Packers Add Tight End Off Waivers

The Green Bay Packers added tight end Nate Becker while releasing a pair of injured players, cornerback Donte Vaughn and center Cole Schneider.

GREEN BAY, Wis. – One day after the return of star tight end Robert Tonyan, the Green Bay Packers added another tight end by claiming Nate Becker off waivers, according to ESPN.

Also, the Packers released cornerback Donte Vaughn and center Cole Schneider. Schneider was an undrafted free agent out of Central Florida while Vaughn was a first-year player who played at Notre Dame.

Those moves, along with the earlier release of outside linebacker Randy Ramsey, leaves the Packers with an 88-man roster. They must be at 85 by 3 p.m. Tuesday.

The Carolina Panthers signed Becker on Thursday and released him on Sunday.

Prior to that, the 26-year-old spent parts of the last three seasons with the Buffalo Bills. While with Buffalo in 2020, he played 30 snaps in the season finale but did not record any stats. He did catch two passes for 33 yards in last year’s final preseason game against Green Bay.

At Miami University, Becker caught 13 passes for 154 yards as a senior in 2018 and 19 passes with two touchdowns in his career. He was a walk-on after an undistinguished high school career in Carmel, Ind.

“I played quarterback my first two years of high school, and I was a late bloomer,” Becker told The Buffalo News. “Going into my junior year when I finally shot up to my height and weight where I could put myself together, it was probably smart to move to tight end, and that’s what happened.

“I was kind of clumsy, awkward, hadn’t grown into myself yet,” Becker said. “I didn’t honestly play much varsity football at all until the playoffs of my senior year. I really only played about probably five, six games of high school where football truly mattered – where the game was tight and I was still in the game.”

At the RedHawks’ pro day before the 2019 draft, he measured 6-foot-4 7/8 and 258 pounds and ran his 40 in 5.10 seconds. He is a blocker, first and foremost.

“Even in high school, the tight end position I played, I was basically playing fullback,” he said. “I’d be in the backfield, leading the way for a running back. That helped me with my transition to Miami because that’s basically what I was doing there, especially since I was 265 pounds. I knew we were a running team, and I just wanted to be somebody the team could rely on to make a play to get our backs out in space.”

RELATED: WHAT HAPPENED AT TRAINING CAMP ON MONDAY?

Green Bay Packers Roster Projection 3.1

Here is our latest 53-man roster projection following the preseason game at the 49ers.

Quarterbacks (2)

Aaron Rodgers and Jordan Love (USA Today Sports Images)

On the 53: Aaron Rodgers, Jordan Love.

Changes from Projection 2.0: None.

Toughest cut: None.

Injury concern: None.

Analysis: This will be a big week for Aaron Rodgers, Jordan Love and Danny Etling, with the three matchups against the Saints. Even if Rodgers plays a few series in the preseason finale at the Chiefs on Aug. 25, the practices on Tuesday and Wednesday will serve as his regular-season tune-up.

Running Backs (3)

Tyler Goodson vs. the 49ers (USA Today Sports Images)

On the 53: Aaron Jones, AJ Dillon, Tyler Goodson.

Changes from Projection 2.0: Tyler Goodson (in), Patrick Taylor (out).

Toughest cut: Patrick Taylor.

Injury concern: The wild card might be Kylin Hill. He remains on the physically unable to perform list following last year’s knee injury, but his on-the-field rehab workouts have looked explosive. Being the No. 3 back, there’s really no urgency to get Hill on the field so the guess here is he stays on PUP.

Analysis: The Packers put such a premium on pass protection, so that would seem to give Patrick Taylor the edge over everybody else in the battle to be the third back. But Tyler Goodson’s explosiveness continues to stand out. He might not be your choice on third-and-1 but his 4.42 speed in the 40 could make him a weapon in a specialized role or on kickoff returns.

Receivers (7)

Juwann Winfree (USA Today Sports Images)

On the 53: Allen Lazard, Sammy Watkins, Randall Cobb, Amari Rodgers, Romeo Doubs, Christian Watson, Juwann Winfree.

