Packers claim CB Tremon Smith on waivers, place Raven Greene on IR

The Green Bay Packers have a new name and face on their roster. On Saturday, the Kansas City Chiefs waived speedy return man Tremon Smith, who was a 6th-round draft pick of the team’s in 2018. As first reported by Chiefs beat reporter Terez Paylor, the Packers have acquired Smith via a waiver claim, adding some more speed and depth to the roster. Smith fills the roster spot vacated by safety Raven Greene, who suffered an ankle injury Sunday and landed on injured reserve earlier Monday.

Smith played in 14 games for the Chiefs as a rookie in 2018, serving primarily as a return specialist. He returned 33 kickoffs for a total of 886 yards, an average of 26.8 yards per return that ranked him fourth among qualifying players.

Playing his college football at Central Arkansas, Smith was a ball-hawking defensive back who recorded 15 interceptions over his four years, with three of them spent as a full-time starter. He also broke up a total of 53 passes in his career and pitched in as a return man, taking one punt return back to the house as a junior. With excellent timed speed — he was measured at 4.38 seconds in the 40-yard dash according to Draftscout.com — he would appear to be an intriguing special teams weapon.

However, in Kansas City, his primary position was in flux. He was drafted as a cornerback, but spent some time in training camp this year on offense as a running back instead. However, the Chiefs moved him back to the secondary at the end of training camp.

This move would leave the Packers with eight cornerbacks on the roster, pending the corresponding roster move. Stay tuned to see what general manager Brian Gutekunst did in order to make room for Smith on the 53-man roster.