The Green Bay Packers just kicked off their push to the initial 53-man roster, making their very first cut by releasing safety Tra Fluellen to officially clear space for the veteran tight end Jonnu Smith. This isn’t just a minor tweak, folks, it’s a clear statement about what they expect from their new guy.
Fluellen, who spent the 2026 season in the UFL, only signed with the Packers on August 11th. He got some playing time in all three preseason games, racking up 54 snaps on defense and seven on special teams, but he’s already out the door. His release came right after the team’s preseason finale win against the Arizona Cardinals on Friday night. The quick turnaround shows the urgency the Packers have to finalize their roster before the Sunday afternoon deadline.
Jonnu Smith is stepping into his ninth NFL season, and his resume is seriously impressive. He spent last year with Aaron Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers, but before that, he was tearing it up! This guy is a versatile tight end with a long history of receiving production, boasting 345 career receptions and 30 career receiving touchdowns. We’re talking about a player who was a Pro Bowl selection for the Miami Dolphins in 2024, snagging a career-high 88 passes and scoring eight touchdowns that year. While he only had 38 catches for 222 yards and two scores with the Steelers last season, Packers coach Matt LaFleur, who worked with Smith back in 2018 with the Tennessee Titans, is clearly stoked. LaFleur told the Packers Radio Network Smith is a “great guy” in the locker room and an “explosive” player on the field, adding, “I think he has a lot of versatility, moving him around. He’ll bring some juice to our offense.”
Smith will definitely be one of the team’s tight ends alongside Tucker Kraft as they get down to the final 53 players by Sunday afternoon. They still haven’t even assigned him a uniform number yet, which usually happens after all the cuts are made. This move signals Green Bay is ready to bring some serious juice to their offense, and they aren’t wasting any time getting the right pieces in place. What an aggressive start to roster trimming!
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Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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