Getty La'Darius Hamilton lines up before the snap in a preseason game against the New Orleans Saints.
The Green Bay Packers claimed linebacker Arron Mosby off of waivers, according to ESPN’s Rob Demovksy.
To create the roster spot for Mosby, the team announced that they’re releasing linebacker La’Darius Hamilton.
The Packers have claimed LB Arron Mosby off waivers and released LB La’Darius Hamilton.
Mosby (Fresno State) played in three games for the Carolina Panthers last season after signing as an undrafted free agent.
Mosby, a former undrafted free agent from Fresno State, is entering his second season in the league. He signed with the Carolina Panthers last spring but fell victim to final roster cut-downs. He spent the entirety of his rookie year bouncing between the Panthers’ active roster and their practice squad — he was elevated twice for gameday and promoted on two other occasions.
Unable to stick around for the long haul, Mosby was waived by the Panthers on Tuesday, August 1. He appeared in three games for the Panthers but played almost exclusively on special teams, logging 33 snaps for coordinator Chris Tabor, according to Pro Football Focus.
Packers Continue to Trim a Crowded EDGE Room
Like Mosby, Hamilton has seen his fair share of roster elevations during his time with the Packers. He was signed off of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ practice squad early in the 2021 campaign, filling the roster spot left behind by the team’s decision to move Za’Darius Smith to injured reserve.
After a brief stint on the active roster, the Packers waived Hamilton just so they could stash him on the practice squad. For the remainder of the regular season, he was elevated to the active roster three times. The script of his 2022 unfolded similarly, seeing three more elevations from the practice squad.
Overall, Hamilton played in nine games for the Packers over the span of two seasons. Releasing him now provides him with an opportunity to latch on elsewhere before the preseason begins.
For three consecutive years, the Packers have entered the regular season with five outside linebackers — it’s hard to imagine that trend breaking. Hamilton is the latest result of the trimming on the edge after the Packers released Jonathan Garvin on Thursday, July 28.
Packers’ Pass Rush Corps Beginning to Take Shape
After the Packers spent a first-round pick on Lukas Van Ness, the likelihood of Hamilton — and some of the other names at the bottom of the depth chart at outside linebacker — making the roster appeared to dissipate, even more so.
The emergence and potential of Brenton Cox Jr., a Florida Gator who, remarkably, went undrafted, also may have provided the Packers with some more reassurance behind their first and second-team edge rushers. He was dismissed from two separate programs during his collegiate career — Georgia and Florida — and his demeanor never seemed to properly mesh with his talent, which was undeniable. He accumulated eight sacks during his junior season at Florida to go with 14.5 tackles for a loss of yards.
If the Packers are able to keep Cox’s attitude in check and he doesn’t squander what will now be his third — and arguably his most important — opportunity to make an impression, he could wind up being the steal of the rookie free-agent class.
Rashan Gary, when healthy, will lead the charge alongside Preston Smith. Van Ness and Kingsley Enagbare will see their fair share of snaps as well this season, though, the versatility that Van Ness provides could allow him to play inside, opening a spot on the edge for either Cox or Justin Hollins.
Of course, this early in the summer, that’s far from a cemented scenario. Very few roles are solidified before a single exhibition snap is even taken.
“We’re going to be moving guys all over the place and just because somebody’s running with the ones doesn’t necessarily mean that’s the case and vice versa, if you’re running with the twos,” said head coach Matt LaFleur on Saturday, July 29.
“I don’t want these guys to even think about the depth chart at this point. Their sole focus each and every time we go out there is to try and get better each and every day in everything they do. In order to do that, you have to give max effort, you’ve got to be deliberate about what you’re doing, the ins and outs, the details, the ‘why’ behind everything we do.”
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