The Green Bay Packers have seen one of their former offensive linemen land an NFL shot just days before the 2026 season gets underway.
The Indianapolis Colts announced Tuesday that they promoted tackle Luke Tenuta from the practice squad to the 53-man roster.
Indianapolis lists Tenuta at 6-foot-8 and 314 pounds and made room for him by waiving cornerback Jaylon Jones. The Colts also signed tight end Kenny Fletcher Jr. to their practice squad.
Tenuta’s return to an active roster gives the former Packers reserve another chance to carve out a role after bouncing between rosters and practice squads over the past four years.
He has appeared in seven regular-season games, including three with Green Bay in 2022, but has yet to make an NFL start.
For Packers fans, Tenuta existence was notable for a developmental stretch that lasted parts of three calendar years. Green Bay claimed him off waivers in October 2022 and kept him in the organization through the 2023 season and into the following training camp.
Tenuta Saw First NFL Offensive Snaps With Packers
Tenuta originally entered the league as a sixth-round pick of the Buffalo Bills at No. 209 overall in the 2022 NFL Draft after playing at Virginia Tech. The Colts claimed him after Buffalo’s initial roster cuts, but his first stay in Indianapolis lasted only until October.
Green Bay claimed Tenuta off waivers on Oct. 18, 2022. At the time, the Packers listed him at 6-foot-8 and 314 pounds and noted that he had earned All-ACC honorable mention in his final college season after starting 11 games at left tackle.
His role in Green Bay was limited, though he did get his first taste of NFL offensive action there. Tenuta appeared in three games during the 2022 season and logged seven offensive snaps along with 18 on special teams, via Pro Football Reference’s snap counts.
Those seven offensive snaps all came late in the Packers’ 41-17 win over the Minnesota Vikings on Jan. 1, 2023. Green Bay’s 2023 media guide notes that Tenuta took over at right tackle for the final seven snaps with the Packers holding a 41-10 lead.
An ankle injury derailed his next season, with Tenuta suffering the injury during Green Bay’s 2023 preseason opener and spending the entire regular season on injured reserve. He returned for the 2024 offseason and training camp, working at both right guard and right tackle, before the Packers released him during final roster cuts on Aug. 27.
Former Packers Tackle Gets 53-Man Chance
Tenuta moved on to the Arizona Cardinals practice squad after leaving Green Bay and eventually made his way back to Indianapolis, signing a reserve/future contract in January 2025.
He appeared in four games for the Colts last season, bringing his career total to seven, and remained with Indianapolis through the 2026 offseason and training camp. The Colts briefly released him Aug. 31 before bringing him back on the practice squad later that day.
Just over a week later, Tenuta is back on the 53-man roster.
The move comes with Indianapolis choosing to waive Jones, a 2023 seventh-round pick who had accumulated 29 starts and 157 tackles over three seasons. That makes Tenuta’s promotion more noteworthy than a routine practice-squad shuffle, as the Colts elected to use the roster spot on additional offensive-line depth entering Week 1.
Tenuta still has only seven career offensive snaps from his Packers tenure and has never started an NFL game, so his role figures to begin as a reserve.
At 6-foot-8, 314 pounds, however, the former Green Bay developmental tackle continues to earn opportunities — and his latest has put him back on an active roster for the start of another season.
Former Packers 6-Foot-8 Tackle Promoted in Colts Roster Move