Packers Bolster Practice Squad with Versatile TE & Intriguing WR

This week the Green Bay Packers have made two additions to the practice squad in the versatile Dominique Dafney and the intriguing Kalija Lipscomb.

With the Green Bay Packers turning their full attention to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after their bye week, they made a few roster moves on Monday and Tuesday of this week to help bolster the practice squad. One is the do-it-all tight end, Dominique Dafney, and the other is Kalija Lipscomb, an intriguing wide receiver from Vanderbilt.

Dafney was an undrafted rookie this past draft, who started his college career at Iowa Western Community College before spending two years at Iowa. There he would appear in 23 games and total only one reception as most of his playing time came on special teams.

For the 2019 college season, Dafney transferred to Indiana State, where he did a little bit of everything for the Sycamore offense. Ultimately, Dafney was a second-team All Missouri Valley Conference selection that season behind 196 receiving yards, 439 rushing yards, and seven touchdowns.

Dafney spent training camp with the Indianapolis Colts before being cut, and here in Green Bay, he will provide some added insurance at the H-back position now that Josiah Deguara is on injured reserve for the remainder of the year. At 6’3″ – 235 pounds, Dafney can be effective in both the running and passing games as we’ve seen, and he’s a very good athlete as well with a 4.61 40-yard dash, a 4.19 short shuttle, and a 6.91 3-cone time.

The most recent signee to the practice squad was Lipscomb, another 2020 undrafted rookie. Lipscomb is a very experienced collegiate player, having appeared in 46 games for the Commodores while recording 198 receptions for 2,356 yards and 22 touchdowns.

At 6’0″ – 207 pounds, Lipscomb posted a 5.83 Relative Athletic Score (RAS) out of 10 and was even considered by some draft analysts a potential late-round draft pick. Here is what Kyle Crabbs of The Draft Network had to say about him in his pre-draft scouting report:

"“Kalija Lipscomb projects as a depth receiver at the pro level. He lacks the high end explosiveness and separation skill to reliably serve as a starting receiver, but his football IQ should allow him to win enough routes and be a productive role player. If Lipscomb struggles with special teams contributions, his odds of making a 53-man roster are diminished — but he has dabbled with the return game in the past, which should help to boost his odds. Low end draft value but viable depth.”"

As of now, expectations for both of these players should be relatively low, and for the time being, they’ll try to acclimate themselves to their new playbook. However, it does appear that the Packers were able to fill these two practice squad openings with some high upside talent, and that’s really all you can ask for.