Packer Central

Packers Transactions: What They Mean for Tonight vs. Lions

The Green Bay Packers made a couple roster moves for Thursday night’s game against the Detroit Lions. Just as interesting are the moves that weren’t made.

Bill Huber

Packers Transactions: What They Mean for Tonight vs. Lions
Packers Transactions: What They Mean for Tonight vs. Lions /
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GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers have elevated both of their practice squad cornerbacks for Thursday night’s game against the Detroit Lions.

Just as interesting, the Packers chose not to make a couple other roster moves.

Here’s what it all means for the big NFC North showdown.

Elevated: Corey Ballentine

Ballentine was elevated for last week’s game against the New Orleans Saints. The Packers might not have won without him.

Ballentine played the entire second half on Sunday, when starting cornerback Jaire Alexander was inactive due to a back injury and his replacement, rookie Carrington Valentine, was unable to play the second half due to a biceps injury sustained in the second quarter.

“The coverage that all those guys did, it was a great job,” defensive coordinator Joe Barry said. “And we had new guys in there. We had Corey Ballentine, [who] just got called up and was just going to be our fifth corner and then, all of a sudden, he plays the entire second half. Kudos to [defensive passing game coordinator] Greg Williams and Corey just going and playing and doing a great job.”

A sixth-round pick by the Giants in 2019, Ballentine’s 30 defensive snaps vs. the Saints were his most since the opener to the 2020 season. He could make his first start since Week 2 of that season if the Packers rest Alexander to make sure he's 100 percent for next Monday night's game against Davante Adams and the Raiders.

Ballentine played in four games for the Lions in 2021.

Elevated: Kiondre Thomas

The Packers have only four corners on their 53-man roster. With Alexander and Valentine questionable, only Rasul Douglas and Keisean Nixon are certain to play. Thus, the elevations of Ballentine and Thomas.

Thomas entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent out of Kansas State in 2021. He spent his entire rookie season on the Chargers’ practice squad and was elevated to the gameday roster in four consecutive games. All 28 career snaps have come on special teams.

Kiondre Thomas
Packers CB Kiondre Thomas has been a preseason star :: Photo by Tork Mason/USA Today Sports Images

Thomas signed with the Packers in January 2022 and competed in training camp the last two summers. While he failed to crack the roster, he was really good in both preseasons. According to Pro Football Focus and its best guess at coverage responsibilities, he allowed 2-of-7 passing for 23 yards this preseason and 1-of-7 passing for 8 yards in the 2022 preseason.

Injured Reserve: LT David Bakhtiari

Already set to miss a third consecutive game, David Bakhtiari was placed on injured reserve. That means he will miss at least another four games.

Bakhtiari is guaranteed to miss six games this season. He missed six games last season, including three following an appendectomy.

Promoted: LB Kristian Welch

In placing Bakhtiari on injured reserve and with starting linebacker De’Vondre Campbell (ankle) inactive, the Packers filled the roster spot by promoting linebacker Kristian Welch to the 53-man roster.

He is a native of Iola, Wis., and will bring some juice on special teams.

Not Elevated: RB Patrick Taylor

That Taylor remains on the practice squad serves as a strong signal that not only will Aaron Jones be back in the lineup but the Packers are confident that Jones is past his hamstring injury. The Packers will go with Jones, AJ Dillon and rookie Emanuel Wilson.

Taylor, who was on the field for the game-winning drive against the Saints, was elevated each of the first three weeks. The next elevation will mean a promotion to the 53-man roster.

Not Elevated: OT Kadeem Telfort

With Bakhtiari headed to injured reserve and with right tackle Zach Tom questionable, would the Packers pull from their practice squad? No. That would seem to indicate that Tom will give it a go at less than 100 percent.

Why?

Numbers.

Projecting a starting line of Rasheed Walker at left tackle, Royce Newman at right guard, Josh Myers at center, Jon Runyan at right guard and Tom at right tackle, the Packers' three backups would be tackles Yosh Nijman and Caleb Jones and guard Sean Rhyan. If Tom could not play, Green Bay would have just two backups.

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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.

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