Green Bay just pulled a move that has everyone outside Lambeau Field doing a double take: they brought in two punters for tryouts on a THURSDAY. Seriously, Thursday. This is way off their usual M.O. The Packers usually keep tryouts to Mondays or Tuesdays, making this mid-week session super head-scratching.
What’s Going On With Whelan?
And here’s where it gets even weirder, right? Their current punter, Daniel Whelan, isn’t even injured! The most recent injury report says he’s all good. So, if your guy isn’t hurt and you’re not in your usual tryout slot, what gives? The only thing we can guess is maybe they’re just trying to keep their emergency list fresh, but even that feels a little out of the ordinary for a Thursday.
Meet the Potential Replacements
So who are these mystery legs they brought in? We’re talking about Jack Stonehouse and James Rendell, both 2026 undrafted free agents. Stonehouse has some family cred, he’s the cousin of Ryan Stonehouse, who was an All-Pro for the Tennessee Titans as a rookie. Jack himself signed with Houston after the draft, got waived in August, and has since worked out for the Washington Commanders and Minnesota Vikings. He’s been making the rounds, clearly.
Then there’s James Rendell, an international player all the way from Australia. This is a key detail, because if he signed, he’d count as an international exemption for the practice squad, potentially replacing their current international exemption, kicker Lenny Krieg. Rendell apparently got an invite to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ rookie minicamp this offseason, but never actually inked a deal with an NFL club.
Roster Moves and Practice Squad Shuffle
The Packers’ current practice squad has 17 guys on it, but zero punters, which makes these tryouts even more interesting. They’ve got a full 50-man active roster right now, which means they actually have some flexibility to add players to the practice squad without cutting anyone, assuming they move some practice squad guys up to the main roster. And guess what? Running back Josh Jacobs and defensive lineman Jordon Riley are expected to be moved up soon. That’ll eat up two of the three current practice squad vacancies. They’ve been busy with tryouts and visits since the cutdown deadline, signing guys like wide receivers Quincy Skinner Jr. and Coleman Owen to the practice squad, and even bringing offensive lineman Kevin Zeitler onto the 53-man roster. It’s clear they’re constantly evaluating talent, but this punter move mid-week still feels like a head-scratcher.
What’s Next for Green Bay’s Special Teams?
So, will either Stonehouse or Rendell land a spot? Will this push Whelan to step up even more, or is Green Bay genuinely just doing some unexpected due diligence? This late-week tryout suggests they’re either looking for an immediate upgrade, or they really want to make sure their emergency depth chart is top-tier. Either way, keep an eye on Green Bay’s special teams unit, because things just got a little more interesting.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Acme Packing Company.
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