Packers sign Tommy Bohanon to bolster ailing fullback group

With one open roster spot remaining, the Green Bay Packers have taken a step to address an ailing position group on Monday. The team has announced the signing of fullback Tommy Bohanon, a free agent and five-year NFL veteran.

Bohanon entered the NFL in 2013 after a career at Wake Forest, being drafted in the seventh round by the New York Jets. He played there for three seasons (though he missed much of his second year on injured reserve, but did not make final cuts in 2016 and was out of football that year. However, he returned to football in 2017 when the Jacksonville Jaguars came calling, and played in every game for the Jags the past two years.

It is perhaps his time in Jacksonville that got him a job with the Packers now; after all, Green Bay offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett held the same position in Jacksonville for parts of the last three years. The team has shown an interest in former Hackett players before, signing running back Corey Grant earlier this offseason before releasing him two weeks later.

For his career, Bohanon has seved primarily as a blocker, but he has pieched in a bit in the passing game. He has 29 career receptions for 239 yards and a touchdown, as well as 26 carries for 72 yards and two scores. A strong, explosive athlete, Bohanon ripped off an impressive 36 reps at 225 pounds on the bench press at the 2013 NFL Combine and posted a 35-inch vertical jump.

This move comes as predicted by Packersnews.com’s Tom Silverstein, who speculated following some roster moves this weekend that a fullback would be coming to Green Bay. Indeed, this addition appears to be necessary given the injuries to Danny Vitale and Malcolm Johnson, the only two fullbacks previously on the roster. Both of those players missed Sunday’s practice, and this is an indication that at least one if not both of them will be out on Tuesday and potentially for Thursday’s preseason game in Baltimore as well.

With the fullback serving an important role in Matt LaFleur’s offense, look for Bohanon to jump in immediately and get some playing time on Thursday.