The Green Bay Packers released long snapper Scott Daly from the practice squad on Monday, Sept. 14, clearing a roster spot as they signed wide receiver Bo Melton back to the 53-man roster, via the NFL transaction log.
Daly, a sixth-year veteran out of Notre Dame, had been in Green Bay for less than two weeks. The Packers signed him Sept. 2 as insurance behind starter Matt Orzech, who missed all of training camp with a calf injury before being activated from the physically unable to perform list.
Orzech handled snaps in the season-opening loss to the Minnesota Vikings, and Daly was not elevated for the game.
The move is typical early-season roster management. Green Bay needed the practice-squad space after promoting Melton, who had been released and re-signed to the unit last week to manage termination-pay rules for vested veterans. The Packers were the only team carrying a long snapper on the practice squad entering Week 1.
With Orzech healthy enough to play, Daly became expendable.
Daly’s path to the NFL was anything but linear. A Downers Grove, Illinois, native, he was a highly regarded high school specialist who earned a scholarship to Notre Dame. H
e snapped for the Fighting Irish from 2013 through 2016, posting consistent, error-free work across more than 250 snapping opportunities in his final two seasons. Packers head coach Matt LaFleur was Notre Dame’s quarterbacks coach during Daly’s junior year in 2014.
Undrafted in 2017, Daly signed with the Dallas Cowboys in 2018 but was cut after camp. He spent time in the Alliance of American Football and XFL before finally landing an NFL job with the Detroit Lions in 2021.
He played 42 games for Detroit from 2021-23, then started for the Chicago Bears in 2024 and 2025, appearing in 34 regular-season games and two playoff contests.
After a brief 2026 training-camp stint with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he joined Green Bay.
In 76 career NFL games, Daly has been a reliable, low-profile specialist—the kind of player whose best work goes unnoticed. He recorded nine tackles and one fumble recovery. His NFC North experience made him a logical short-term fit in Green Bay, especially with Orzech’s availability still somewhat uncertain after the calf issue.
Daly now becomes a free agent again and will likely draw interest from teams seeking veteran snapping depth.
For the Packers, the release signals confidence in Orzech as they turn the page after a 39-22 Week 1 defeat and prepare for Week 2.
Specialists rarely stay long on practice squads once the starter proves healthy; Daly’s brief Green Bay chapter followed that familiar pattern.
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