With all of the Green Bay Packers’ injury issues right now, there’s a good chance that they’ll be making moves on the waiver wire the day after cutdowns. So who should we have our eye on? Well…I’m glad you asked that question.
Since 2022, the Packers have drafted 18 players who have come in for pre-draft visits and have added 13 other visitors who were brought in via waivers, practice squad poaches or free agency. So if you’re wondering who Green Bay has eyes on, players they’ve brought in as pre-draft prospects are a good place to start.
I compiled a list of the Packers’ 2022-2025 draft class visitors and excluded players who are on injury lists, who were no longer in the league or who already got a look by Green Bay. I also took the time to look at three recent 53-man roster projections for each of the players’ remaining teams. If players were projected to make the team on all three of those projections, I also excluded them.
As much as I want to be able to cover every detail in the league, I have to lean on the knowledge of others for this one. On cutdown day, I’ll let you guys know if there are any surprises.
So who is left? 19 players in total. Some are at positions that the Packers don’t need to address, while others are at positions of need. Others have been available for months at a time, showing that Green Bay has lost interest, while others haven’t ever been available to the Packers since their draft selection. We’ll go through all of the details of these players so you can understand what the player market could look like post-cutdowns.
Hendon Hooker (2023) – Detroit Lions (#68)
It’s going to be hard to justify keeping a third quarterback on the 53-man roster in today’s NFL, with the increased importance of the kickoff without the league expanding rosters. With that being said, if you’re going to keep a QB3, it probably looks like picking up a former high third-round selection still on a rookie deal. Hooker is under contract for two more seasons, but will be a 29-year-old free agent in 2027. Remember, Malik Willis is a free agent after this year, and the Chicago Bears just spent $5 million per season on a backup quarterback’s contract extension. It’s doubtful Willis will re-sign for less than that. At the moment, it appears that Hooker is being beaten out by seven-year veteran Kyle Allen, who was signed by the team in March.
Evan Hull (2023) – Pittsburgh Steelers (#176)
Hull was only active for one regular-season game during his rookie year before he was placed on injured reserve for a torn meniscus and MCL. Because of that, he’s only recorded one carry (for one yard) in his regular-season career. Last year, Hull spent all but two weeks on the Colts’ practice squad, so the Packers could have poached him then, if they had any interest in placing Hull on their 53-man roster. Chris Brooks already fills the blocking back role for Green Bay anyway.
Ryan Miller (2023) – Tampa Bay Buccaneers (UDFA)
Miller is the big-body type of receiver (6’2”, 221 pounds) that head coach Matt LaFleur likes. On top of that, Miller played 41 percent of the Buccaneers’ special teams snaps in the 11 games that he was active for last year. For reference, Malik Heath, who is the Packers’ top non-returner receiver special teams contributor, only played 17 percent of special teams snaps for Green Bay over his 13 active games in 2024. If any of Jayden Reed, Dontayvion Wicks or Savion Williams are put on injury lists to start the year, maybe Miller can be added to help in the kicking game and play offense in a pinch. For what it’s worth, Miller had an 81.9 special teams grade on PFF in 2024 and played kick return, kickoff, punt and punt return units.
Josh Whyle (2023) – Tennessee Titans (#147)
Just a few years ago, Whyle was considered to be a Day 3 sleeper at the tight end position. Since then, though, the Titans have turned over their coaching staff and front office. Chig Okonwko is the team’s starter, Gunnar Helm was just drafted in the fourth round and David Martin-Robinson appears to be ahead of Whyle in the pecking order. If Tennessee only keeps three at the position, Whyle very well might be the odd man out. He’s played 28 games over two years and made seven starts on offense. He’s more of an offensive player (501 snaps) than a special teams player (177 snaps), which probably contributes to him possibly losing a roster spot with the Titans. At minimum, he should be able to help on the punt unit, kick return and field goal protection units, though, if the Packers want to move on from Ben Sims as their TE4.
Atonio Mafi (2023) – Las Vegas Raiders (#144)Darian Kinnard (2022) – Philadelphia Eagles (#145)Jacob Bayer (2025) – Buffalo Bills (UDFA)Esa Pole (2025) – Kansas City Chiefs (UDFA)
Here’s our first multi-player group. There seems to be some debate about whether Kennard will stick with the Eagles or Pole will stick with the Chiefs, but Mafi and Bayer should be available. Kennard is a strong tackle/guard who doesn’t have the prototypical athleticism of an NFL lineman. Pole never played football at the high school level, but after a stint in junior college, he was able to enroll at Washington State. Last year, the 6’5” tackle didn’t allow a single sack for the Cougars. Bayer is a center who was able to come back from a torn ACL in spring practice to play in the second week of his senior season. He earned second-team All-Sun Belt honors along the way. Mafi was a fifth-round pick, but was unsigned from May 9th to July 22nd this offseason. If the Packers wanted him, he’d probably already be in Green Bay.
