Packers promote QB Joe Callahan from practice squad to active roster, per report

It appears that it’s time to put to rest any lingering doubts about what the Green Bay Packers will do at the quarterback position with Aaron Rodgers shelved due to a broken collarbone.

According to Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, the Packers are promoting second-year quarterback Joe Callahan from the practice squad to the 53-man roster.

Callahan’s promotion was the expected move, particularly after head coach Mike McCarthy’s commented on Sunday afternoon that he viewed Callahan as the backup to new starter Brett Hundley.

A product of Wesley College in Division III college football, Callahan impressed Packers brass so much in extended preseason action last season that he earned a spot on the 53-man roster to start 2016. Later that year, the team released him in the hopes of signing him to the practice squad, but he was claimed on waivers by the New Orleans Saints — coincidentally, the team that is next up on the Packers’ schedule. Callahan then had a brief stop in Cleveland before indeed signing with the Packers’ practice squad late in the season.

He appeared to be passed over on the QB depth chart in 2017’s training camp by rookie Taysom Hill, but the Saints claimed Hill after final cuts, leading the Packers to bring Callahan back on the practice squad as their number three. Hill has been the third-string QB in New Orleans behind Drew Brees and Chase Daniel, but he has not yet dressed for a game.

One notable follow-up item comes from ESPN’s Rob Demovsky, who notes that the Packers do plan to work out other quarterbacks this week. This may indicate that the team intends to call up some veteran backups, but also that they may simply be looking for another young quarterback with potential to take third-string reps on the practice squad. Stay tuned.