The Green Bay Packers are making a few more adjustments to their 80-man roster before flying to Buffalo for their final preseason game of the summer.
On August 27, Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst announced the signing of former Hawaii cornerback Rojesterman Farris II to a free-agent contract, adding yet another challenger to a room that now essentially has four players competing for no more than two roster spots.
Farris was a three-year starting cornerback for the Rainbow Warriors in college, tallying a combined 99 tackles, two interceptions and 21 pass breakups over his final two seasons as an All-Mountain West honorable mention. After going undrafted in 2020, he signed with the Atlanta Falcons as a UDFA but was released before the end of training camp. Farris has also since spent time on the offseason rosters of the Chicago Bears and Denver Broncos.
The Packers also waived fourth-string quarterback Jake Dolegala to clear a space for Farris on the active roster. Farris will wear No. 30 for the Packers and will presumably play in their preseason finale against the Bills at 1 p.m. ET on Saturday, August 28.
All NFL teams will be required to reduce their roster numbers to 53 players before 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday, August 31.
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How Many Roster Spots Open at CB?
The Packers are mostly down to deep-depth position battles heading into their final exhibition game before the 2021 regular season, but the cornerback spot could be the most interesting to watch this weekend after they made a handful of shakeups in the past few weeks.
Special attention has been paid to the Packers’ cornerback position throughout training camp despite having five players that are viewed as locks to make the roster. Jaire Alexander, Kevin King, Chandon Sullivan and first-round rookie Eric Stokes are all unquestionably safe from the 53-man roster cutdown while the same likely goes for fifth-rounder Shermar Jean-Charles, assuming the Packers haven’t lost faith in his selection over the past few months. That leaves room for one player, maybe two, to crack the rotation.
Kabion Ento and Isaac Yiadom, who was recently acquired in a cornerback swap with the New York Giants, seemed to emerge from last weekend’s loss to the New York Jets as the two frontrunners for the sixth roster spot, but the Packers have since added two more cornerbacks to the roster, including former Chicago Bears draft pick Stephen Denmark. They also traded away Ka’dar Hollman to the Houston Texans on August 24.
Maybe the Packers are simply adding bodies to pad out their depth chart for an exhibition game that most of their starters will not play in, but Denmark and Farris could have a small window to stand out for the team if Ento or Yiadom disappoint. Remember, special teams play will be most important in deciding who gets the sixth (or perhaps seventh) roster spot at cornerback, which means an impressive showing for any of the four in the third phase could win them a job.
Dolegala’s Release Was Inevitable
There was nothing surprising about the Packers signing Dolegala when they brought him back on August 18. With Jordan Love dealing with a shoulder injury and Aaron Rodgers and Kurt Benkert the only two healthy quarterbacks on the roster, Dolegala was a familiar face that could take a share of practice reps and back up Benkert in the second preseason game. Even less surprising, though, was seeing Dolegala released ahead of the final cutdown deadline.
Once Love returned to practice this week, Dolegala effectively became obsolete to the Packers. Spring and training-camp workouts had made it obvious that Benkert was the better of the two quarterbacks and even he isn’t guaranteed a place on the 53-man roster with Rodgers and Love both locks for the 2021 season. In reality, Dolegala never stood a genuine chance.
The Packers could still keep Benkert as their third quarterback on the active roster if they are worried about another time trying to claim him at the cutdown deadline, but they might have no choice but to risk it given their roster needs elsewhere. It’s a long shot, but if the Packers gamble with Benkert on the waivers and find themselves looking for another quarterback to stash on their practice squad, then perhaps Dolegala will get another call from Green Bay.
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Packers Add Free-Agent CB, Cut Backup QB Ahead of Bills Game