Packer Central

Familiar Face Returns to Packers’ Practice Squad

The Green Bay Packers filled their open spot on the practice squad by re-signing a receiver. Plus, a couple injury updates from practice on Wednesday.

Bill Huber

Alex McGough returned to the Packers on Wednesday.
Alex McGough returned to the Packers on Wednesday. / Bill Huber/Packers On SI
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GREEN BAY, Wis. – Happy birthday, Alex McGough.

The Green Bay Packers filled the open spot on their practice squad by re-signing McGough, who was on the field wearing jersey No. 16 on Wednesday – one day after his 29th birthday.

McGough spent the 2023 season as the team’s practice squad quarterback but was moved to receiver during the offseason. A hamstring injury at the start of OTAs derailed his transition and he was released before the start of training camp.

“It was unfortunate, if you look at what he was able to do a year ago,” coach Matt LaFleur said after practice. “He spent a lot of the time on our practice squad, running routes and doing stuff out on the practice field, and that’s what kind of gave us the idea to give him an opportunity at receiver. And, unfortunately, he just kept getting hurt.

“So, it’s great to have him back here. He’s a great teammate, and I think the guys really enjoy his presence. He seems healthy, and he’s ready to roll. So, we’ll just get him back to work and see where he’s at.”

McGough worked out for the Giants this week but wound up returning to Green Bay after taking only a physical. He worked out with the receivers at practice on Wednesday.

“So, backstory, Houston, they moved me to the Taysom Hill-ish role, but then COVID hit and we never got a chance to practice it, so it didn’t pan out there,” McGough told Packers On SI in May. “I was doing it all year [playing other positions for the Packers last season], so when they called me [to change positions], I wasn’t surprised by it.”

While he wasn’t surprised by the position change, it was a major change both in job responsibility and training given the amount of running a receiver has to do.

“Being a quarterback, I know the play, so it’s not like I have to learn it,” he said. “It’s just the intricate details on how to run a route vs. just a quarterback knowing he has that route. You know, the splits are my hardest thing to do as far as where to line up, when to steal a step in, when to steal a step out, things like that.

“And then, obviously, the run blocking part, I’ve never blocked anybody in my life. But we’ll see. It’s fun. I’m excited. That’s probably the best thing about it. I’m really excited to get this started.”

Despite the challenges, McGough, who was the USFL’s MVP as a quarterback in 2023, embraced the change.

“It was pretty easy,” he said of the decision. “Obviously, I like to run, use my athleticism. So, receiver, obviously, that’s all you pretty much do. I kind of almost expected it.

McGough is the sixth-oldest player on the team behind kicker Brandon McManus (33), linebacker Eric Wilson (30), long snapper Matt Orzech, offensive tackle Andre Dillard and defensive tackle Kenny Clark (all 29).

The oldest player on the practice squad is kicker Alex Hale, an international player who is 26.

The Packers had a spot open on the practice squad after promoting cornerback Robert Rochell to the 53-man roster on Saturday.

McGough gives the Packers four receivers on the practice squad – Julian Hicks, Malik Knowles and Cornelius Johnson the others – and 10 on the team.

Packers Injury Updates

With the Packers starting their prep for Sunday’s game against the San Francisco 49ers, only two players on the 53-man roster did not practice: cornerback Jaire Alexander and running back MarShawn Lloyd.

Alexander suffered a knee injury on the final defensive snap of the Week 8 win at Jacksonville and was inactive for the Week 9 loss to Detroit. After the bye, returned for last week’s win at Chicago but dropped out after 10 snaps.

“He didn’t feel like he could play, so we pulled him,” coach Matt LaFleur said on Monday.

Lloyd is out indefinitely following appendicitis.  

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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.