Packers Add Tight End, Safety Off Waivers

The Green Bay Packers improved the depth at tight end and safety with a pair of athletic additions on Wednesday

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers bolstered two of their perceived weaknesses by claiming tight end Ben Sims and safety Zayne Anderson off waivers before Wednesday’s practice.

The Packers had to release two players to get back to the 53-man roster limit, which is why Tuesday’s roster cuts created the “initial” roster rather than the “final” roster. 

One is safety-turned-linebacker Tariq Carpenter, who was a key player on special teams down the stretch last season. The other is defensive tackle Jonathan Ford, a seventh-round pick last year who did not play in a game as a rookie but had a strong camp.

Sims spent training camp with the Minnesota Vikings as an undrafted free agent. He caught three passes for 53 yards with a long gain of 33 in the preseason.

Sims had a predraft visit with the Packers.

“Another big athlete who can run; very fast,” general manager Brian Gutekunst said. “What he was able to do in the last three weeks up in Minnesota, he really improved his game in some areas that gave us a lot of confidence to put that claim in.”

At Baylor, Sims was an honorable mention on the all-Big 12 team in 2021 and 2022, when he had matching 31-catch seasons. His best year statistically came in 2021, when he turned those 31 receptions into 361 yards and nine touchdowns – the most touchdowns by a tight end in Baylor history.

He left Baylor as the school’s career leader for career touchdowns by a tight end (12), and finished second all-time among tight ends in receptions (78) and fourth in yards (785). Sims has the size (6-foot-4 5/8, 250 pounds) and athleticism (4.58 in the 40, 36-inch vertical) to become a factor. His Relative Athletic Score was 8.39 on a 0-to-10 scale.

Sims joins Luke Musgrave and Tucker Kraft in giving the Packers three rookies on their tight end depth chart.

Anderson went undrafted out of BYU in 2021 and spent most of his first two NFL seasons on the Chiefs’ practice squad. After playing in seven games during those two seasons, with all 110 snaps coming on special teams, he signed with Buffalo in February and competed for a roster spot with the Bills. He had four tackles on defense and four more on special teams during the preseason.

At BYU, he began his career at linebacker before moving to safety. At BYU’s pro day in 2021, he measured 6-foot-1 7/8 and 206 pounds with 4.44 speed in the 40.

None of the players released by the Packers were claimed off waivers.

“I thought we had a tremendous and competitive camp,” Gutekunst said. “I think certainly there was more than 53 guys that deserved to make this roster, but we’ve got rules that we’ve got to follow. Tough couple days.”

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Five takeaways from roster cuts

Eric Stokes on PUP … Huge move at safety … Alex McGough released

Good news for undrafted rookies? … Good news for injured lineman?