Packers bring in QB Jacob Eason for tryout, announce UDFA signings

[MaxPack]

Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images Down to three quarterbacks in camp, Green Bay is kicking the tires on a former draft pick passer. The Green Bay Packers opened up their rookie minicamp on Friday, which means that the team’s undrafted rookie signings and tryout players have officially been announced. Based on the roster that ESPN’s Rob Demovsky tweeted out, former USFL MVP quarterback Alex McGough has made the move to receiver, too. Packers UDFA signings

• RB Jarveon Howard, Alcorn State
• TE Messiah Swinson, Arizona State
• OL Donovan Jennings, South Florida
• OL Trente Jones, Michigan
• DL Rodney Matthews, Ohio
• DL James Ester, Northern Illinois
• LB Ralen Goforth, Washington
• LS Peter Bowden, Wisconsin

It was originally reported that the Packers signed nine undrafted free agent rookies, rather than the eight that they listed on Friday, It appears that Albany receiver Julian Hicks was actually brought in as a tryout player, rather than as a signing. Now that International Player Pathways player Kenneth Odumegwu has received his roster exemption for the offseason, the Packers have filled out their 91-man roster until inside linebacker De’Vondre Campbell comes off their books post-June 1. The two most notable free agent signings here are offensive lineman Donovan Jennings and long snapper Peter Bowden. Jennings received $110,000 guaranteed, with $100,000 of that coming as a salary and $10,000 as a signing bonus. That’s much more than the Packers typically handout to free agents, which means that Green Bay probably has decently high hopes that the tackle/guard can make the final roster. Bowden, meanwhile, was considered the top long snapper in the 2024 draft class and also received a signing bonus of $5,000. He should compete with Matt Orzech for the starting job next season. Packers rookie tryouts

• QB Jacob Eason, Washington*
• WR Rory Starkey, Samford
• WR Brian Hightower, California
• WR Julian Hicks, Albany
• WR Dimitri Stanley, Iowa State
• WR Kaden Davis, Northwest Missouri State*
• TE Devon Garrison, Pittsburgh State
• OL Michael Furtney, Wisconsin
• OL Lecitus Smith, Virginia Tech*
• DL Jack Daly, Florida International
• DL Roje Stona, Arkansas/International Player Pathways
• LB Logan Blake, Eastern Kentucky
• LB Chris Russell, Texas A&M
• CB Don Callis, Troy
• CB Kalon Gervin, Kansas
• P Porter Wilson, Duke

*=veteran On the tryout front, the team brought in three veteran players: quarterback Jacob Eason, receiver Kaden Davis and offensive lineman Lecitus Smith. Eason is easily the biggest name, as the 26-year-old quarterback was drafted in the fourth round by the Indianapolis Colts back in 2020. The former five-star recruit who spent his college days at Georgia and Washington has seen action in two NFL regular season games, completing 5 of 10 passes for 84 yards and two interceptions. When asked if the Packers want to keep just three quarterbacks on their offseason roster, Green Bay head coach Matt LaFleur stated that the situation is “pretty fluid” and that “it is challenging to rep a bunch of quarterbacks.” Smith, a 2022 sixth-round pick by the Arizona Cardinals, has spent time with three NFL squads in his two years in the league. As a rookie, he played in 10 games for the Cardinals, earning two starts. In total, he’s played 209 offensive snaps and 37 special teams snaps in the NFL. According to Pro Football Focus, he played both guard spots for Arizona that year and earned a 44.6 offensive grade on the season. Davis started his college career at Butler Community College, turning down Kansas State walk-on offers twice, before transferring to Northwest Missouri State. After running a 4.44-second 40-yard dash in the pre-draft process, he signed with the Denver Broncos as an undrafted free agent in 2023, before stints with the USFL’s Michigan Panthers and the Cardinals. He was just waived by Arizona on April 30th after initially signing a reserve/futures contract following his season on the Cardinals’ practice squad. The other interesting name to keep an eye on is Roje Stona, who is from Jamaica. At the college level, Stona threw discus and shot put for Clemson and Arkansas. He set the outdoor discus record at the 2023 SEC Outdoor competition on top of qualifying for the 2023 World Athletics Championship. Recently, the 6’6” Stona has been working with the NFL’s International Player Pathways Program in an effort to transition to football. He has been considered both an offensive line and defensive line prospect per different reports, but the Packers listed him as a defender.

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