Packers work out 5 players, including 4 WRs, ahead of training camp

In a press conference earlier on Tuesday, Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur stated that today marked the day that the team was going to go through conditioning drills together ahead of Wednesday, the first day of training camp practices. That wasn’t all the team was up to, though, as the Packers brought in five players for workouts. According to NFL reporter Aaron Wilson, the players who visited Green Bay were Cody Chrest, Tyshaun James, Braydon Johnson, Samson Nacua and Jacob Eason. All but Eason, a quarterback, are receivers.

For perspective, the Packers also worked out two other receivers, Malik Flowers and Justin Marshall, last week during the tryout in which the team signed quarterback Alex McGough via the XFL. With eight of their last nine workout invites coming from the receiver and quarterback positions, it’s safe to say that’s where the team is focusing on churning their roster at the moment. Currently, rookie receiver Grant DuBose is beginning camp on the non-football injury list while another receiver, Jeff Cotton, is on the physically unable to perform list. Those injuries give Green Bay just nine receivers to four quarterbacks in camp.

Chrest is an FCS product by way of Sam Houston State after a transfer from Harvard. He’s a plus athlete from a measurables standpoint but is of average size. Originally, he signed with the Indianapolis Colts as an undrafted free agent before being waived in May and spending a little under two weeks with the Pittsburgh Steelers after that.

James is another good athlete who is bigger and longer than Chrest but is also more of a straight-line athelte. He initially signed for $35,000 guaranteed with the Atlanta Falcons as an undrafted free agent last offseason. After playing the preseason for Atlanta, he had workouts with the Colts, Denver Broncos, Cincinnati Bengals and Washington Commanders. This isn’t James’ first time visiting the Packers, as he was brought in on a tryout back in December, too.

Johnson is another fast receiver with a solid vertical at a solid frame. He signed with the Buffalo Bills as an undrafted free agent this offseason but was cut last month when the team signed veteran receiver Marcell Ateman.

Nacua has an interesting background, as he comes from a family of football players that includes fifth-round rookie receiver Puka Nacua of the Los Angeles Rams — who he played with at BYU. Nacua signed with the Colts as an undrafted free agent last offseason and is an average athlete at an above-average size. Notably, he ranks in the top 10 percent the three-cone, which usually translates well to a player’s hips.

Eason, the lone non-receiver on this list, is a former five-star recruit who began his career at Georgia before transferring back to his home state of Washington after losing the starting quarterback job to Jake Fromm after going down with a knee injury. Eason was originally drafted in the fourth round in 2020 by the Indianapolis Colts and has also spent time with the Seattle Seahawks, Carolina Panthers and San Francisco 49ers. Despite being in the league for a while, he’s still only a 25-year-old.

At the moment, it has not been announced if any of the five players that Green Bay brought in will be signed to the team. In other roster news, though, inside linebacker Tariq Carpenter and safety Tarvarius Moore were placed on the non-football injury list today.

Update:

According to Wilson, the Packers have signed Chrest. No corresponding roster move has been announced.