When was the last time that Green Bay Packers head coach Mike McCarthy announced a roster transaction before it was made public in a press release?
We can’t remember either, but he did just that today in his Wednesday press conference. McCarthy revealed that the Packers are placing rookie cornerback Makinton Dorleant on injured reserve today. McCarthy also revealed the team’s plan to activate cornerback Herb Waters from the practice squad to replace Dorleant.
Of course, the team lost three cornerbacks during their Week 17 win over the Detroit Lions, with Dorleant and Damarious Randall suffering knee injuries and Quinten Rollins going to the hospital on a stretcher. McCarthy also said on Wednesday that he expects Randall to practice in the afternoon, and that Rollins is currently in the concussion protocol.
Waters is a fascinating story. The six-foot undrafted free agent signed with the Packers this spring as a wide receiver, the position he played for the Miami Hurricanes. After playing receiver during the preseason, Waters made the practice squad but was moved to cornerback after the first week of the year, in part due to injuries to Sam Shields, Dorleant, and Josh Hawkins. Waters joins Shields and LaDarius Gunter as former Hurricanes now playing cornerback for the Packers.
This probably puts an end to any possibility that the Packers might have signed former Bears cornerback Charles Tillman. That was a fun idea, but was unlikely from the start.