Packers Down to Three Quarterbacks After Releasing Etling

The Green Bay Packers released Danny Etling on Sunday, leaving Sean Clifford and Alex McGough behind Jordan Love.

GREEN BAY, Wis. – One day after a strong performance at Family Night, the Green Bay Packers have released quarterback Danny Etling.

The transaction leaves rookie fifth-round pick Sean Clifford and USFL MVP Alex McGough as the quarterbacks fighting to be the primary backup to first-time starter Jordan Love.

Clifford was 7-of-12 passing on Saturday. That includes a long catch-and-run touchdown by impressive rookie receiver Malik Heath in which Clifford probably was sacked by Colby Wooden but the play was allowed to continue. Clifford was 3-of-5 passing and had a 16-yard scramble during his 2-minute drill to set up Anders Carlson’s 51-yard field goal to end the night.

Unofficially, Clifford was sacked four times. He had to throw it away on a third-and-goal, as well. His ability to make plays while under duress no doubt impressed the coaches, though he was picked off by Tariq Carpenter late in practice.

That Clifford got to throw the ball 12 times compared to a combined 11 for Etling and McGough suggested which way the Packers were leaning.

On Friday, general manager Brian Gutekunst said adding a veteran quarterback wasn’t in the team’s immediate plans.

Danny Etling celebrates his 51-yard touchdown run vs. the Saints in the 2022 preseason. (Photo by Dan Powers/USA Today Sports Images)

“Yeah, right now,” he said. “Again, it’s very early in camp, but they’ve done some good things. I think Matt’s very happy with some of the things they’ve done. They all have kind of a little bit of a different skill-set, but they all have athleticism and the ability to make plays with their feet, which is important. As of right now, that’s kind of my mindset is like let’s see who comes out of that group.”

Etling entered training camp just ahead of Clifford in the race to be the No. 2. That pursuit wasn’t at the forefront of Etling’s mind, though.

“I don’t think that I’ve ever viewed it like that,” he told Packer Central during the June minicamp. “You’re always competing against everybody. You see it all the time. There’s 32 teams. You play well, sometimes teams steal guys or whatever it is.

“So, you’re going out there and you don’t focus on the end result like that. You focus on getting your job done and doing your job, and whatever happens, happens. You don’t worry so much about competing against another person. We’re all a unit in that room. We want to make sure that the quarterback position plays good. There’s so much that entails playing quarterback, so we try to all support each other. However it shakes out, it shakes out.”

Etling entered the NFL as a seventh-round pick by the New England Patriots in 2018. Having endured a move to receiver while with the Patriots, this represented Etling’s best chance to make a 53-man roster.

Etling completed all six passes on Saturday night, including a big-time, back-shoulder completion to Bo Melton. But after last year’s strong preseason merited a season-long spot on the practice squad, Etling failed to take a step forward and didn’t survive to the first preseason game.

“Obviously, you’re always excited about a new season and a new role or whatever that role might be,” he said during minicamp. “I’m excited to maybe have an expanded role with the team. However that might take shape, that’s all out of my hands. I just want to go out there and execute well and continue to get better every day and bring these guys along. I want to help in Jordan in whatever way I can, help Sean in whatever way I can – everybody. That’s the goal and that’s what I love about football. It’s such a team game.”

The Packers could add another quarterback, whether it's a veteran such as Carson Wentz or another young quarterback. They had Jacob Eason in for a workout recently, for instance. He was a fourth-round pick by the Colts in 2020. But, as it stands, Clifford is the leader to be the No. 2 headed into a joint practice against the Bengals on Wednesday and a preseason game against them on Friday.

He is happy with the progress he's made of late.

“I would say through the first five, six days [of training camp], you’re still kind of, ‘OK, I’ve got to speed up’ or you’ve got to do different footwork, correct this,” Clifford said after leading the backups to a touchdown in a 2-minute drill earlier in the week. 

“Now, I would say, it definitely is slowing down. It’s more trying to master your craft and being able to see the little nuances, the little details. Every play matters so much. In the NFL, one or two plays decide the game. Being able to make sure that you’re not having any mental errors and making sure you’re on your ‘A’ game every single play to put your team in the best position.”

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