Packers lose defensive lineman in unexpected fashion right before the regular season starts
Defensive tackle Jaden Crumedy was signed by the Houston Texans off the Packers’ practice squad.
The Green Bay Packers lost a defensive lineman just days before the start of the regular season. The Houston Texans signed Packers practice squad defensive tackle Jaden Crumedy to their active 53-man roster, a move that came two days ahead of Green Bay’s regular season opener.
Houston made the move because the Texans placed rookie defensive tackle Kayden McDonald on injured reserve. McDonald will miss at least four weeks. As a corresponding move, the Texans signed Crumedy to fill the vacancy on their active roster.
When a team signs a player from another team’s practice squad, the player must remain on the active roster for at least three weeks, so Crumedy will be in Houston for at least that stretch before potentially returning to the open market.
How Crumedy ended up in Green Bay
Crumedy was originally a sixth-round pick by the Carolina Panthers in the 2024 NFL Draft. The Packers signed him in January as a reserve/future addition. He had a solid training camp and preseason for Green Bay but didn’t make the initial 53-man roster because the Packers carry strong depth at the interior defensive line positions.
Green Bay currently has seven interior defensive linemen on the active roster: Devonte Wyatt, Javon Hargrave, Karl Brooks, Chris McClellan, Jonathan Ford, Anthony Campbell, and Warren Brinson. The Packers had already lost nose tackle Nazir Stackhouse to the Tennessee Titans through the waiver process. They brought Crumedy onto the practice squad to fill that gap, but now Crumedy is out the door too.
That leaves the Packers without any interior defensive lineman on the PS. They have the seven on the active roster, and that’s it to start the season.
What Crumedy showed this preseason
Crumedy played 98 defensive snaps for Green Bay this preseason and earned an impressive 81.3 PFF grade. He generated three pressures and recorded four stops, working mostly on the B-gap while also logging time as a nose tackle and over the tackle.
This isn’t what the Packers would want right before a regular season game, but the impact should be manageable. Green Bay has seven active players at the position. Even if Brinson has been ruled out with a calf injury, the Packers are well served at the position and should be able to find more depth on the practice squad later in the season if needed.
