Packers are finding a clever way to take advantage of a recent NFL rule by studying two massive players
Green Bay tried out offensive tackle Laekin Vakalahi and defensive tackle Dante Barnett, players born outside of the United States and who are eligible to be a part of the IPP.
The Green Bay Packers have two kickers on the 53-man roster now, Brandon McManus and Lucas Havrisik. That circumstance allowed the team to release Irish kicker Mark McNamee from the practice squad, opening the roster exemption for a member of the International Pathway Program.
Now, the Packers are exploring new options to exploit the extra practice squad spot — and the search goes well beyond kickers.
UPDATE: The Packers have signed Dante Barnett. You can read more about him below.
Line of scrimmage is the priority
On Tuesday, the Packers tried out two players who are eligible to get an IPP roster exemption — one for each side of the line of scrimmage.
The offensive tackle is Laekin Vakalahi, a former rugby player from Auckland, New Zealand, and raised in Australia. Over the past two years, he spent some time with the Philadelphia Eagles, who were trying to repeat the success they had with Australian tackle Jordan Mailata. Vakalahi played eight preseason snaps at left tackle and 12 at left guard, allowing three pressures. It’s an obviously steep learning curve, but the New Zealander has the physical tools, being a 6-5, 320-lb player.
The other option is English defensive tackle Dante Barnett. Born in Birmingham, he played multiple sports growing up but moved to the United States in hopes of playing the American version of football. He played college football at Dickinson College and spent some time as a rookie this year with the Cincinnati Bengals, but was cut before the preseason.
The Packers have already had three players from the International Pathway Program. Before McNamee, Green Bay had Nigerian edge defender Kenneth Odumegwu and Australian kicker Alex Hale.
“As we focus on the global growth of the game, expanding international talent within the NFL is critical,” said Peter O’Reilly, NFL executive vice president international, club business and major events.
The International Pathway Program was instituted by the NFL in 2017 and is a tool to incentivize the signing and development of players born outside the United States and Canada.
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