Packers Trim Roster To 80 Players

The Green Bay Packers trimmed their roster to the 80-man limit by placing core special-teamer Will Redmond on season-ending injured reserve and releasing defensive tackle Josh Avery.

Redmond missed the start of training camp with an injured foot. He returned for three practices and played nine snaps against the Jets on Saturday but dropped out with an injured toe. At Tuesday’s practice, he was on the sideline with a walking boot on his right foot.

While an up-and-down defender as the team’s No. 3 safety for most of the last two seasons – a poor tackler, he missed a chance at an interception just before halftime vs. Tampa Bay in the NFC Championship Game – he was viewed as a key player on special teams.

“I hope to get him healthy,” coach Matt LaFleur said on Tuesday. “That’s been kind of a bummer coming back and not really being part of much on the field, but Will is a versatile guy. He’s got the ability to play in the box when we go into dime or play as a deep safety. He’s got the corner background so he can get you out of a game there, too. And just his contribution on special teams, he’s been consistently our best special-teamer over the course of two years here. He is an impact player in that phase of the game. We’ve just got to get him healthy.”

Redmond is the second key special teams player to land on injured reserve. Early in camp, Green Bay lost outside linebacker Randy Ramsey, as well.

The 27-year-old Redmond signed a one-year contract during the offseason.

With Adrian Amos and Darnell Savage atop the depth chart, Redmond entered camp as the favorite to be the third safety. In his absence, that role has fallen on Henry Black. Black, Innis Gaines and Christian Uphoff will battle for the spots behind Green Bay’s high-quality starting tandem.

Avery went undrafted last year out of Southeast Missouri State and was signed by the Seattle Seahawks immediately after the draft. However, with teams forced to cut their roster from 90 players to 80 due to COVID, Avery never lined up for training camp. He spent the year out of the NFL but did play in The Spring League.

Avery was signed after a tryout on Aug. 3. He played only five snaps against the Jets on Saturday.

On Monday, the Packers released linebacker Kamal Martin and tight end Daniel Crawford and traded cornerback Ka’dar Hollman.

The Packers will practice on Thursday and play at the Buffalo Bills to close the preseason on Saturday. They must hit the regular-season limit of 53 players by 3 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 31.