The Fears of Practice Squad Poaching
It happens less than many think.
By rex.sheild
Every year, as the NFL cut day looms, fans of every NFL team bang their fists on the table for fringe roster players to make the initial 53-man roster so as to not have those players relegated to the practice squad, where they could be signed by another NFL team to their active roster. As of 2020, NFL practice squad rosters can consist of a maximum of 16 players. Six of those players can have unlimited NFL experience, and every Tuesday, each NFL team can protect four players from being signed to another NFL team’s active roster. (Teams cannot sign practice squad players from different teams and place them on their own practice squad.)
The Green Bay Packers’ initial 2022 practice squad consisted of 12 players, according to CBS Sports – one QB (Danny Etling), two running backs (Patrick Taylor and Tyler Goodson), two wide receivers (Travis Fulgham and Rico Gafford), one offensive linemen (Caleb Jones), two defensive linemen (Jack Heflin and Chris Slayton), three linebackers (Ladarius Hamilton, Kobe Jones, and Ray Wilborn), and one defensive back (Kiondre Thomas).
How many of those 12 players were signed to another team’s active roster? Zero. Only half of the initial 12 – Taylor, Goodson, Caleb Jones, Hamilton, Kobe Jones, and Kiondre Thomas – were elevated to the Packers’ active roster at some point during the 2022 season.
This is not to say that practice squad players do not get signed by other teams and elevated to the active roster. It happens every year and will continue to happen, but it does not happen as frequently as some might think. Moreover, such signings are usually brought forth by an injury at a certain position or overall poor play. The likelihood that a player “stolen” from your team’s practice squad will turn into an every down back type of player that eventually secures a multi-year deal with that team is low.
Yes, the Packers signed Allen Lazard from the Jacksonville Jaguars’ practice squad in December 2018, and the Iowa State product ended up having success in Green Bay. It is also true that the Packers signed Rasul Douglas from the Arizona Cardinals’ practice squad in 2021; he has blossomed into a solid starter for Green Bay. But those are the exceptions, not the rules.
Teams, for the most part, like their own guys as they have confidence in their own personnel scouting and evaluating, and it is not easy to have to potentially learn an entirely new scheme, both of which may explain why there are so few practice squad players, relatively speaking, that get signed to an active roster by another team.
I hope the fringe players you’re rooting for make the initial 53-man roster, but if they don’t and are relegated to the practice squad, don’t be surprised if they stay there.
__________________________
Rex is a lifelong Packers fan but was sick of the cold, so he moved to the heart of Cowboys country. Follow him on Twitter (@Sheild92) and Instagram (@rex.sheild).
Comments (49)
mnbadger
August 28, 2023 at 12:17 pm
Greatly need dose of reality Rex, thank you.
None of the above won't prevent me and likely other cheeseheads from freaking out every week that "my guy" gets plucked.
Looking forward to the next 48 hours of activity.
GPG!
vin0770
August 28, 2023 at 12:24 pm
Yes PS guys could get poached but each team knows their own 16 better than anyone else’s so that’s where they go first. That said I like the talent that is going to hope make it to the PS especially when injuries start arriving.
ImaPayne
August 28, 2023 at 12:54 pm
Your correct. I think the GM's who pay close attentiont to watching films - the reason some ps members may not get a lot of pre season time, and know who the sleepers are who can fit in. Other GM's keep who they can and thats good enough for govt work as they say.
WestCoastPackerBacker
August 28, 2023 at 12:30 pm
Thanks for the sanity check! Teams have to think a guy is truly ready for a roster spot to grab him off another team's PS, and they have never seen the guy in practice, unless they did a shared practice. They have only seen 3 preseason games and some of the potential PS players did not see the field much. A guy like Emanuel Wilson might have potential but he is not going to help a team at this point until he gets the blocking and receiving reps he needs. And, according to LaFleur, gets in better shape. Once in awhile an offensive line guy might be worth grabbing just for depth, but again, only GB has really seen their depth guys perform. So yes, it is not very likely. I'm guessing the scouts liked Lazard in college and thought Douglas could be used as depth, but had no idea they would eventually play meaningful snaps, much less be relied on.