Perrion Winfrey (2022) – Dallas Cowboys (#108)Eric Johnson II (2022) – Indianapolis Colts (#159)Khristian Boyd (2024) – New Orleans Saints (#199)
Winfrey seems to be more of a roster bubble player than a true cut for the Cowboys. He’s played with four teams, including the UFL’s Birmingham Stallions, since going in the early fourth round of the 2022 draft. He was originally waived by the Browns, who drafted him, after being investigated for pulling a gun on a woman. That happened in July of 2023, following an April arrest for misdemeanor assault.
Johnson is interesting because he’s flipped teams twice, between the Colts and New England Patriots, but has never hit free agency because he was claimed after being waived both times. Clearly, there’s a market for a 300-pounder who runs a 4.87-second 40-yard dash. He’s played 39 games over the first three years of his career.
Boyd is is different type of body, coming in at 6’3” and 320 pounds. The true nose tackle played six games as a rookie last season.
Marte Mapu (2023) – New England Patriots (#76)Jack Cochrane (2022) – Kansas City Chiefs (UDFA)
Mapu is very similar to Isaiah Simmons in that he was a hybrid linebacker/safety coming out of college and hasn’t been able to settle on a role at the NFL level. Mapu started nine games at safety last year, but is not making a dent on the depth chart as a linebacker with a new coaching staff this summer. I wouldn’t mind a Mapu for Simmons swap if the Packers are adamant about having that type of player on the roster, considering Simmons’ preseason performance. Mapu has started on every phase of special teams, other than field goal protection, at one point during his Patriots career.
There are some questions about whether or not Cochrane will go on the injured reserve. He’s currently missing practice with a bone bruise that he suffered in Week 2 of the preseason. He’s played 47 games in three seasons for the Chiefs and has played 895 special teams snaps for them. Over the last two years, Cochrane has played between 78 and 79 percent of Kansas City’s special teams snaps, an amazing rate considering that linebackers don’t play on the field goal protection unit at all.
Josh Thompson (2022) – Atlanta Falcons (UDFA)
Thompson was an interesting special teams player with nickel potential coming out of school, but the Packers have had plenty of chances to grab him and have passed those opportunities up. Thompson hasn’t played regular-season snaps since his rookie year, when all 83 of his snaps were played in the kicking game.
Jammie Robinson (2023) – Arizona Cardinals (#145)Jordan Howden (2023) – New Orleans Saints (#146)Quindell Johnson (2023) – Pittsburgh Steelers (UDFA)Dell Pettus (2024) – New England Patriots (UDFA)Chris Edmonds (2024) – Cleveland Browns (UDFA)
Safety is by far our largest group of “guys the Packers have shown interest in the past and could be available.” Green Bay might be in the market at the position, too, depending on whether or not Zayne Anderson can go in Week 1. It’s typical for the Packers to keep five safeties on the 48-man gameday roster. Without Anderson, they’ll probably only have four to start the year. I want to mention up front, basically all of these players are special teams contributors.
Robinson is on his second NFL team, but he was picked up on waivers in December, a tough call to make for teams in playoff contention. That was the only time he was made available since the draft. He’s played 366 special teams snaps to 64 defensive snaps, which mostly came in his two starts his rookie year. He has also played the slot.
[Puts on seldom-used reporter hat] I can tell you for a fact that the Packers were very interested in Howden in the 2023 draft. My friends in the scouting community, before the Howden visit was reported, had told me that they had Howden circled as a Green Bay target. The Saints ended up taking Howden two rounds before the Packers spent their seventh-round pick on Anthony Johnson Jr. that year.
Johnson is on his fourth NFL team. This is a classic “if the Packers wanted him, they would have added him already” situation.
Pettus played all 17 regular-season games in his undrafted rookie season last year. He ended up playing 31 percent of the Patriots’ defensive snaps and 53 percent of their special teams reps. Pettus should draw some interest. PFF had him graded with a 70-plus grade on both defense and special teams under the previous staff. As a reminder, New England’s defensive coordinator last year was the Packers’ current defensive line coach and run game coordinator DeMarcus Covington. He should have good intel on both Pettus and Mapu.
Edmonds, another 2024 rookie, got called up twice from the Browns’ practice squad to play special teams last year. He’s played all of three snaps in regular-season games defensively.
WR Ryan MillerTE Josh WhyleC Jacob BayerLB Marte MapuLB Jack CochraneS Jammie RobinsonS Jordan HowdenS Dell Pettus