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The Green Bay Packers didn’t take the practice field on Thursday, but several hopefuls were still given the opportunity to audition for their 80-man roster.
According to ESPN’s Rob Demovsky, the Packers hosted cornerback Lorenzo Doss, a former Denver Broncos fifth-round pick, and five others for tryouts on Thursday afternoon. The rest of the workout list included tight end Matthew Wilkerson (Edwards Waters College), safety Innis Gaines (TCU) and three cornerbacks, Dee Delaney (Miami), Rojesterman Farris (Hawaii) and Ashton Lampkin (Oklahoma State).
While the Packers didn’t announce any signings following Thursday’s tryouts, the emphasis on defensive backs is rather striking considering the team’s current personnel at both cornerback and safety. There is also the fact that if the Packers needed help at cornerback, they could likely call former veteran Tramon Williams, who remains a free agent and has indicated he would be open to returning to Green Bay in 2020.
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Doss Earned Super Bowl Ring with Broncos
Doss was a member of the Broncos’ Super Bowl 50 championship team — technically.
Doss played in six games during his rookie season after getting selected at No. 164 overall in the 2015 NFL draft, but the deck was stacked against him with Pro Bowl corners Aqib Talib and Chris Harris Jr. as well as former first-rounder Bradley Roby above him on the depth chart. Most of his snaps were taken on special teams, and none of them came during the playoffs.
He lined up for just 88 total defensive snaps throughout his two and half seasons with the Broncos and took most of them (70) during a two-week stretch in 2016, in which he tallied the only two pass deflections of his career along with two tackles. Unfortunately, Doss’ third year with the team was cut short when he arrived late to a morning meeting on Thanksgiving day and was promptly released — leading to its share of drama.
Doss hasn’t added much to his NFL resume since with just one active appearance during 19 months with the Carolina Panthers. He also spent a monthlong stint on the Buffalo Bills’ practice squad late in the 2017 season. Doss flipped from the NFL to the XFL in 2020 when the New York Defenders drafted him in the second round, but the league’s shutdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic left him once again looking for work.
Packers Seem Set at Cornerback in 2020
As Kevin King likes to say, the Packers have two No. 1 cornerbacks between him and Jaire Alexander, but the depth behind them isn’t looking too shabby, either.
Chandon Sullivan would appear to have a lock on Tramon Williams’ old slot corner role with votes of confidence from both King and Alexander, having continued the momentum of his standout 2019 season. The Packers are also looking for Josh Jackson, a former second-round pick, to take on a bigger role than his past two seasons; though, his start to Year 3 has seen some ups and downs on the practice field.
Young cornerbacks such as Kabion Ento and undrafted rookie Stanford Samuels have also seen their stock rising in camp after some promising play. Ento, a former wideout-turned-cornerback, was signed to a futures contract in January and rode into camp this summer looking to compete for a spot on the active roster. As for Samuels, he would seem to be doing an even better job at making an early name for himself with some noteworthy plays in camp.
The Packers also have Ka’dar Hollman, who played in four games in 2019, along with DaShaun Amos and rookie Will Sunderland in the fray and looking to win jobs in 2020.
Update: Ento was diagnosed with a broken foot bone after an injury in Tuesday’s practice and underwent surgery on Wednesday with no timetable for return, according to Ryan Wood of the Green Bay Press-Gazette.
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