Packer Central

Cornerback Returns to Packers’ Practice Squad

After signing him to the 53-man roster on Saturday and releasing him on Monday, Robert Rochell is back with the Packers.

Bill Huber

Green Bay Packers cornerback Robert Rochell
Green Bay Packers cornerback Robert Rochell / Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images
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GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers worked out a couple cornerbacks on Tuesday but chose to re-sign Robert Rochell to the practice squad, according to a source.

Having been elevated from the practice squad the previous two weeks to cover for the injuries to Jaire Alexander and Carrington Valentine, Rochell was signed to the 53-man roster on Saturday as the corresponding move to suspending receiver Romeo Doubs.

The Packers released Rochell on Monday and added Doubs back to the roster.

Rochell’s return means the Packers again have a full practice squad.

Rochell played 34 snaps on special teams the last three games. He recorded a tackle against Tennessee in Week 3.

Rochell was a fourth-round pick by the Los Angeles Rams in 2021. He started five games as a rookie with one interception and four passes defensed in helping them win the Super Bowl.

He played in all 17 games for the Rams in 2022 but failed to make their roster in 2023. He served stints on the Seahawks’ and Panthers’ practice squads; Green Bay plucked him off Carolina’s practice squad in October 2023. He’s played in 12 games for the Packers.

Rochell rejoins Kamal Hadden, a sixth-round pick by the Chiefs this year, and Kalen King, a seventh-round pick by the Packers this year, as cornerbacks on the practice squad.

On Tuesday, the team worked out a pair of cornerbacks, Nick Whiteside and Stantley Thomas-Oliver. Those workouts might have been to build the team’s ready list or as Plan B in case Rochell had been claimed off waivers.

Teams can elevate players from the practice squad three times. Beyond that, the player must be signed to the 53-man roster.

By signing Rochell to the 53, that count has been reset so the Packers can elevate him three more times.

Rochell is an elite athlete with 4.39 speed in the 40 and a 43-inch vertical jump. He started his career at Central Arkansas as a slot receiver and concluded his career with 10 interceptions.

“My coach pulled me to the side,” Rochell said a couple years ago. “He was like, ‘If you want to make money playing this sport, you need to play (defensive back).’

“I looked at my mom. I said, ‘OK. Let’s do it.’ I changed my position right there. Six years later, I'm here now.”

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Bill Huber
BILL HUBER

Bill Huber, who has covered the Green Bay Packers since 2008, is the publisher of Packers On SI, a Sports Illustrated channel. E-mail: packwriter2002@yahoo.com History: Huber took over Packer Central in August 2019. Twitter: https://twitter.com/BillHuberNFL Background: Huber graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, where he played on the football team, in 1995. He worked in newspapers in Reedsburg, Wisconsin Dells and Shawano before working at The Green Bay News-Chronicle and Green Bay Press-Gazette from 1998 through 2008. With The News-Chronicle, he won several awards for his commentaries and page design. In 2008, he took over as editor of Packer Report Magazine, which was founded by Hall of Fame linebacker Ray Nitschke, and PackerReport.com. In 2019, he took over the new Sports Illustrated site Packer Central, which he has grown into one of the largest sites in the Sports Illustrated Media Group.