The Packers added another name to the cornerback room on Tuesday, signing Elijah Culp after bringing him in for a tryout on Monday.
Culp arrives with a thin paper trail, but his route to Green Bay has covered plenty of ground. He’s an undrafted rookie who spent six seasons across four schools - Austin Peay, Troy, Charlotte and James Madison.
After that, he first landed with the Arizona Cardinals, coached by Matt LaFleur’s brother, then moved on to the Indianapolis Colts’ practice squad in late September. Indianapolis cut him loose last week, and he also had a workout with the New York Giants before that Colts stint.
There may be some schematic familiarity here, too. Culp’s defensive coordinator in Arizona was Nick Rallis, who also worked as the defensive coordinator under then-head coach Jonathan Gannon, now the Packers’ defensive coordinator.
To make the move, Green Bay released guard Josh Gesky. That’s a notable decision considering Gesky received $215,000 guaranteed when he went undrafted, which made him the second-highest paid UDFA in the Packers’ 2026 class behind only edge defender Nyjalik Kelly.
The Packers were already carrying an overloaded offensive line group, with 15 players split between the 53-man roster and the 17-man practice squad, the most in the NFL. Of the 17 practice-squad players, only seven were with Green Bay at the end of training camp: Neyor, Dabney, Cooper, Wade, Kelly, Mosby and Jackson. The other 10 were outside additions.
The part that stands out most is how Green Bay handled the roster math. The team already had an open spot on the 53-man roster, and it’s expected to have another when defensive lineman Javon Hargrave goes on injured reserve with his season-ending Achilles injury.
In other words, the Packers could have created room for Culp by moving up a practice-squad player and kept Gesky’s rights intact. Instead, they chose the cleaner cut.
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