Packers Release Promising Defenders Kabion Ento, Tipa Galeai

Outside linebacker Tipa Galeai and cornerback Kabion Ento are high-upside prospects who did not play well enough in the preseason.

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers released two young defenders with upside, cutting outside linebacker Tipa Galeai and cornerback Kabion Ento on the road to their initial 53-man roster.

The moves were first reported by Ryan Wood of The Green Bay Press-Gazette.

Galeai was part of the battle with former seventh-round pick Jonathan Garvin, waiver-wire pickup Chauncey Rivers and fellow 2020 undrafted free agent Delontae Scott. Undersized but athletic, Galeai was an impact player at times during training camp and pushed around at other times. However, he was shut out in 29 defensive snaps vs. Buffalo on Saturday.

Outside linebackers coach Mike Smith said Galeai needed to get bigger and stronger.

“Damn good football player. He’s another one that needs to get the special teams rolling because if that joker can put on 10 more pounds, he’s a demon,” Smith said. “He plays hard. He’s very smooth, quick. He’s got great chop-and-spin, great counter. He’s got a great get-off to beat you on the edge. He’s got to get better with his power. He’s learning if that’s all you do, they’re going to set you and wait for you. A guy like him with a great get-off, you should have great power because they’re going to open up on you early, so you’ve got to threaten him with that. If he puts some weight on, he’s going to be a damn good player in this league.”

The Packers would like to get him to the practice squad to get another year of physical development.

The same is true for Ento, the receiver-turned-cornerback. After catching just 20 passes in three seasons at Colorado, Ento made the move to defensive back before the 2019 draft.

An undrafted free agent, he did enough to stick on the practice squad as a rookie. His development was thrown for a loss with a foot injury that forced him to injured reserve for all of 2020.

He got off to a strong start this summer, with an excellent Family Night and preseason game against Houston. However, his shoddy tackling in the final two preseason games put him behind Isaac Yiadom.

“Learning how to do everything backward” was the biggest challenge, Ento said during training camp. “Literally. Everybody’s used to walking forward [but] just trying to learn how to do the same technique over and over and over again going backward and making sure my eyes are good. As a receiver, you’re used to running a route and, as soon as you run your route, you make your break and you look at the quarterback. I can’t do that anymore. That’s something I had to fix. When a receiver makes a break, I have to break to the receiver. My coach said, ‘The quarterback ain’t throwing you the ball.’ That was the biggest thing – trying to get the technique down, and I’m still trying to get the technique down, I’m still fixing my eyes, just whatever it takes. But I’m pretty competitive so I feel like that’s what’s been helping me a lot.”

Ento is one of three cornerbacks released on Tuesday morning. Yiadom remains on the roster, though more moves must be made.