The Green Bay Packers are making a change at quarterback on their 53-man roster before playing the Chicago Bears in the first round of the NFL playoffs.
According to the team’s transaction wire, the Packers released third-string quarterback Clayton Tune from their 53-man roster and signed Desmond Ridder from the practice squad to take his place in a pair of corresponding roster moves on Tuesday, January 6.
The Packers had signed Ridder to their practice squad last week with both Jordan Love and Malik Willis on the injury report, but they did not elevate him for game day against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 18’s regular-season finale, instead starting Tune.
Tune threw only 11 passes in a game that had nothing but pride at stake for the Packers, completing six of them for 34 yards and taking four sacks with a fumble on the first one. Ultimately, the Packers decided to trust Ridder’s experience over Tune.
The Packers will face the Bears at Soldier Field at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday, January 10.
Malik Wills Remains Limited in 1st Week of Playoffs
Ridder may have earned a spot on the 53-man roster for the first round of the playoffs, but the Packers are still likely hoping that they won’t need to resort to their QB3.
The Packers have been dealing with quarterback injuries since their last meeting with the Bears in Week 16. Love took a shot to the head early in that game that landed him in the league’s concussion protocol, while Willis also injured his right throwing shoulder in the loss. He re-aggravated the same shoulder in Week 17’s loss to Baltimore, too.
While neither Love nor Willis played in the regular-season finale, the Packers made it clear that Love could have played when they announced he would back up Tune on an emergency basis against the Vikings. He was also off the injury completely this week, leaving little room for doubt that he will return to the starting lineup against the Bears.
Whether Willis will play remains unknown, though. The Packers did not hold a practice on Tuesday, January 6, but they estimated that Willis would have been limited if they had in the first edition of their injury report for the wild-card round. If the team clears him to play, Ridder could wind up inactive for however long they last in the playoffs.
Packers Sign 2 New Wide Receivers to Practice Squad
Along with the quarterback change, the Packers also made three more roster moves to improve the depth of their practice squad ahead of the first round of the 2025 playoffs.
The Packers signed two wide receivers — Julian Hicks and rookie Kisean Johnson — and tight end Messiah Swinson to fill all three of the vacancies on their practice squad. They created two roster openings last week when they signed wideout Jakobie Keeney-James and guard Lecitus Smith to the active roster and then a third with Ridder’s promotion.
Hicks and Swinson each spent the past two training camps with the Packers, failing to make the initial 53-man roster either time. Johnson, however, started off as a UDFA signing with the Cleveland Browns before they waived him during the roster cutdown.
The Packers could need a little help at wide receiver if their injury report does not take a turn in the right direction this week. They estimated that Dontayvion Wicks — who is still in concussion protocol — would have practiced on Tuesday, but Bo Melton is listed as an estimated non-participant due to the knee injury that he suffered in Week 18.
Packers Make Change at Quarterback Ahead of Bears Playoff Game