Packers Release Veteran LB as 53-Man Roster Cuts Begin

The Green Bay Packers have begun the process of trimming down their roster to the league-mandated 53 players ahead of Tuesday’s cutdown deadline.

According to ESPN’s Rob Demovsky, the Packers waived veteran inside linebacker Ty Summers from their roster on August 28, making the move more than two days in advance of the 4 p.m. ET deadline on August 30 in order to give Summers the time to latch on with another team before the flood of league-wide roster cuts.

“It was a tough decision, but we wanted to give Ty an opportunity before the wave of cuts to find a home,” LaFleur told reporters on August 28. “We appreciate everything he’s done here. First and foremost, he’s a hard worker and a great teammate, so it’s always tough when you have to let somebody like that go. Certainly, there’s a lot of tough decisions that are going to be made over the next couple of days.”

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Depth at ILB Played Into Summers’ Departure

Summers was a 2019 seventh-round pick for the Packers who played in all but three games over the past three seasons, recording a combined 52 tackles over that span and seeing the majority of his action on special teams. Unfortunately for him, the Packers invested heavily in the inside linebacker spot during the 2022 offseason, giving All-Pro De’Vondre Campbell a five-year extension and using a first-round pick on Quay Walker.

The Packers also have quality depth at the position in Krys Barnes and Isaiah McDuffie.

“I think that’s a big part of it,” LaFleur said of depth motivating them to move on from Summers. “Anytime you invest a first-round pick in that room, certainly you upgrade that room quite a bit. And the other guys are doing a good job.”

Packers Will Hold Off on Remaining Roster Cuts

As LaFleur mentioned, the Packers were looking out for Summers when they opted to release him a few days early. They did something similar back in June when they released third-string quarterback Kurt Benkert ahead of training camp, giving him time to look for new opportunities instead of carrying him through the preseason only to cut him at the deadline. The rest of the players, however, will have to wait until Tuesday.

LaFleur said on Sunday that he had been given the impression that Summers will be the only player the Packers are releasing prior to Tuesday’s cutdown rush. In fairness, there will be a good amount of rookies and fringe players in the mix that wouldn’t benefit much from an early release, but it does build some anticipation for the day of.

The Packers will have to shed 26 more players before 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday, August 30. Kylin Hill is already on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list and won’t count against their 53-man roster total, but any players they wish to place on injured reserve — such as safety Dallin Leavitt — will have to be retained until after the deadline passes.