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The Green Bay Packers have, oddly, kept only 52 players on their active roster for the past few weeks after linebacker Andy Mulumba went on injured reserve with a torn ACL. Though a 53rd player would likely be inactive on gameday due to the relatively good health of the team (knocks on wood), it is still odd for a team to carry fewer than the maximum allowed number of players.
That wait is apparently over, according to NFL.com's Ian Rapoport. He is reporting that the Packers are finally adding a 53rd player, and doing so from the practice squad:
Rejoice #Packers fans. Soon there will be 53 players on the roster. DL Luther Robinson will be promoted from Psquad & on the roster tonight
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 2, 2014
Robinson, a 6'3" and 301 pound defensive end, played his college ball at the University of Miami and earned a contract after he participated in the Packers' rookie tryout camp in May. According to Pro Football Focus, he was credited with one assisted tackle in the four preseason games, but recorded four quarterback hurries while playing the most snaps of any individual defensive lineman.
The Packers had carried only five defensive linemen on the active roster so far during the regular season: starters Datone Jones, Letroy Guion, and Mike Daniels, and backups Josh Boyd and Mike Pennel. With Boyd listed as Doubtful for tonight's game and the Minnesota Vikings likely to use a heavy dose of the run on offense, Ted Thompson and company probably found it critical to make sure they would have five linemen available.
(Editor's note: an earlier version of this article erroneously indicated that Robinson was one of the Packers' first undrafted free agent signings. We apologize for the error.)
Update: The Packers have since confirmed Ian Rapoport's report.
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