WD
August 28, 2023 at 01:42 pm
Wilson had more yards gained in preseason than any other back. That could easily get the attention of other teams in need of a RB. His film is also easily available. He, and perhaps Bo Melton (because of sheer speed alone) might be prone to being plucked off the Practice Squad. But, I am comfortable with what Gute and his staff do. I figure they have the big picture better than anyone else. In terms of drafting, the past two years they have had a super draft as well as free agent signings.
ImaPayne
August 28, 2023 at 12:46 pm
The expect a lot of these guys never play. you have guys on hand that sit and get paid, sometimes year after year and do little for it. I wouldnt be shocked if the majority never get to play.
I like to know that stats of how many say screw this, I need a life and just give it up, move on. I mean if you really wanted to play how long would you stay on a practice squad. ?
I would love to see only 8 on the ps. Force the GM's to get off their asses and make tough decisions who those 8 will be and where some good players may be hiding. At 16 you almost dont need to look.
HawkPacker
August 28, 2023 at 12:52 pm
I think many of them stay as they love the game and get paid pretty well. Also, if they believe in themselves, they may feel that with additional lifting, training and maturing, they may get to play in the NFL.
jurp
August 28, 2023 at 04:38 pm
I believe I read here a few days ago that (non-veteran?) Practice Squad players make a minimum of $207,000 per season. That's about 3x more than I ever made in one year as a professional. Not bad for practicing all week and then watching a game from the sidelines for 18 -21 weeks. Plus, you get to stay healthier than if you played every week. You also get a Super Bowl ring if the team makes it all the way. Doesn't sound like a bad life to me...
LeotisHarris
August 28, 2023 at 06:17 pm
" Doesn't sound like a bad life to me..."
Yep, them yo-yos. That's the way ya do it. Lemme tell ya, them guys ain't dumb. Maybe get a blister on your little finger. Maybe get a blister on your thumb.
TKWorldWide
August 28, 2023 at 08:53 pm
Here’s hoping the Packers aren’t facing dire straits!
fthisJack
August 29, 2023 at 08:12 am
" That's the way ya do it...Money for nothin and the chics for free,"
Thegreatreynoldo
August 29, 2023 at 03:50 am
At $216K per year in Green Bay, the answer is for as many years as I can.
1966-Guy
August 28, 2023 at 12:49 pm
Who has heard of Taysom Hill? He is also the exception.
HawkPacker
August 28, 2023 at 12:52 pm
I was disappointed when he was cut as I figured he would get poached!
marpag1
August 28, 2023 at 01:34 pm
Hill has always been, and still is, quite overrated in my opinion. Interesting gadget guy. Not much more. Definitely not a legitimate option at quarterback. I don't fault the Packers at all for letting him go.
"Poaching PS players" is almost always a non-issue.
dobber
August 28, 2023 at 02:44 pm
Agreed...he wouldn't have moved the needle playing behind 12, and the Packers just weren't creative enough at the time to have any use for him otherwise. He's a novelty, but not a difference-maker.
Coldworld
August 28, 2023 at 07:14 pm
It’s arguable whether it has worked out for the Saints.
LL Chesty recalled yesterday, the last Packers receiver claimed on waivers at cut downs was Charles Johnson in 2013. A 6’2, 217 7th rounder who ran 4.39. He was in fact not signed off our PS till October, by the Browns, before ending up in Minnesota the next year. He last played in 2016.
I don’t actually know who else, If any, has been claimed at cutdowns this century, other than the aforementioned gadget QB/STer. It’s rare. It requires that player to be given a roster spot in another team. Typically vets waived (technically cut) for cap reasons are the ones most often picked up as known commodities with experience.
