The Packers’ Tuesday roster shuffle came into focus once the dust settled around Lenny Krieg.
Green Bay had already been reported as signing the international kicker, but Krieg was not the player set to fill the team’s international exemption spot. That designation is going to tight end Thomas Yassmin, after the Packers released edge rusher Dante Barnett, who had previously held the exemption.
Yassmin brings a winding football path to Green Bay. He started out as a rugby player, then moved into football in South Wales before landing at Utah.
After six years of college football, he got his first NFL opportunity with the Denver Broncos and later spent time with the Los Angeles Chargers in 2025. He was also drafted in the CFL’s global draft as the 14th overall pick in the 2024 class, making him the second tight end selected.
For perspective, five of the first nine picks in that draft were kickers or punters.
The financial side of Yassmin’s NFL journey also stands out. When Denver signed him, he got $47,000 in guarantees.
The Packers, by comparison, gave R.J. Maryland $15,000 in guaranteed money this offseason.
Yassmin’s initial signing cost was more than half of Green Bay’s 2026 UDFA signings.
His path since then has included a workout with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2025, between his release from Denver and his signing with the Chargers. Los Angeles waived him in May.
Green Bay’s interest at tight end makes sense given the state of the room. The Packers worked out three tight ends and four running backs on Monday as part of a nine-player workout, and both Tucker Kraft and Luke Musgrave opened training camp on the physically unable to perform list.
As things stand, Yassmin joins the group of healthy tight ends on the roster to start camp. And while Krieg is not the exemption player right now, that can change later. The Packers can move the international exemption designation to Krieg in the future if they want to, which would allow them to shift on from Yassmin once Kraft and/or Musgrave are healthy and open up another roster spot for an American player.
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