Packers sign TE Blake Annen to practice squad, get until October 2 to decide on Guion

The Green Bay Packers announced the addition of a new player into the organization on Wednesday. As a result of Andrew Quarless' injury on Monday Night, the team has only two healthy tight ends on the active roster - Richard Rodgers and Kennard Backman - and a third, Justin Perillo, on the practice squad.

Today, the Packers signed Blake Annen to the practice squad to add a fourth body at the position.

Annen is listed at 6 feet, 4 inches, and 245 pounds. He spent the first week of the 2015 season on the New Orleans Saints' practice squad, after playing five games for the Chicago Bears towards the end of his rookie year in 2014. Annen will wear #43 for the Packers.

In order to make room for Annen, linebacker James Vaughters was placed on the practice squad injury list, which means that he no longer counts against the ten-man limit.

Annen's college career with the Cincinnati Bearcats did not feature gaudy statistics, and he served primarily as a special teams contributor in Chicago a year ago. In fact, he played only one snap from scrimmage in his five games last season. However, he did run his 40-yard dash at 4.41 seconds at Cincinnati's 2014 Pro Day in addition to posting 25 reps on the bench press.

This may be a sign that the Packers are preparing to place Quarless on injured reserve, possibly with the designation to return. If that were the case, Quarless would be out for a minimum of eight weeks, which would make him eligible again in time for the Packers' Thanksgiving night game against the Bears.

Part of the reason why that might be the best option for the Packers is the impending return of defensive lineman Letroy Guion, who is returning from his three-game suspension this week. Guion practiced today, but the Packers were reportedly able to obtain an exemption from the NFL to wait until October 2nd (Saturday) to officially add him back onto the active roster. It's possible that the team may use that time to further evaluate Quarless' injury to see whether they need his roster spot in the short term or if they will make a cut elsewhere.

Stay tuned for more roster news as the week goes along.