The Green Bay Packers signed cornerback Elijah Culp on Tuesday, making room by releasing undrafted guard Josh Gesky. This isn’t your average roster shuffle: Gesky was the team’s second-highest paid undrafted free agent from their 2026 class, having been guaranteed a hefty $215,000! Talk about a surprising move, especially when you consider how much they invested in him.
Who Is Elijah Culp, The New Guy?
So, who’s this Culp guy that the Packers are willing to drop a paid-up UDFA for? Not a ton of info out there, honestly. He’s an undrafted rookie who’s been on a real journey, bouncing around four different college programs over six seasons: Austin Peay, Troy, Charlotte, and James Madison. After college, he originally signed with the Arizona Cardinals. Fun fact: The Cardinals were coached by Matt LaFleur’s brother, and Culp’s defensive coordinator there was Nick Rallis. What’s interesting about Rallis is he also served as defensive coordinator under Jonathan Gannon, who is *now* the Packers’ defensive coordinator. So, there’s definitely a shot Culp is familiar with Gannon’s scheme. After Arizona, Culp landed on the Indianapolis Colts’ practice squad in late September, but they released him last week. Before linking up with the Colts, he even had a workout with the New York Giants. It sounds like he’s been trying to find his spot in the league, and now Green Bay is giving him a shot after bringing him in for a tryout on Monday.
A Wild Move For The O-Line
The decision to cut Gesky for Culp is definitely raising some eyebrows. This guy was a real investment, second only to edge defender Nyjalik Kelly as the highest-paid UDFA for Green Bay in 2026. What makes it even wilder? The Packers were already absolutely stacked on the offensive line. They were carrying a whopping 15 players at the position between their 53-man roster and 17-man practice squad, which led the entire NFL! You don’t see that kind of depth often.
The team’s practice squad is a mix right now, with only seven players who were actually Packers at the end of training camp: QB Kedon Slovis, RB Damon Bankston, WRs Isaiah Neyor, Quincy Skinner Jr., Coleman Owen, TEs Drake Dabney, OLs Dalton Cooper, Dillon Wade, Mekhi Becton, DL David Blay Jr., EDs Nyjalik Kelly, Arron Mosby, LB Jack Dingle, CBs Domani Jackson, Elijah Culp, S Kahlef Hailassie, and K Lenny Krieg. The other ten? All outside signings Green Bay brought in.
The Packers even had an open spot on their 53-man roster already, and they’re expected to get another one when defensive lineman Javon Hargrave (Achilles) goes on injured reserve with a season-ending injury. They totally could’ve just moved a practice squad guy up and added Culp without losing their rights to Gesky, but they opted not to. That tells you a lot about their priorities and how they view their current O-line depth. They clearly had no problem moving on from a guy they paid a chunk of change to if they thought Culp brought something specific to the table. This is the NFL, and it’s ruthless, even for guys with guaranteed money!
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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