Tulu Griffin, and six others, were added to Green Bay’s offseason roster
After signing 12 of their 16 practice squad players to reserve/futures contracts on Monday, the Green Bay Packers added seven outside signings via reserve/futures contracts on Tuesday. Most of them were street free agents, but several have either played regular season games at the NFL level or have ties to the Packers’ organization — either on a coaching staff level or from previous visits with the team.
Let’s dive into these new Packers.
WR Tulu Griffin
Griffin is a player best known for his kickoff return ability, which earned him All-American and All-SEC honors in 2022 at Mississippi State. Despite doing a virtual meeting with the Packers during the pre-draft process, Griffin originally signed with the Las Vegas Raiders as an undrafted free agent last April. After cutdowns, Griffin was signed with the Cleveland Browns’ practice squad, where he spent two weeks. He was also drafted by the San Antonio Brahmas of the UFL but never signed with the league.
One of Griffin’s first visits following his release from Cleveland was with the Packers, who chose not to sign him in early October. Since then, he’s worked out for the Carolina Panthers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Washington Commanders and just two weeks ago the Pittsburgh Steelers.
TE Johnny Lumpkin
Lumpkin is another player who has a history with the Packers. He worked out with the team in August and was signed to a practice squad contract with the team in September. He was released two weeks later when Messiah Swinson, who was plucked off of the Packers’ initial practice squad of 2024 by the Carolina Panthers, was released from the Panther’s 53-man roster. Prior to Green Bay, Lumpkin spent time with the New England Patriots, Indianapolis Colts and Denver Broncos in 2023.
OL Trey Hill
Hill was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the sixth round of the 2021 draft out of Georgia. He actually has NFL experience, playing 25 games for the Bengals and making three starts, all of which came during his rookie season with the team. The 24-year-old center has played 218 offensive snaps during the regular season, 211 of which came in 2021. At cutdowns this year, he was waived by Cincinnati and re-signed to the practice squad.
DT Keith Randolph
Randolph was originally signed by the Chicago Bears as an undrafted free agent this spring after breaking out with a third-team All-Big Ten campaign with Illinois in 2023. He was released by the team around cutdowns, but the Packers have kept their eyes on him. Randolph worked out with the team in both September and December.
DL Nesta Jade Silvera
Another former draft pick, Silvera was picked in the seventh round of the 2023 draft by the Las Vegas Raiders, where he was waived from in October. Following his release, he was picked up by the San Francisco 49ers’ practice squad within three days. In Vegas, Silvera played nine games over two seasons and played 94 total defensive snaps.
CB Isaiah Dunn
Dunn played with 2024 Packers draft pick Kitan Oladapo with the Oregon State Beavers at the college level. He’s been out of the NFL since August of 2023, but he spent his first three seasons in the league with the New York Jets, Seattle Seahawks and Pittsburgh Steelers. He played 12 games with the Jets in 2021 and five with the Seahawks in 2022. In total, he’s played 114 defensive snaps and 167 special teams snaps in the league. With the Seahawks, he played all 87 of his reps on special teams.
CB Kaleb Hayes
Well, I’ll be damned, Hayes also played with Dunn and Oladapo at Oregon State. If you were wondering what the Oregon State connection is, former Beavers cornerbacks coach Anthony Perkins is currently serving as the defensive quality control coach for the Packers. Hayes did finish his career at BYU, though, and never technically played for Perkins. The cornerback has a blazing 4.33-second 40-yard dash and previously played for the Jacksonville Jaguars, New York Giants and Denver Broncos after joining the NFL as an undrafted free agent. The former BYU team captain has yet to see regular season action, though. After being released by the Broncos in August, Hayes had workouts with the Indianapolis Colts and Pittsburgh Steelers.