6 Recently Cut Free Agents the Packers Must Sign

The Green Bay Packers trimmed their roster from 90 players down to 53 on Tuesday, making some surprise cuts along the way. As is always the case in the NFL, the initial 53-man roster is just that—initial. The Packers will likely be active in the waiver market, tinkering with their roster as the dust settles.

There are still some pressing needs, including kicker, backup quarterback, backup running back, and depth across various positions. With that in mind, here are six recently cut players the Packers should consider signing.

1. Riley Patterson, Kicker

The Packers’ kicker situation has been a rollercoaster for the past year and change. They cycled through what felt like everyone and their mom in training camp, hoping someone would step up and seize the job. Unfortunately, nobody rose to the occasion.

Second-year pro Anders Carlson forced their hand with his continued misses and lack of improvement, leading to his release on Tuesday afternoon. That leaves Greg Joseph as the last man standing—for now.

The options on the waiver wire aren’t exactly inspiring, but one player the Packers should explore is Riley Patterson. Patterson, a three-year NFL veteran, has quietly built a solid resume, converting 88.1 percent of his field goals and 95.9 percent of his extra points. The Washington Commanders found themselves in a similar kicking conundrum as the Packers, but as the saying goes, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.

Who would’ve thought replacing Mason Crosby would be a more daunting task than replacing Aaron Rodgers?