The Green Bay Packers added a familiar name from across the NFC North on Wednesday, signing safety Kahlef Hailassie to the practice squad just four days before their season opener against the Minnesota Vikings.
The move, confirmed by the club and reflected on the NFL transaction wire, also included running back Damon Bankston and came with the corresponding release of defensive back Murvin Kenion.
Hailassie was already on the practice field that afternoon, giving the Packers an extra body at a position they kept relatively thin on the 53-man roster.
Hailassie’s path to Green Bay was short and circuitous. He spent the entire offseason in Minnesota after signing a reserve/future contract, then was waived at the roster deadline on August 30 and brought back to the Vikings’ practice squad the next day. Minnesota released him from that group earlier this week, creating an opening that Green Bay quickly filled.
The timing is notable because the two teams meet Sunday in Week 1. Hailassie now sits on the practice squad of the opponent he spent months preparing against.
The 25-year-old from Elk Grove, California, entered the league as an undrafted free agent with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2023 after playing at Oregon and Western Kentucky.
Cleveland claimed him off waivers that August. He appeared in 10 career regular-season games, all with the Browns, recording eight tackles and a pass deflection.
After the 2024 season, he landed in Minnesota, where coaches moved him from cornerback to safety. He had a productive 2026 preseason there, finishing second on the team with 13 tackles and adding an interception.
A midseason 2025 stint on Jacksonville’s active roster lasted only a couple of months before he returned to the Vikings’ practice squad and later signed another futures deal.
For Green Bay the signing is low-risk depth. Xavier McKinney, Evan Williams, Javon Bullard and Kitan Oladapo are the safeties on the 53, so Hailassie becomes an immediate next-man-up option if injuries or special-teams needs arise.
He counts as a veteran practice-squad addition, which gives the Packers flexibility if they want to elevate him during the season. Whether he ever sees the field against his former team remains to be seen, but the transaction itself is a reminder of how quickly players circulate inside a division.
One week he was wearing purple; the next he is wearing green and gold and lining up against the scheme he just left.
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