Changes from Projection 2.0: Juwann Winfree (in).

Toughest cut: Samori Toure.

Injury concern: Christian Watson was activated off the physically unable to perform list on Sunday.

Analysis: Sammy Watkins, the team’s lone veteran addition, has had a quiet training camp but was one of the 1.2 million inactives for the preseason game at San Francisco. That would seem to signal he’s got his place on the 53-man roster secured. Amari Rodgers had two explosive plays against the 49ers. In the slot, Randall Cobb is the reliable veteran but Rodgers is where there’s upside. Juwann Winfree, who made an incredible catch while perhaps preventing an interception on Friday, has been a No. 1 on punt return and kickoff return. If the Packers keep seven, they’d be a man short somewhere else.

Tight Ends (4)

Josiah Deguara vs. the 49ers (USA Today Sports Images)

On the 53: Robert Tonyan, Marcedes Lewis, Tyler Davis, Josiah Deguara.

Changes from Projection 2.0: Robert Tonyan (in), Dominique Dafney (out).

Toughest cut: Dominique Dafney.

Injury concern: Robert Tonyan (ACL) was activated from PUP on Sunday.

Analysis: Robert Tonyan has been the obvious wild card here. Barring a setback, he will be in the Week 1 lineup. What does that mean for the rest of the depth chart? Will Tyler Davis be out of a job? Perhaps not – the Packers really like his upside – but he did not play well against the 49ers. Could Dominique Dafney be the odd man out because of some positional redundancy with Deguara? Or is that position too important? Alize Mack, a seventh-round pick by the Saints in 2019 who has not played in a regular-season game, blocked well against the Niners.

Offensive Line (9)

David Bakhtiari (USA Today Sports Images)

On the 53: LT Yosh Nijman, LG Jon Runyan Jr, C Josh Myers, RG Royce Newman, RT Elgton Jenkins, C/G Jake Hanson, OL Zach Tom, G Sean Rhyan, T/G Cole Van Lanen.

Changes from Projection 2.0: None.

Toughest cut: None.

Injury concern: David Bakhtiari and Elgton Jenkins are coming off torn left ACLs.

Analysis: When asked earlier in the week if he needed to find a veteran offensive tackle rather than rolling the dice on Royce Newman or Zach Tom, GM Brian Gutekunst spoke optimistically that David Bakhtiari and Elgton Jenkins would be back early in the season. Sure enough, Jenkins was activated from the PUP list on Sunday. For the past week, it seemed Jenkins was ahead of Bakhtiari in their comebacks. So, Sunday was a big step for Jenkins. If you pencil in Jenkins at right tackle, who will start at left guard? Zach Tom got some first-team reps in place of Jon Runyan on Sunday. The No. 2 center is a guaranteed roster spot. Will that be Hanson or Tom?

Defensive Line (5)

Dean Lowry pedals to practice (USA Today Sports Images)

On the 53: Kenny Clark, Dean Lowry, Jarran Reed, Devonte Wyatt, TJ Slaton.

Changes from Projection 2.0: None.

Toughest cuts: With four of the top five inactive for Friday’s preseason opener, Chris Slayton and, especially, Jack Heflin took advantage of extended playing time. Plus, seventh-round rookie Jonathan Ford has shown plenty of promise, too.

Injury concern: None.

Analysis: Green Bay’s defensive line, undermanned for so long behind Kenny Clark and Dean Lowry, is incredibly strong. If your fifth man in the rotation is first-round pick Devonte Wyatt, life is good for position coach Jerry Montgomery. The question is whether the Packers will keep a sixth on the 53 or if that sixth man will be whoever they can stash on the practice squad.

Outside Linebackers (5)

Preston Smith (USA Today Sports Images)

On the 53: Rashan Gary, Preston Smith, Jonathan Garvin, Tipa Galeai, Kingsley Enagbare.

