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A few days ago, the Green Bay Packers had 88 players on their 90-man roster, only two of whom play the quarterback position. After a pair of additions over the last three days, Green Bay doubled the number of signal-callers on the roster by filling their last two roster spots.
After signing veteran Blake Bortles on Thursday, the Packers on Saturday inked Kurt Benkert to a contract, adding him as the fourth quarterback. Benkert was one of two players at the position to participate in the team’s rookie minicamp on a tryout basis, joined by Chad Kelly. However, it is Benkert, who spent all of 2020 with the Atlanta Falcons, who earned the last open spot after a pair of practices this weekend.
Benkert announced the signing on his personal Twitter account:
The best advice I can give anyone is to believe in yourself. @packers ✍
— Kurt Benkert (@KurtBenkert) May 15, 2021
I’m so thankful. pic.twitter.com/L2W7laiR44
Benkert, 25, came out of the University of Virginia for the 2018 NFL Draft, when he went undrafted and signed with Atlanta. He spent all of the 2018 and 2020 seasons on the practice squad, with a season on the active 53-man roster in between. However, Benkert never appeared in a regular season game during that 2019 season.
Now Benkert will have a chance to impress Packers coaches during OTAs and minicamp. The Packers have three quarterbacks expected to work in those practices, with Benkert and Bortles joining Jordan Love while Aaron Rodgers is expected not to appear.