Getty Randy Ramsey #56 of the Green Bay Packers celebrates with teammates after making a tackle on a kickoff return during the first half against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field on December 13, 2020 in Detroit, Michigan.
The Green Bay Packers are officially shutting down one of their top special teams contributors for the rest of the 2021 season.
Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst announced Thursday night that outside linebacker Randy Ramsey had been placed on injured reserve after he sustained a significant ankle injury during one of last week’s training-camp practices. Players who are sent to IR prior to 53-man roster cuts are not eligible to return during the season, effectively ending Ramsey’s third year before it even truly got started.
Packers head coach Matt LaFleur had not expressed much optimism about Ramsey’s return; though, he had been previously unwilling to count him out for the entire season.
“That was not a good injury, and it’s a shame because he’s done so much in terms of bringing that special teams value, but also he’s reliable when we’ve been putting him in there on defense as well and bringing some much-needed depth to that position,” LaFleur said on Aug. 3 of Ramsey, who logged 204 snaps on special teams in 2020 and finished with a third-most nine tackles for the unit.
While Ramsey is a loss the Packers wish they could have avoided, they didn’t waste any time filling his spot on their 90-man camp roster with Gutekunst also announcing the signing of cornerback Dominique Martin on Thursday night. Martin, who played three seasons at wide receiver in college before converting to defensive back as a senior, was already in Green Bay for a workout he had with the team one day earlier.
Martin now gets his first opportunity on an NFL roster. The 5-foot-10, 180-pound cornerback had previously played other forms of professional football, including in The Spring League and Fan Controlled Football.
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Packers Now Loaded With CB Depth
For a position that was oft-criticized during the 2020 season (aside from Jaire Alexander), the Packers’ cornerback room is looking both reloaded and upgraded heading into the team’s first preseason game this Saturday at 7 p.m. CT. They found inexpensive ways to bring back both veteran Kevin King and slot corner Chandon Sullivan in free agency for second-chance opportunities, then devoted two draft picks — including the No. 29 overall selection — to adding another pair of talented youngsters to the room.
Now, the Packers must figure out who among their 10 rostered cornerbacks will give them the best combination for the upcoming all-in campaign.
A few of them should be considered solid-locks to make the initial 53-man roster. Alexander is a no-brainer, while the contract circumstances of King’s and Sullivan’s returns imply heavily that neither of them is in danger of losing their roster spot this summer. Additionally, 2021 first-round pick Eric Stokes and fifth-rounder Shemar Jean-Charles can also both be counted as safe considering it would take either immense failure or an unforeseen incident for either to land on the chopping block.
As for the rest of them? Survival of the fittest.
Josh Jackson, a 2018 second-round pick, returns after starting five games in relief of King in 2020, but he also spent six of the Packers’ final eight games last year as a healthy scratch, including in both playoff contests. That puts him firmly in “bubble watch” territory with Kabion Ento, Stanford Samuels II (back from injury), Ka’dar Hollman and — now — Martin each looking to earn his keep. Expect special teams utility to largely decide this one.