Packers receive positive update that could play a role in shaping critical decisions for the initial 53-man roster
Omar Brown is close to a return.
The Green Bay Packers have to reduce their roster from 90 to 53 players on Tuesday. And a positively significant update might have an impact on how general manager Brian Gutekunst will make some of his final decisions about the secondary.
According to ESPN’s reporter Rob Demovsky, safety Omar Brown “could be cleared to play very soon” after spending a week in a hospital in Indianapolis due to a lung injury he suffered against the Colts in preseason Week 2.
Roster status up in the air
Demovsky added that the Packers have not decided what Brown’s roster status will be, but he had a strong training camp performance before his injury, which head coach Matt LaFleur had described as a “scary deal.”
If the Packers want to keep Omar Brown on the 53-man roster, that’s a possibility now if he will return to action relatively soon. At the same time, they have other options to potentially open a roster spot, including placing Brown on the injury reserve with a designation for return—the Packers only have two of those spots before the initial 53, though, and the safety would be forced to miss the first four games of the season.
In the case Green Bay doesn’t want Omar Brown on the 53-man roster because it has solid safety depth, he could be waived or waived/injured. In both cases, the player could be claimed by any team in the league. However, when a player is waived/injured and clears waivers, he reverts back to the team’s injured reserve. The problem is that, in this case, he would be out for the season—unless the parties agree to an injury settlement, making the player a free agent and available to return later in the year.
If Omar Brown is waived and clears waivers, or if an injury settlement is reached, he could be a practice squad candidate as well.
Undrafted in 2024, Omar Brown spent his first training camp last year with the Denver Broncos. Waived, he spent his entire rookie season on the Packers’ practice squad, being elevated three times.
Re-signed for this season, Brown had a strong camp with several big plays. He was the highlight of Family Night with three interceptions. In preseason games, he showed some positional versatility, with 31 snaps at deep safety, 18 in the box, eight in the slot, and five close to the line of scrimmage.
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