Packers release Jack Heflin and sign 2 players to practice squad: What to know

It was back to business as usual for the Green Bay Packers following their bye week. On Monday, after working out six players, Green Bay reportedly signed two of them to the practice squad, which meant they also had to release two players, which included Jack Heflin.

The first addition was a familiar face, center Michal Menet, who had previously been signed to the Packers practice squad last December and was with the team through much of the summer. Menet was a seventh-round pick by Arizona in 2021 and doesn’t have any NFL experience. He was a three-year starter at Penn State, where he totaled 2,463 snaps, and for what it’s worth, was PFF’s 12th highest-graded center in 2019.

The other addition made was offensive tackle Jean Delance, a 2022 undrafted rookie from Florida. Delance is another experienced collegiate player with nearly 2,200 career snaps at right tackle. He stands 6’4,” weighs 302 pounds, and posted a RAS of 6.77 during the pre-draft process. Delance also visited Green Bay as an official top-30 invitee prior to the draft. During his final season at Florida, he allowed three sacks and 20 pressures per PFF.

These additions likely provide nothing more than some additional depth along the offensive line for upcoming practice sessions. Prior to the signings of Menet and Delance, the Packers didn’t have any offensive linemen on the practice squad. They also had just eight available offensive linemen on the 53-man with Jake Hanson on IR, Sean Rhyan suspended, Caleb Jones still on the NFI list, and David Bakhtiari’s timetable to return unknown.

To make room for these two on the practice squad, the Packers cut Heflin along with wide receiver Dede Westbrook.

Heflin has been a standout in each of the last two summers, especially against the run, and many thought that he could have earned a roster spot coming out of this year’s training camp. Barring injury, the Packers have maintained the same five-man rotation along the defensive line all season and still have Chris Slayton on the practice squad, who, like Heflin, performed quite well over the summer.

As we look ahead to the upcoming offseason, the interior defensive line depth will have to be addressed with both Dean Lowry and Jarran Reed free agents. Perhaps a reunion with Heflin will happen down the road.

Westbrook, meanwhile, was signed a few weeks ago. He was likely never going to see snaps on offense, but there was the potential for him to help on special teams as a punt returner, where he has ample experience and success. However, the recent emergence of Keisean Nixon, along with a healthy Randall Cobb, must have the Packers feeling comfortable with those return responsibilities.

The Green Bay Packers practice squad is at the max capacity of 16 players.