The Green Bay Packers are tweaking their 90-man roster to kick off training camp by signing under-the-radar cornerback Don Callis.
NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero posted to X that Callis had signed on with Green Bay.
Despite arriving to training camp, this isn’t Callis’ first time in Green Bay. The former Troy Trojans cornerback had worked with the team as a camp body during rookie minicamp following the 2024 draft.
Callis will be a longshot to make the final 53-man roster. However, he’ll have an opportunity to put up enough good film to earn a practice squad spot, or another opportunity elsewhere around the league.
Who Is Don Callis?
While he’s not the biggest name, Callis carved out a respectable college career that helped him earn this spot in an NFL training camp.
Prior to his time at Troy, Callis was a key contributor for the Division 2 East Central Tigers. He transferred prior to the Trojans prior to the 2023 season, and turned into a solid corner for his new team. He finished the year with 26 tackles, four pass breakups, one sack, and one forced fumble. According to Pro Football Focus, he didn’t allow a single touchdown on 16 targets.
Listed at 5-foot-10 and 174 pounds, Callis posted some solid numbers at Troy’s pro day back in March. He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.44 seconds while recording a 33.5-inch vertical jump. However, he went undrafted as an unknown prospect at the cornerback position.
Callis made a brief appearance at Packers rookie minicamp on a tryout basis following this year’s draft. Now, he’ll have an opportunity to show what he can do against top talent on Green Bay’s roster while getting some additional NFL experience.
It’s an exciting moment for Callis to go to Packers training camp. However, the team is pretty set at the cornerback position.
Jaire Alexander is the highest-paid cornerback in the league, and will continue to operate as one of the biggest stars on Green Bay’s defense. However, the bigger question is who will be starting on the other side of Alexander.
As it stands now, Eric Stokes is getting the first-team reps at the other cornerback spot. A former first-round pick, Stokes has struggled to stay healthy the past few seasons after a promising rookie campaign. An offseason trip to the University of Wisconsin may have helped figure out a long-term plan to keep him healthy, however.
Stokes isn’t guaranteed the other starting outside cornerback spot. Former seventh-round pick Carrington Valentine showed serious flashes in Stokes’ absence last season. He’s an aggressive and fluid cornerback who shined as a rookie in 2023. It’s unlikely he’ll go away quietly as the two battle it out for a starting spot.
Keisean Nixon will likely hold down the slot cornerback spot, but could also contribute on the outside while handling return specialist duties. Other cornerbacks who could potentially contribute include veteran Corey Ballentine and seventh-round rookie Kalen King.
There are a lot of cornerback options already on the Packers roster. As long as they all stay healthy, Green Bay could have some serious depth at the position in 2024.
