With the NFL trade deadline arriving next Tuesday, the Green Bay Packers quietly bolstered their practice squad on November 3 by adding edge defender D.J. Johnson, quarterback Cam Miller and safety John Saunders Jr. while releasing safety Kahlef Hailassie.
General manager Brian Gutekunst announced the moves as the team continues to manage depth one week before the November 10 cutoff that ends all in-season trading.
Johnson, listed at 6-foot-4 and 260 pounds, arrives with the most professional experience of the group.
The former Oregon standout was selected by the Carolina Panthers in the third round of the 2023 draft.
Over three seasons with Carolina he appeared in 31 games, including five starts, and recorded 60 tackles, four tackles for loss, half a sack, a quarterback hit, two passes defensed and a fumble recovery.
He also contributed on special teams. After his time in Carolina he spent the end of the 2025 season and the opening week of 2026 on the Washington Commanders’ practice squad before joining Green Bay. He will wear number 46.
Miller brings a different profile as a developmental quarterback option. The North Dakota State product was chosen by the Las Vegas Raiders in the sixth round of the 2025 draft.
He spent nearly all of his rookie year on the Raiders’ practice squad before a brief stint on the Miami Dolphins’ active roster for the final game of the season, during which he was inactive. Miami released him after training camp this year.
In college, Miller started 56 games across five seasons, helped the Bison win two FCS national titles and set school career records for total offensive yards, completion percentage, completions and passing yards. He will wear number 17.
Saunders, a 6-foot-2, 211-pound safety from Ole Miss, enters as an undrafted free agent originally signed by the Dolphins in May 2025.
He began his rookie season on Miami’s practice squad, was later elevated to the New England Patriots’ active roster where he was inactive for two games and dressed without playing in a third, and finished the year back on the Patriots’ practice squad.
After being released following 2026 training camp he has already spent time on the practice squads of the New York Jets and Cleveland Browns this season. He will wear number 35.
These additions arrive at a moment when teams across the league are finalizing their approaches to the trade deadline. With a full week remaining before the November 10, 4 p.m. ET cutoff, front offices can still execute player-for-pick deals, but the window is closing.
Practice-squad signings like these give clubs an inexpensive way to stockpile potential emergency depth or scout developmental talent without immediately affecting the active roster or using draft capital.
For Green Bay, the moves add size and experience along the defensive line, a familiar college quarterback profile behind the current depth chart, and another defensive back who has bounced between practice squads this year.
Whether any of the three eventually see the field will depend on injuries, future transactions and how the Packers choose to navigate the final days before the deadline. For now, the signings represent the kind of low-risk roster maintenance that often accompanies the larger trade conversations happening around the league this week.
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