11Bravo1p
August 28, 2023 at 10:46 pm
The Packers might have had as many as 7 players poached in the 2010 cutdowns. They had a really strong roster from top to bottom that year. A couple of the players cut (Barbre, Bruno G) had long careers as backups, but none of them became stars
Coldworld
August 28, 2023 at 11:26 pm
Barbre wasn’t poached at cut downs, he signed with the Eagles in the off season after his 3rd year. We’ve had a few players picked up off waivers at other times of the year including a certain backup TE that went for that onside kick, but this is explicitly addressing only cut down day waivers. Giacomini was signed from our PS in late September 2010.
11Bravo1p
August 29, 2023 at 03:59 am
You are right, I mixed up some cut players claimed off waivers with cut players who signed/played with other teams later that year. Barbre signed with Seattle later in the season, Blackmon signed with the Giants later, and Giacomini made it to the Packers practice squad for a couple weeks before being claimed by Seattle.
Only RB Kregg Lumpkin (Tampa Bay), LB Cyril Obiozor (Arizona) and TE Spencer Havner (Detroit) were claimed on cut down day waivers in 2010. And maybe DT Anthony Toriba (Chiefs)
So at least 3 Packer players were claimed on cutdown day waivers in 2010, I remember it as being more, so I could be missing someone
Oppy
August 28, 2023 at 07:10 pm
Taysom Hill- the most over-valued player (by Packers fans) of all time.
Yes, he has talent.
Take a look at his career stats, then come back here.
Okay, so now that you've seen his career stats.. Why are Packers fans still lamenting his loss like he was the player that was going to take us to the promised land?
I understand it was disappointing he did not clear waivers, and he had this big 6 TD season.. but he's done very little to warrant the collective angst of Packers fans.
Jaqu’eau
August 28, 2023 at 01:28 pm
This process is more hype than drama. Content creation for articles and podcasts. As the article states, very few players who are cut end up having an impact on any team during the season. Very few who end up on the PS have any impact on the team. It’s a security blanket for when injuries hit. Furthermore, those final 3-5 players who happen to make the team remain targets for roster turnover.
Having said that, I get the hype. These players are part of the packer family, if only briefly. They are, by extension, a part of our fandom. We become invested in their potential and get excited and feel optimistic when we catch glimpses of their potential. Many of us, through the shared history of the underdog mentality and reality of our beloved franchise, feel a compelling need to root for those who might be overlooked and undervalued. What I enjoy is knowing that this is the team we have to cheer for, and sometimes agonize over, for the next 5-6 months. Let the season begin!
GregC
August 28, 2023 at 01:28 pm
This is a good reminder, although we are talking about the finer points of roster construction here. A good GM is one who sweats the details and does not expose a worthy player to the waiver wire. Most GMs are careful about this.
Of current Packers bubble players, Brenton Cox is the one I would most worry about being poached. He would make the team for sure if they weren't so deep at OLB right now. There are other teams who don't have as much depth at that position and might be able to use him right now. Emmanuel Wilson is the only other one I would really worry about, although he has come back to earth a bit lately and would probably be okay. A reason for protecting Wilson might be that both Aaron Jones and A.J. Dillon could be gone next year, and probably at least one of them will be gone.
jurp
August 28, 2023 at 04:40 pm
I wasn't impressed with Wilson's running when he played with the 1s against Seattle - didn't seem so good against better competition. I'm in the camp that thinks we can cut him and sign him to the PS.
greengold
August 28, 2023 at 04:48 pm
I don't know, jurp. Seems Wilson's different showing had way more to do with running behind underperforming Newman & Nijman, from a couple viewings that I'd seen. There was very little good run blocking in front of Emanuel Wilson on Saturday.
He'll very likely get snatched up being the NFL's leading rusher in preseason. I would hope they protect him to the Packers roster. Good player. We have only seen the tip of the iceberg with him.
