The Green Bay Packers needed to make one move on Wednesday to free up a spot on the 53-man roster, and the team announced it right after the 4:00 PM Eastern deadline. Green Bay signed free agent linebacker Nick Niemann on Wednesday following his release by the Houston Texans the day before, but that required a corresponding move to make room on the active roster.
That move comes at the expense of a rookie draft pick. Cornerback Micah Robinson was one of the biggest surprises on the initial 53-man
roster, but the Packers announced that they have waived him, making it a brief stay. A 7th-round pick out of Tulane, Robinson’s calling card is his speed, but he has much to prove in coverage, and most roster predictions before Tuesday left him off the team in favor of Corey Ballentine or Kalen King.
Now the Packers are down to five cornerbacks, though they are back up to a more reasonable number at linebacker, with five players at that position as well. With Nate Hobbs “trending the right way” towards playing in week one, according to head coach Matt LaFleur in his Wednesday press conference, perhaps that extra body will not be essential after all.
The Packers will surely hope that Robinson clears waivers on Thursday; if he does, expect him to sign back to Green Bay’s practice squad. The team announced 13 signings to the squad earlier today and two more have been reported, leaving a pair of open spots available.
Robinson now becomes the only member of the Packers’ 2025 draft class who has been subject to waivers at any point during final cuts. 5th-round pick Collin Oliver and fellow 7th-rounder John Williams will both start the season on the Physically Unable to Perform list, while the other five members of the class are currently on the active 53-man roster.
The decision to release Robinson also appears to spell good things for two other Packers players. 4th-round rookie Barryn Sorrell and veteran safety Zayne Anderson both suffered injuries late in the preseason and were potential candidates to land on Injured Reserve; however, the team’s decision to keep both on the active roster suggests that they should both be ready to play within the next few weeks, as a stint on IR would have forced a player to miss at least four games.
