Packers sign S De’Vante Cross following workout on Tuesday

The Green Bay Packers made an interesting decision on Tuesday by finishing their two-day cutting spree with an 84-man roster. The team’s roster only had to be at or under 85 players on Tuesday, marking the first time in 2022 that 90-man rosters were asked to be trimmed down by the NFL. In the end, RB BJ Baylor, TE Dominique Dafney, OL George Moore, OL Cole Schneider, OLB Randy Ramsey, ILB Ellis Brooks and CB Donte Vaughn were let go while TE Nate Becker was signed off waivers.

According to Bill Huber of Sports Illustrated, the reason the Packers needed that extra roster spot was to sign De’Vante Cross, who is one of four defensive backs who worked out for the team on Tuesday, according to Pro Football Network’s Aaron Wilson. Cross, a safety, was signed over Marcus Murphy, Kendall Karcz and Josh Saunders, who were also in Green Bay today.

Green Bay’s safety position gets a little murky when you scratch beyond the surface that is the starters in Adrian Amos and Darnell Savage. Vernon Scott is currently the team’s third safety, a role Shawn Davis handled for most of the offseason. Dallin Leavitt appears to be a special teams ace, a role that Tariq Carpenter — a seventh-round rookie — was supposed to fill.

Unfortunately, Savage (hamstring), Leavitt (shoulder), Carpenter (knee) and Innis Gaines (hamstring) are all out with injuries. That left the team with just Amos, Scott, Davis and the recently-signed Micah Abernathy on the team’s depth chart before Cross joined the squad. Abernathy was worked out and signed by the Packers last week, along with running back Dexter Williams and kicker Ramiz Ahmed.

Cross did not work out for teams in the 2022 offseason, as he was recovering from a knee injury that ended his senior season in November. After going undrafted, the former quarterback signed with the Washington Commanders, who released him in May. Cross, who played quarterback, receiver, cornerback, safety and return positions at the University of Virginia, started 33 games for the Cavaliers from 2019 to 2021 in their defensive backfield. In total, he registered 130 tackles, six TFLs, six interceptions and 15 pass breakups in college.