The Green Bay Packers announced on Tuesday that the team signed cornerback Elijah Culp, whom the team brought in on Monday for a tryout. There’s little info out there about Culp, but here’s what we wrote on him yesterday:
Culp is an undrafted rookie who played for four different college programs over six seasons (Austin Peay, Troy, Charlotte and James Madison). He originally signed with the Arizona Cardinals, coached by Matt LaFleur’s brother, before signing with the Indianapolis Colts’ practice squad
in late September. He was released by the Colts last week and previously had a workout with the New York Giants prior to signing with Indianapolis.
Worth noting: Culp’s defensive coordinator in Arizona is Nick Rallis, who also served as the defensive coordinator under then-head coach Jonathan Gannon, now the Packers’ defensive coordinator. It’s possible that he has familiarity with the scheme.
Green Bay decided to release guard Josh Gesky to make room for the addition of Culp. Gesky signed for $215,000 guaranteed after going undrafted, making him the second-highest paid UDFA in the Packers’ 2026 class behind only edge defender Nyjalik Kelly. Green Bay was already oversigned on the offensive line, as the team carried 15 players at the position between the 53-man roster and the 17-man practice squad — which led the NFL.
Currently, here’s the breakdown of the Packers’ practice squad:
- QB: Kedon Slovis
- RB: Damon Bankston
- WR: Isaiah Neyor, Quincy Skinner Jr. and Coleman Owen
- TE: Drake Dabney
- OL: Dalton Cooper, Dillon Wade and Mekhi Becton
- DL: David Blay Jr.
- ED: Nyjalik Kelly and Arron Mosby
- LB: Jack Dingle
- CB: Domani Jackson and Elijah Culp
- S: Kahlef Hailassie
- K: Lenny Krieg (international exemption)
Of the 17 players on the practice squad, only 7 of them were Packers at the end of training camp: Neyor, Dabney, Cooper, Wade, Kelly, Mosby and Jackson. The other 10 players were outside signings made by Green Bay.
The fact that the Packers parted ways with Gesky is interesting, as the team has an open roster spot on the 53-man roster, and they’re expected to have another open spot once defensive lineman Javon Hargrave (Achilles) goes on the injured reserve for his season-ending injury. Green Bay could have easily moved up a practice squad player and added Culp without losing their rights to Gesky, if they wanted to, but elected to not go down that route.
