Hello Wisconsin: Packers Continue Impressive Streak of Undrafted Free Agents
It was looking like there was a chance the Packers could end their long run of years where they rostered an undrafted rookie, but in the end, J. Michael Sturdivant beat the odds to make the roster on an already deep corps of wide receivers after an impressive training camp and preseason.
It’s a tremendously impressive accomplishment given all the challenges Sturdivant faced in getting to this point. At 23, he’s on the older side for a rookie. In college, he took an unusual path, attending three different schools (California, UCLA, Florida) before going undrafted and having to fight tooth and nail for a roster spot. He cemented it with a six catch, 112-yard performance (and a touchdown) against Arizona in the final preseason game.
His response was understandably emotional. On Instagram, he wrote that he had “tears of joy streaming down [his] face” and he was in disbelief that he’d be able to tell his younger self “his dreams were never out of reach.” Just an awesome story.
I did not have Sturdivant on my 53-man prediction and assumed the Packers would try to stash him on their practice squad. But with him making the club, that’s now 22 years in a row that the Packers have had at least one undrafted rookie on their roster to start the season.
Seeing the number of years of the streak got me thinking about what other players the Packers have rostered in that time. Here are just a few of the highlight names:
* Tramon Williams: Probably the premier name on this list. Williams was cut in training camp by the Houston Texans but then grabbed by the Packers, and he went on to become a fixture of the Packer defense. He played a critical role in the run to Super Bowl XLV, picking off multiple passes after being snubbed for the pro bowl that year, including a pick six that blew the game open in Atlanta right before halftime. A fan favorite and 10-year Packer (including his second stint).
* Sam Shields: Another guy who became big in the XLV run, even as a rookie. Shields made a number of critical plays and was a total speed demon. Shields became a far better player than any would have ever expected of him and he had a solid NFL career.
* Robert Tonyan: Tonyan’s knee injury sort of derailed his career, but people forget that before that, he was looking like a true star in the making at tight end, becoming one of Aaron Rodgers’ preferred targets. He started off in Detroit, but made his way to Green Bay and ended up catching 11 touchdowns as the full-time starter in the 2020 Covid season.
* Lane Taylor: Taylor ended up being a solid multi-year starter at guard in some really high-caliber offensive lines. David Bakhtiari may have been the highlight of that 2013 class, but Taylor came in unheralded and ended up playing a big role in the Packers’ offense as well.
* Allen Lazard: Lazard was undrafted and signed with GreeN Bay after a stint with Jacksonville. After some pushing by Rodgers to get him some more playing time, Lazard started to break out in 2019 in a game at home against Detroit where he came down with some crucial catches. After that, he was a fixture in the team’s offenses for the next several years, and became particularly beloved for his blocking. Lazard was, for a time, one of the league’s very best blocking wide receivers.
* Evan Dietrich-Smith: Another multi-year starter on the interior of the offensive line, EDS came in unheralded and ended up becoming an important starter and occasional rotational piece for the Packers.
While these are probably the most prominent examples of UDFAs during the 22-year streak, there are plenty of others who have seen substantial playing time and, at times, been important to the team. These include Krys Barnes, Tyler Lancaster, Yosh Nijman, Geronimo Allison, Frank Zombo and more.
Here’s hoping Sturdivant can keep carving out a place for himself in the NFL!
Wisconsin Beer of the Week
I always love finding a new brewery to patronize, and over the last year I’ve become familiar with a brewery based out of Burlington called Low Daily. So far, I’ve yet to have a disappointing beer from them, and their stuff is readily available at Woodman’s.
Today’s entry is Lounge Hours, a very pleasant sour that comes in at a manageable 5.3 percent ABV.
This isn’t one of those overly fruited smoothie style sours that have been popular in recent years; it’s more of your standard clear sour with a nice, mellow orangey citrusy flavor. It’s more akin to a gose or a kettle style sour, but a little smoother.
Highly recommend if this is your kind of thing. A really great sipping beer on a warm late summer evening.
Looking forward to trying more of their stuff. I also grabbed an English Dark Mild and a Watermelon Gose from them that I’ll be sampling within the next couple days as well.
On Josh Jacobs
With the news that Josh Jacobs made it to the commissioner’s exemption list, it opens up a whole new set of questions about the situation. Has he played his last game as a Packer? Why just the exemption list and not a suspension? What additional information could the NFL be waiting on?
Presumably the NFL has access to much if not all of the same information and evidence as law enforcement. One would think they have plenty of information to make an informed decision about Jacobs this season.
To me, the decision is clear. The moment you’re credibly charged with something like domestic violence, you should not be wearing the uniform. I understand exercising caution in May after no charges were filed, but now at the very least the Packers should proactively impose their own suspension if not release him entirely.
Regardless, this is a huge opportunity for Marshawn Lloyd. He needs to stay healthy, which is a feat he’s not yet accomplished in the NFL. He’s flashed signs of promise in limited action, but now this is the big time. It’s also an opportunity for guys like Chris Brooks and new acquisition from Pittsburg, Kaleb Johnson. Jacobs is going to be out for an indeterminate amount of time, and they are all going to be sharing the workload.
