PackersNews reporters discuss Packers’ upset loss to Carolina Panthers
Pete Dougherty joins Dominique Yates to recap the Green Bay Packers’ stunning loss to the Carolina Panthers.
GREEN BAY – The Green Bay Packers did not swing a deal before the NFL trade deadline Nov. 4, but they did make several moves with their 53-man roster and practice squad.
Tight end Tucker Kraft, who suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in the 16-13 loss to Carolina on Nov. 2, was placed on injured reserve. Kraft’s injury is season-ending and by putting him on injured reserve, the Packers were able to create a spot on their 53-man roster.
With two open spots on the 53 — the other position was created when the team released linebacker Kristian Welch on Nov. 3 — the Packers promoted defensive end Arron Mosby and tight end Josh Whyle from the practice squad to the active roster.
Mosby was elevated from the practice squad to the gameday roster for a league-maximum third time against the Panthers, meaning the only way he could appear in a game for the Packers this season was if they signed him to the 53-man roster.
Mosby has been used exclusively as a special teams player in those three games, playing 51 snaps.
Whyle makes his debut on the 53-man roster after spending the first nine weeks of the season on the practice squad. The 6-foot-7, 248-pound Whyle replaces Kraft and gives coach Matt LaFleur a third tight end behind Luke Musgrave and John FitzPatrick.
Whyle, a fifth-round pick of the Tennessee Titans in 2023, played in 28 games for the Titans over two seasons, starting seven games. He caught 37 passes for 342 yards and two touchdowns. The Titans released him in the cutdown to 53 on Aug. 26, and he was signed to the Packers’ practice squad two days later.
In addition to the active roster moves, the Packers signed four players to the practice squad, including Welch, who spent the first eight weeks there before his promotion for the Panthers game. They released offensive lineman Lecitus Smith from the practice squad to add a fourth available spot.
The three newcomers are tight end McCallan Castles, tight end Drake Dabney and receiver Michael Woods II.
The 6-4, 244-pound Castles was a Philadelphia Eagles undrafted free agent in 2024 who was released in training camp and later spent part of the season on the Los Angeles Chargers’ practice squad. Castles spent camp this year with the Chargers and the Los Angeles Rams before being released.
He played for Tennessee, UC-Davis and California and caught 92 passes for 1,226 yards and 14 touchdowns in six years of college eligibility.
The 6-5, 246-pound Dabney signed with the Titans as an undrafted free agent May 12 and spent two games on the Titans’ practice squad. Dabney played four seasons at Baylor, where he played in 40 games with 24 starts and caught 65 passes for 873 yards and eight touchdowns.
He played for TCU in 2024 and caught 19 passes for 193 yards.
The 6-1, 204-pound Woods was a sixth-round pick of the Cleveland Browns in 2022 and played in 15 games with two starts through the ’24 season. He had 12 catches for 110 yards. He transferred from Arkansas to Oklahoma for his final college season.