Coldworld
August 28, 2023 at 07:13 pm
Actually it was the one weak spot in Walkers day, not Nijman, but yes.
Leatherhead
August 28, 2023 at 07:01 pm
I think it's blocking. He runs fine. If we block for him, he'll give us our money's worth. I do think there's a good chance we could get him on the PS. I think we could also keep him on the initial 53, then release him, then resign him. Or probably some other trickery. There are options.
Leatherhead
August 28, 2023 at 01:41 pm
We remember Hunter Hillenmeyer, I guess. But the sheer math can't be ignored...32 teams releasing 30 guys is 1000 guys, and if you claim one of them, you have to cut a guy off of your own 53 Most guys aren't going to be poached.
I used to play a version of Hearts where you took three cards out of your hand and passed them to your left, so you'd get rid of your three worst cards. But so is the guy who's on your right, and sometimes what you received was worse than what you got rid of.
Grass is not always greener.
dobber
August 28, 2023 at 02:40 pm
"if you claim one of them, you have to cut a guy off of your own 53 Most guys aren't going to be poached."
Agreed: the waiver claims promise a spot on the 53, but once waivers clear, these guys are all free agents and can sign to anyone's PS, though. It's like that scene in Titanic after the ship sinks and there's hundreds of people flailing around in the cold water trying to latch on. They can go elsewhere, negotiate salary bumps...some PS players get paid a lot more than others.
Leatherhead
August 28, 2023 at 06:49 pm
Give the lifejackets to the ones you'd like to save the most. You're going to be cutting 30-35 and you really only need to resign about 8. The rest are just "roster churn"
Even if we're paying extra for a PS guy, he's still a cheap football player. If we were talking about a guy that might still have a big upside like ......Cox?...., why not just let him and his agent know that the plan is to put him on waivers and if he doesn't get picked up we'll be happy to have him back on the PS? In fact, I'd be kind of surprised if there weren't understandings along that line right about now.
In fact, I bet that there are people deep in the bowels of Lambeau Field who are doing math. They can already predict with about 95% certainty who is going to be cut. The FAs that we want to sign right out of the box we could do all in a day or two. There is a List.
LambeauPlain
August 28, 2023 at 02:53 pm
That is very true.
Only 21 of the 90 current Packers will be gone after the Active and PS rosters are set.
Then more churn from Team Gutey. Evaluate the other 31 Practice Squads for any prospects that improve the 53...maybe a player or two.
Then tidy up their Practice Squad to fill poached holes (if any) or add better players. Kind like playing "500" when you get the bid and the 5 card blind. (rarely hit on all 5...maybe a card or two)
Cubbygold
August 28, 2023 at 02:42 pm
Sorry, completely off topic.
Live in Minnesota, so Vikings game was on this weekend and couldn't watch the pack. The announcer in the 3rd quarter spent about two minutes talking about how he is most excited to see Dean Lowry play this year. Went into a story about how every year, after leaving lambeau and sitting on the team bus, he'd compare notes and everyone would rave about Lowry. Said something to the effect of "it's unbelievable how this man comes in and just wrecks games". Then he made some comment about hating it when he was paired with Tyler Lancaster because he's just as difficult to deal with.
I was stunned. Poor kids in my neighborhood have no idea how badly they're being mislead
LambeauPlain
August 28, 2023 at 03:00 pm
Who was the announcer...obviously an ex purple player? With the OL history in Helgaland I can imagine he was rag dolled early and often. His notes after playing the lions D must have been hilarious.
LLCHESTY
August 28, 2023 at 03:20 pm
Paul Allen or Paul Krause? They're both slightly crazy.
greengold
August 28, 2023 at 03:37 pm
Cubby, that’s fantastic, especially on the heels of Z’s costly flop in Minniehaha. I mean, they haven’t even recovered from that!
Lowry’s on their books for 3 years, $8.5M!!!! Ho!
