The Green Bay Packers thought they would have time to develop tight end Messiah Swinson, but that won't be the case. On Tuesday, the Carolina Panthers signed the rookie off the Packers' practice squad, according to Joe Person and Aaron Wilson.
The Panthers added Swinson because Tommy Tremble and Ian Thomas have handled injuries, so Swinson helps the team to have extra depth ahead of the regular season.
Carolina also has veteran Jordan Matthews and fourth-round rookie Ja'Tavion Sanders on the 53-man roster.
Corresponding move
With MarShawn Lloyd and Emanuel Wilson battling injuries , the Packers used the extra practice squad spot from Swinson's departure to add another running back. General manager Brian Gutekunst signed former Miami Dolphins' back Chris Brooks. He appeared in five games as a rookie last season for the Dolphins, with 94 yards in 15 attempts — 6.3 yards per carry.
The Packers also have Ellis Merriweather and La'Mical Perine as running backs on the practice squad, while Nate McCrary is on the PS injured reserve and will miss at least four weeks.
Packers' tight end situation
The Packers have Luke Musgrave, Tucker Kraft, and Ben Sims on the 53-man roster at tight end. Tyler Davis went to the injured reserve without designation to return and is out for the season.
The other two tight ends who participated in the 90-man training camp roster were Messiah Swinson and Joel Wilson. Green Bay decided to keep Swinson, an undrafted rookie out of Arizona State, on the practice squad after he cleared waivers. The team also signed fullback Andrew Beck to the PS — in Matt LaFleur's offensive scheme, tight ends and fullbacks tend to be interchangeable.
Now, Swinson is out, so the Packers could presumably bring Joel Wilson back. Wilson went undrafted in 2023 out of Central Michigan and spent time with the New Orleans Saints and Buffalo Bills. He signed with the Packers last season to the practice squad and was brought back this year.
There was an expectation about Wilson being a member of the practice squad, since he played better than Swinson during the preseason, but the Packers had decided to develop Swinson.
