Packers elevate Equanimeous St. Brown from practice squad for week 2 game vs. Lions

One family will get to have a bit of a reunion on the football field this evening thanks to a transaction by the Green Bay Packers on the afternoon of their week two game against the Detroit Lions.

The Detroit Lions drafted former USC wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown in the fourth round of the 2021 NFL Draft, making the second-oldest St. Brown sibling also the second to be selected. The first was Equanimeous St. Brown, the oldest child in the family and a sixth-round draft pick of the Green Bay Packers in 2018 after a three-year college career at Notre Dame. St. Brown missed the final cut for the 53-man roster for the 2021 season, but returned to the Packers on the practice squad. Now, on Monday, he is set to take the field against his younger brother for the first time.

That will take place because the Packers have elevated the elder St. Brown to the active roster for gameday on Monday. The elevation process, which started in 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, has continued through to 2021 and allows teams to bring up to two players up from the practice squad to the active roster on gameday. The Packers did not elevate any players for their week one game, but used the process heavily last season.

What role St. Brown will play in tonight’s game is unclear, however. The Packers used three wide receivers almost exclusively in week one while the starting offense was on the field, giving almost the trio of Davante Adams, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, and Allen Lazard almost all of the snaps before putting in their backups late in the game. That would suggest that St. Brown will likely be a special teams contributor on Monday night.

Slightly surprising, however, is the Packers’ decision not to use a gameday elevation on safety Innis Gaines. The team is already without backup safety Vernon Scott, who was ruled out for a second straight week with a hamstring injury, while starter Darnell Savage was listed on Saturday’s injury report as questionable. However, the fact that Gaines was not elevated suggests that Savage should be ready to go for game time this evening, as the team will have only one backup — Henry Black — available at the position.

Regardless, St. Brown’s elevation makes for an easy storyline between the two rosters and will surely be a memorable moment for the two young receivers and their family. As an added connection, Equanimeous’ first NFL receptions came against the Lions in 2018, when he caught three passes for 89 yards in week 5.