The Green Bay Packers announced their initial 53-man roster on Tuesday as general manager Brian Gutekunst made 37 roster moves to get the team down to that number. A lot of players were released, but some roster spots were not yet secured.
The waiver period always leads to some more players being handed their pink slips shortly after the initial roster is released. Unfortunately for two Packers players, that is the fate that they met as Green Bay was awarded two players on waivers.
Rookie undrafted free agent, tight end Ben Sims, who spent training camp with the Minnesota Vikings, was one of the players who was claimed. He met with the Packers during the predraft process, so he is someone Green Bay’s front office and coaching staff is familiar with.
The other player who was claimed was safety Zayne Anderson. Anderson went undrafted out of BYU in 2021 and spent the majority of his time on the practice squad of the Kansas City Chiefs. He signed with the Buffalo Bills this offseason in hopes of making their roster but was part of the final cuts.
To make room for those two players on the roster, the Packers had to release two players from their initial 53-man roster. Linebacker Tariq Carpenter was the first player announced. A special teams standout, he was struggling at times this offseason in his transition from safety to linebacker.
Rob Demovsky of ESPN reported the news of Carpenter being released. It was one that seemed to draw some surprise as the Packers are already without one key special teams player, tight end Tyler Davis, who tore his ACL in the first preseason game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
The second player who was released was defensive lineman Jonathan Ford. His hold on a roster spot always seemed shaky as the Packers keeping six players on the 53-man roster at that position group seemed unlikely. But, he did show great development heading into his second season as a pro. Demovsky shared that news on X, formerly known as Twitter, as well.
There is a chance that one, if not both, of Carpenter and Ford are brought back on the Packers’ practice squad. Because of International Pathway Program player Kenneth Odumegwu, the team has one spot open. Odumegwu is an exception, so Green Bay can carry a 17th player if they choose.
