacks. The Australian native was also considered one of the top punters in the 2021 class and ended up signing with the Tennessee Titans as a UDFA before losing a camp battle with starter Brett Kern.
Stanley Departs After Stay on COVID-19 List
Every season, the Packers have instances of players getting signed to their practice squad and not making it even a week before getting released again, but few will be able to say their time in Green Bay was as strange as Jayson Stanley’s.
Stanley, who was a former Georgia teammate of Packers first-round rookie Eric Stokes, signed with the Packers on December 29 but was immediately placed on their practice squad’s reserve/COVID-19 list upon signing. Then, after seven days away from the team, he was cleared from the league’s health and safety protocols and activated back to the practice squad … only to be released on the same day without spending any actual practice time with the Packers.
The Packers had been most likely considering Stanley for a role on special teams, especially considering he was signed at a time when Oren Burks, Amari Rodgers and other special teams contributors were stuck on the COVID-19 reserve list. With the majority of their players now back and their cornerback room getting healthier, though, there is little reason for them to hang onto Stanley even in a reserve capacity.