Packers Sign Another Young Player to Begin 2025 Offseason
By Jovan Alford
The Green Bay Packers have started putting together their 90-man roster heading into the offseason. After their wildcard loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, Green Bay signed 12 players off its practice squad to reserve/futures contracts on Monday.
Then on Tuesday, the Packers signed seven more guys to future/reserve deals, including tight end Johnny Lumpkin Jr., who was on the taxi squad earlier this season for two weeks. Green Bay has signed 19 players to reserve/future contracts and plans to add more talent to its 90-man roster.
According to ESPN’s Rob Demovsky, the Packers signed defensive lineman Leonard Payne to a futures deal on Wednesday. The former Colorado Buffaloes defender went undrafted following the 2024 NFL Draft.
Packers add DL Leonard Payne (Colorado) to their offseason roster. https://t.co/wRyBKXuYzN
— Rob Demovsky (@RobDemovsky) January 15, 2025
The Miami Dolphins signed the rookie lineman as an undrafted free agent but released him after training camp.
Payne had a solid five-year collegiate career at Fresno State and Colorado last season. With the Buffaloes, the 6-foot-3 lineman had 10 combined tackles, two sacks, two tackles for loss, a pass deflection, and a forced fumble in 12 games.
In 41 career games, the 6-foot-3 defensive lineman has 45 combined tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, two blocked field goals, and a pass breakup. The Packers going after defensive line depth isn’t surprising, especially with how they’ve developed young defensive linemen this season.
The Packers traded veteran EDGE Preston Smith to the Pittsburgh Steelers ahead of the trade deadline, opening up more opportunities for former first-round pick Lukas Van Ness and Brenton Cox Jr., an undrafted free agent in 2023.
Cox Jr. played well down the stretch for Green Bay, posting seven quarterback hits, five tackles for loss, and four sacks in seven games.
Payne will likely be in the mix at the defensive tackle spot during minicamp with Colby Wooden and Karl Brooks. The Packers have already signed five defensive linemen to reserve/futures deal to start the offseason.
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