They still have $4.5M in dead cap allocated to Z.
marpag1
August 28, 2023 at 04:25 pm
If I remember, we had something like 12 million in dead cap after cutting Z, and 3 million in dead money for Lowry, so I don't know if we get a lot of bragging rights there...
Coldworld
August 28, 2023 at 07:40 pm
The dead money wasn’t from cutting Lowry, his contract expired. The hit is void year bonus peroration after his extension, already paid & incurred. We could have paid him new money to stay, but that cal hit was set in stone. We are still in the hook for cal for Amos and Rodgers similarly. The price of last dance encores.
Z had dead cap of 12 million but would have had a hit of 27 million had we kept him. We cleared about 15 1/2 million last year by moving on.
marpag1
August 28, 2023 at 09:27 pm
Great. So 12 million for Z and 3 million for Lowry. Got it.
lol
marpag1
August 28, 2023 at 04:25 pm
dupe :(
marpag1
August 28, 2023 at 03:17 pm
As I see things right now, the Packers have a whole lot of jack sh!t at the safety position on their 53, and I don't see any potential PS players in Green Bay that are likely to be hot commodities. Come cut-down day, maybe other teams should be concerned about getting their guys "poached" by Green Bay rather than the other way around.
GregC
August 28, 2023 at 04:31 pm
Very true. Safety, TE, and interior O-line are all positions that the Packers could potentially have in mind for waiver wire acquisitions.
Coldworld
August 28, 2023 at 07:46 pm
Allen was the 5th best run blocking TE in preseason and rated exceptional as a blocker on Saturday. We may just have got lucky there. I doubt we find much better as a blocker. On rewatching, he may in fact be an upgrade.
GregC
August 28, 2023 at 08:44 pm
I was pleased to hear that. It's hard to notice individual blocking performances in real time, and I never heard much about Allen in practice. I just looked at a summary of roster predictions, and only three of the nine expect Allen to make it. A minority, but a significant minority.
LeotisHarris
August 28, 2023 at 03:44 pm
Rex, you've struck gold. If anyone is paying attention in marketing and fan experience at 1265, you've teed them up.
Green Bay Packers 2023: It happens less than many think.
HarryHodag
August 28, 2023 at 04:39 pm
While folks spend a lot of time looking at the teams talent evaluations for the draft, few remember that teams also scout professional players on all teams all season long . That is how Lazard, Douglas, etc. arrived on the Packers. They have a good idea what the players can contribute often in an area of need. The better teams practice squads are constantly combed over looking for a player who is good, just not good enough to make a team loaded with talent.
greengold
August 28, 2023 at 04:50 pm
Absolutely, Harry. Gutekunst's college & pro personnel staff has found some gems. They have their targets. I'm sure of that.
Can't wait to see how it all shakes out!
cdoemel
August 28, 2023 at 05:37 pm
Joint practices could be used as a tool for the pro scouts. If there are guys you want to see, schedule the team for joint practices in the pre-season. Then when the cut down happens you’ll have good film on them.
joejetson
August 28, 2023 at 06:01 pm
Regarding Lazard and Rasul Douglas, if my aging memory serves me correctly, both were added after injuries decimated the receiving and defensive backfield groups, mid-season. Other teams have to have a commitment to their guys to keep them on their PS. So in reality, it's going to take something major for another team to claim one of "our guys" right at the first cutdown. But it's still worrisome to dangle a player out there that we've seen do something special. Plus, you have poorly run organizations (I e. Chicago Bears) who have perennially screwed up personnel decisions. But that's what makes it interesting.
Bure9620
August 28, 2023 at 08:14 pm
Likely none of the cuts get claimed off waivers very few ever are. That being said, I hope Emanuel Wilson is on the 53. He is quite clearly the the 3rd best RB on this roster and it is not that close imo. Solid in pass pro as well. They Likely carry 2, and elevate players for a while.