Changes from Projection 2.0: La’Darius Hamilton (out).

Toughest cuts: Randy Ramsey was a key special teams player in 2020 and La’Darius Hamilton has had a productive training camp.

Injury concern: Randy Ramsey missed last season with an ankle injury. He has practiced periodically but the Packers kept him out of Family Night and the 49ers game.

Analysis: This is a tough call. Everybody in the chase behind Rashan Gary and Preston Smith has had their moments but not consistently. Jonathan Garvin and Tipa Galeai started against San Francisco and fifth-round rookie Kingsley Enagbare came off the bench to produce one sack and three pressures. La’Darius Hamilton has made more plays than Enagbare on the practice field but Enagbare’s draft status is the tipping point here.

Inside Linebackers (4)

Quay Walker (7) and Isaiah McDuffie (USA Today Sports Images)

On the 53: De’Vondre Campbell, Quay Walker, Krys Barnes, Isaiah McDuffie.

Changes from Projection 2.0: None.

Toughest cut: None.

Injury concern: None.

Analysis: Other than defensive tackle T.J. Slaton, there isn’t a player on the roster who has grown more over the last year than Isaiah McDuffie. He has had an excellent training camp, and that carried over into the game against the 49ers. He led the team with six tackles, including one for a loss. With McDuffie and two-year starter Krys Barnes, the depth here is really good behind what could be an exceptional starting duo.

Cornerbacks (6)

Keisean Nixon vs. the 49ers (USA Today Sports Images)

On the 53: Jaire Alexander, Rasul Douglas, Eric Stokes, Keisean Nixon, Shemar Jean-Charles, Kiondre Thomas.

Changes from Projection 2.0: Kiondre Thomas (in), Rico Gafford (out).

Toughest cut: Rico Gafford.

Injury concern: None.

Analysis: Last week, we had Rico Gafford as the sixth corner and Kiondre Thomas as the toughest cut. We’ll flip-flop for this week. Gafford was torched for a long touchdown but also had a breakup. Thomas gave up a two-point play but also had a breakup. Thomas, who played on special teams in four games for the Chargers last season, had two tackles in that phase vs. the 49ers. Keisean Nixon, who missed the start of camp due to injury, turned in a strong performance vs. San Francisco.

Safeties (5)

Dallin Leavitt (USA Today Sports Images)

On the 53: Adrian Amos, Darnell Savage, Vernon Scott, Shawn Davis, Tariq Carpenter.

Changes from Projection 2.0: Tariq Carpenter (in), Dallin Leavitt (out).

Toughest cut: None.

Injury concern: Dallin Leavitt was injured making a fumble-forcing tackle on Friday. He figures to make the 53 for a day, then land on injured reserve.

Analysis: The Packers have to be feeling a lot better about their safety depth. Vernon Scott and Shawn Davis, neither of whom played a single snap on defense last season, have played well in training camp. On Wednesday, Davis had two interceptions and Scott picked off Aaron Rodgers to kill a two-minute drill.

Dallin Leavitt, a special teams ace with the Raiders under Rich Bisaccia, was a No. 1 on all four phases so he will be missed. Could his pain be Tariq Carpenter's gain? The Packers drafted him because of his combination of size and athleticism. He has had a really quiet training camp, at one point falling to the bottom of the depth chart, but showed some really good open-field tackling vs the 49ers. His talent is worth grooming. In this projection, he beat out tight end Dominique Dafney and defensive tackle Jonathan Ford for the 53rd spot.

Specialists (3)

Jack Coco (USA Today Sports Images)

On the 53: K Mason Crosby, P Pat O’Donnell, LS Jack Coco.

Changes from Projection 2.0: None.

Toughest cut: None.

Injury concern: Mason Crosby is on PUP following offseason knee surgery but has been kicking a soccer ball as he starts his ramp-up toward the season.

Analysis: The Packers cut Steven Wirtel, leaving Jack Coco as the last man standing at long snapper. There didn’t appear to be any issues with his snaps against the 49ers.