Finally, this puts more than ever on the shoulders of Jordan Love. Since he took the reins as a starting quarterback, he’s benefited from solid running back performance from Aaron Jones and Jacobs. This is the first time he’s entering a season with question marks at the position – something Aaron Rodgers dealt with many times throughout his prime. The Packers offense rests more than ever on his arm. And that might be a good thing, frankly, because Love is the offense’s best player and there have been times where I felt they could have leaned on him a bit more in the recent past.
This isn’t a great situation for anyone, and hopefully the Packers can put it in the rearview mirror sooner than later.
Badgers back at Lambeau
This weekend I’ll be heading to Lambeau Field… for a Wisconsin Badgers football game! That’s right, the Badgers are back at Lambeau Field. If you’re a fan, you may remember their exciting upset of LSU some years back in the stadium. Well, this weekend they’re playing Notre Dame.
A friend of mine won some pretty incredible seats in a raffle; probably the best seats I’ll ever have at the stadium, and that includes the time I got to randomly sit in the Champions Club for free. We’ll be pretty close to the field around the 35 or 40 yard line.
Now, I’m fully expecting the Badgers to get absolutely rocked in this one. We all have seen what Luke Fickell has done to this team over the last several years; they’re a team without any real noteworthy strengths. That being said, they had some pretty massive roster turnover, so maybe this is the year they finally put it together?
Even if the Badgers manage to not be awful this year, Notre Dame is coming in ranked number four in the nation. I’ll be happy if the Badgers manage to keep it within four scores.
But despite my low expectations for the game, I’m very excited for it. It should be a ton of fun. We’ll be making a full day of it, and I always enjoy seeing my Badgers live. I didn’t see the LSU game here, but when I was in high school I did attend a Badger hockey game at Lambeau, and that was a ton of fun.
I’ll return next week with some photos and stories.
Around the NFC North
As always, it’s time to go around the NFC North.
* The CHICAGO BEARS released a pretty significant injury update regarding Kyler Gordon, who has missed the whole offseason with calf issues. According to GM Ryan Poles, the team still doesn’t know if the cornerback will play AT ALL this season. In fact, since signing a big-time extension in spring 2025, Gordon has played in just five games. The Bears are already thin in the secondary (and defense in general), so if Gordon does once again miss significant time, that’s going to be a huge impediment for this team as it hopes to improve on last year’s defensive output.
* The DETROIT LIONS had a relatively predictable roster cut down, and even managed to bring back some players they liked to the practice squad. The Lions do have a pretty deep roster, so they should rebound after a 2025 season that was derailed by injuries and exhaustion from a couple bruising seasons in 2023 and 2024.
* The MINNESOTA VIKINGS also had a pretty predictable roster cutdown period, but many people are still wondering what the long-term plan is with quarterback JJ McCarthy. Kyler Murray is the team’s starter, and he’s still fairly young; he could hold down that job for years if he plays well, meaning the door may be closed on McCarthy’s future with the team if he ever hopes to be a starter again. McCarthy continues to have accuracy issues, and it is likely Carson Wentz would even be the backup over him. Now McCarthy is nursing a lingering injury. The team opted to hold on to him, but one has to wonder if they’ll attempt to trade him to a team who sees him as a possible reclamation project.
Back to school
If you are a long-time reader of this column, you know that I'm a high school teacher by day (Mr. Backes's This or That results returning soon!). Tuesday was our first day back with students, and my district went to a complete bell to bell ban of cell phones, earbuds, smart watches, and other personal tech devices this year. And oh my goodness, it's the greatest thing that has ever happened to our school.
Wisconsin over the summer put into effect a new state law requiring schools to implement these sorts of policies, and it's been a complete game changer already. Students have to put their devices in a magnetic pouch they can't open until the end of the school day. You can already tell many of them are going through withdrawal, but the atmosphere in the school was maybe the best I've veer seen. It was like I was transported back in time to my own school days. No phones out anywhere. Kids actually talking... TO EACH OTHER! Participation in class!
I hope this continues throughout the rest of the year, because man was it ever a welcome change from what we've seen. And it's just another sign of how much technology, for all its benefits, has also damaged us socially and societally.
Anyway, for those of you who are back in school as students or teachers or who have kids or grandkids going back now, best of luck to you for the rest of the year to come!
Filed Under: FeaturedTim BackesHello Wisconsin
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Tim Backes is a lifelong Packer fan and a contributor to CheeseheadTV. Follow him on Twitter @timbackes for his Packer takes, random musings and Untappd beer check-ins.
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Tags: J. Michael SturdivantUDFAs53 man roster2026 Packers2026 rosterWisconsin Beer of the WeekLow Daily BrewingJosh JacobsMarShawn LloydKaleb JohnsonChris BrooksWisconsin BadgersLambeau FieldNotre Dameback to schoolAround the NFC NorthChicago BearsMinnesota VikingsDetroit Lions
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