Getty Landis Durham #96 of the Los Angeles Rams runs at the line of scrimmage during a game against the Houston Texans during week four of the preseason at NRG Stadium on August 29, 2019 in Houston, Texas. The Rams defeated the Texans 22-10.
The Green Bay Packers don’t seem interested in short-changing their outside linebacker position for the 2021 season despite having a fearsome pass-rushing trio in place at the top of their depth chart.
According to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle, the Packers hosted three outside linebackers — Allen Cater, Landis Durham and Bryson Young — for workouts on Monday, potentially looking to add to the position group after they lost depth piece Randy Ramsey to a significant ankle injury at the beginning of last week.
Green Bay Packers working out Tenny Adewusi, Allen Cater, Landis Durham, Bryson Young
The Packers also brought in third-year defensive back Tenny Adewusi for a workout. He had previously spent the 2019 summer with the New York Giants as an undrafted rookie and played in the XFL for the Dallas Renegades during the early parts of 2020 before the COVID-19 pandemic forced the league to shut down operations.
The Packers would have to clear space on their 90-man training-camp roster before making any new additions. It is possible they might consider sending Ramsey to the injured reserve list; although, such a move would mean ruling out Ramsey for the entire 2021 season, which head coach Matt LaFleur was not prepared to do last week.
NFL teams are also required to trim down their roster totals from 90 to 85 by next Tuesday, Aug. 17, after the first weekend of preseason games. Two more cut dates will follow with teams going down to 80 players on Aug. 24 before making the final cuts for their initial 53-man rosters on Aug. 31.
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Special Teams Will Determine Packers’ OLB4
The Packers had high hopes for Ramsey in 2021 given what he brought to the table on special teams. His effectiveness in that phase of the game had been giving him an advantage over some of the Packers’ other deep-depth outside linebackers throughout the first several practices of camp. But even before his injury, Packers outside linebackers coach Mike Smith wasn’t ready to declare Ramsey their OLB4.
The Packers also return 2020 seventh-round pick Jonathan Garvin along with practice-squad holdovers Tipa Galeai and Delontae Scott. Between them and the newly acquired Chauncey Rivers, Smith anticipates some quality competition over the next several weeks; though, his eyes are still fixed on seeing which among them can shine on special teams.
“It’s just early,” Smith told reporters Sunday. “Especially that fourth spot, that’s the one that you have to fight for. To get that fourth spot, you better be damn good on special teams, and they know that. There ain’t gonna be a fourth spot to play outside linebacker, it’s going to be the fourth spot to be on special teams. That’s the deal with Rambo was he was one of our better special teams players, so (those) are big shoes to fill, but I think those guys have a great chance to contribute and help.”