Packers reportedly sign WR Cody Chrest on eve of training camp
By Paul Bretl
After having five players in for workouts on Tuesday, four of which were wide receivers, the Green Bay Packers reportedly signed receiver Cody Chrest, according to Aaron Wilson.
The other players in for a workout were quarterback and former fourth-round pick Jacob Eason, along with wide receivers Tyshaun James, Braydon Johnson, and Samson Nacua.
Chrest is a 2023 undrafted rookie out of Sam Houston State. Between his time at Sam Houston State and previous years at Harvard, Chrest played seven total seasons at the college level. Since the draft ended, he has spent time with both Indianapolis and Pittsburgh.
Chrest stands 6’0′ tall, weighs 193 pounds, and is a terrific athlete. He posted an elite Relative Athletic Score of 9.77 out of 10 that included a verified 4.35-second 40-time, per Wilson, which is faster than what Christian Watson ran, and a 3-cone time of 6.77 seconds.
He spent the majority of his college career lined up on the boundary. Over the last four seasons, which includes three at Sam Houston State and one at Harvard, he caught 59% of his 244 targets at 14.0 yards per catch with 11 touchdowns.
In 2022 specifically, Chrest hauled in 49% of the 74 targets thrown his way at 15.2 yards per catch and two touchdowns. In one game, he had 154 receiving yards, and two others with 117 yards and 97 yards. The majority of his targets last season came over the middle and oftentimes downfield.
Chrest has some return experience as well, with one kick return attempt that went for 12 yards and 10 punt return attempts that averaged 6.3 yards per return. For what it’s worth, by PFF’s grading system, he was a capable run blocker.
"“My role has been very versatile which helps set me apart,” said Chrest in an interview with NFL Draft Diamonds. “I’m primarily used as an “X” receiver. I have lined up across the board from on the outside, being one-on-one in the boundary or working the slot position. I’ve been used in the screen game and also as a deep threat. I’ve had a lot of success with my versatility and do whatever I am asked by my coaches.“I returned some punts last year and hope to be very involved in special teams this season. I’ve had good experience on special teams, playing gunner my senior season at Harvard.”"
With Grant DuBose on the non-football injury list and Jeff Cotton on the physically-unable-to-perform list, it’s not surprising that the Packers added a receiver prior to training camp for depth purposes. Both DuBose and Cotton can be activated at any time once they pass their physical.
With the addition of Chrest to the roster, the Green Bay Packers will have to make a corresponding cut to keep their roster at the maximum of 90 players. At this time, that move has not yet been reported.