Packers sign LB Austin Ajiake to practice squad: What to Know
By Paul Bretl
The Green Bay Packers announced that they signed linebacker Austin Ajiake to the practice squad on Tuesday afternoon. Here is what you need to know.
After signing safety Innis Gaines from the practice squad to the 53-man roster this past Saturday, the Packers had an opening on the practice squad. With the addition of Ajiake, it does not look like Gaines will return to Green Bay.
Ajiake went undrafted this past spring out of UNLV and initially signed with Carolina and spent time with Las Vegas. He measures in at 6’1” – 223 pounds and posted a Relative Athletic Score of 7.84 out of 10, which includes an impressive 40-yard dash time of 4.6 seconds.
Over his college career, Ajiake played 1,423 snaps, most of which came in his final two seasons. In 2022 specifically, Jones recorded 11 quarterback pressures, and was a very sound tackler and good run defender. According to PFF, Ajiake made 120 out of his 133 tackle attempts that season and ranked 17th out of all linebackers in run defense tackles.
In coverage, he allowed 20 completions on 32 targets at 9.5 yards per catch with two interceptions. It’s also important to note that Ajiake played a whopping 671 special teams snaps across five different phases. The only unit he wasn’t regularly on was the field goal kicking team.
For more on Ajiake’s game and what he brings to the Packers, here is what NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein had to say in his pre-draft report:
“Ajiake lacks ideal size but he’s fast, explosive and agile. He’s often too passive in attacking the play, but when he’s proactive, good things often happen. He’s never going to be great at taking on blocks, so learning to flow downhill and slip blockers will be critical. He’s better suited in a chase-and-hit role as an outside linebacker in a 4-3 defense, but his pathway to a pro roster could be centered on his athletic profile and history as a productive special teams contributor.”
The Packers currently have five linebackers on the 53-man roster in De’Vondre Campbell, Quay Walker, Isaiah McDuffie, Eric Wilson, and Kristian Welch. Ajiake joins Christian Young as the two linebackers on the practice squad.
Between Ajiake’s overall athleticism and special teams experience in college, he checks two boxes that we know are important to the Packers. He also may have been someone that Brian Gutekunst and the scouting department had their eyes on as an undrafted rookie they wanted to sign. Given the depth at the linebacker position on the 53 – both defensively and on special teams – Ajiake’s role this season will be as a practice squad player.