Packer Central

Saturday’s Packers Transactions: What They Mean for Sunday vs. 49ers

The Green Bay Packers will take a relatively healthy roster into Sunday’s big home game against the San Francisco 49ers.

Bill Huber

Green Bay Packers linebacker Ty’Ron Hopper (59) runs through a drill alongside Isaiah McDuffie during training camp.
Green Bay Packers linebacker Ty’Ron Hopper (59) runs through a drill alongside Isaiah McDuffie during training camp. / Tork Mason / USA TODAY NETWORK
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GREEN BAY, Wis. – In the 11th game of the season, the Green Bay Packers will host the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday. For the first time, the Packers did not elevate anyone from the practice squad.

Here’s what a quiet Saturday means for Sunday.

Not Elevated: LB Jamin Davis

Adding Jamin Davis, a former first-round pick who the Packers added to the practice squad last month, was the one potential addition based on Friday’s injury report, with starting rookie linebacker Edgerrin Cooper out with a hamstring injury.

Instead, the Packers are going to stick with the four linebackers on their 53-man roster.

That means Quay Walker presumably staying in his every-down role as the middle linebacker and flanked by Isaiah McDuffie and Eric Wilson in the base defense.

The Packers drafted two linebackers this year, with Cooper in the second round and Ty’Ron Hopper in the third round. Because the Packers didn’t elevate Davis, Hopper isn’t just the next man up; he’s the only man up.

While he has not played a single snap on defense, he’s been a key player on special teams. He is tied for second on the team with five tackles, including three earlier this season against Arizona.

“He’s improved and, yes, I think at some point this season you’ll see him play,” defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley said this week. “He works really hard. He’s been getting a little bit more reps here and there [at practice]. He does a good job with the look team, and I do think at some point this year you’ll see him play.

“I’m glad you brought him up because I thought he’s had a real good couple weeks and I mentioned that to him the other day.”

Davis was a first-round pick by the Commanders in 2021. He started 36 games during his first three seasons and had 13 tackles in five appearances this year.

Walker is first on the team with 72 tackles and is fourth with four tackles for losses. McDuffie is second on the team with 56 tackles. Wilson is eighth with 31 tackles but second with seven tackles for losses.

Cooper suffered a hamstring injury at practice on Thursday. It’s not serious, coach Matt LaFleur said on Friday, but he is out for this game and potentially on Thursday against the Dolphins.

Cooper, who played a season-high 51 snaps against the Bears, is fifth on the team with 47 tackles. Including special teams, he has 52 tackles – first among rookie linebackers and fourth among rookie defenders overall. He is the only rookie in the league with 30-plus solo tackles and five-plus tackles for losses.

Not Elevated: CB Kamal Hadden

Cooper and cornerback Jaire Alexander are the only players ruled out for Sunday.

The Packers have Alexander’s absence covered, though, because they promoted Robert Rochell from the practice squad to the 53-man roster last week.

Hafley figures to go with Keisean Nixon and Carrington Valentine as the perimeter cornerbacks and Keisean Nixon in the slot.

Against the Bears, Valentine played 64 snaps compared to four for Eric Stokes.

“I think he did a great job,” LaFleur said of Valentine’s performance vs. Chicago. “I think he did everything we asked him to do. The thing I love about him (are the) areas where we wanted to see improvement.

“I think the physicality, he put on a lot of weight this offseason and got a lot stronger. You could see it showing up in the game in terms of him throwing his face in the fire, so to speak, and making some tough tackles and doing all the things that are required of a corner. I thought he did a really good job with that.”

Not Elevated: DT Jonathan Ford

The only other player on Green Bay’s injury report is Colby Wooden, who is questionable with a shoulder injury.

Wooden didn’t practice last week and was inactive against Chicago. This week, he was limited participation on Wednesday and Thursday and full participation on Friday.

49ers Roster Moves

Headlined by quarterback Brock Purdy and defensive end Nick Bosa, the 49ers ruled six players out on Friday. They added veteran offensive lineman Jon Feliciano (knee) to the list on Saturday.

The 49ers promoted veteran safety Tashaun Gipson Sr. from the practice squad to the 53-man roster and elevated linebacker Jalen Graham and cornerback Nick McCloud to the gameday roster.

McCloud started 16 games for the Giants in 2022, 2023 and 2024. He was released by the Giants a couple weeks ago when he refused to take a pay cut. He’ll provide additional depth with starter Charvarius Ward out following the tragic death of his daughter last month.

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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.