Packers Place Martin, Ento on IR; Add Speedy Cornerback Nickerson

At Tulane, Parry Nickerson had 16 interceptions. Then, he tied for the fastest time at the 2018 Scouting Combine.

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers placed linebacker Kamal Martin and cornerback Kabion Ento on injured reserve on Sunday, as-expected moves that allow the team to bring them back to the active roster when healthy at midseason.

Meanwhile, the team signed rocket-fast cornerback Parry Nickerson. With that, Green Bay’s roster is at 52. That final spot could be left for a practice-squad promotion later in the week, once coach Matt LaFleur has a better handle of his potential inactives list for Sunday’s opener at Minnesota.

Or, the team could add another veteran. The Packers had center Justin Britt and defensive tackle Daylon Mack in for visits.

Britt was a second-round pick by Seattle in 2014. He had started 86 of a possible 87 games in his career until suffering an ACL injury in late October. The visit might be nothing more than a medical check on a player who could be of interest now or down the road. Remember, center Corey Linsley is entering his free-agent season and sixth-round pick Jake Hanson wound up landing on the practice squad.

Mack was a fifth-round pick by Baltimore in 2019. He is a mammoth run-stopper at 6-foot-1 and 336 pounds. He played nine snaps last year. Since Aug. 1, he’s been released by the Ravens, Lions and Giants.

The Packers have questionable depth on the defensive line. They have five on the roster; one of those, former third-round pick Montravius Adams, has been out with a toe injury and did not practice on Monday.

In a COVID world, it's not as easy as bringing in a player, working him out and signing. Instead, in these cases, the players arrived on Monday, take COVID tests on Monday and Tuesday, and work out on Wednesday.

Nickerson was a sixth-round pick by the Jets in 2018. He played in all 16 games with two starts for New York in 2019 and four games with one start last year for Jacksonville. He’s been released by the Jaguars and Lions this summer.

At the 2018 Scouting Combine, he measured 5-foot-10 3/8 and ran his 40 in 4.32 seconds – tied for the fastest of any player. More than speed, he had a nose for the ball. As a senior, he earned second-team All-American with six interceptions. In four years, he had 16 interceptions and 47 passes defensed. However, in 20 professional games, he has merely one pass defensed in 250 defensive snaps.

“Definitely my coverage skills, man-to-man skills, speed,” he said at the Combine of the strengths to his game. “I handle receivers pretty well, great ball skills and I’m a reliable player.”

As for Martin and Ento, they will be sidelined through Week 6 and can be activated after Week 8. This year, teams can bring three players back from injured reserve.