The Green Bay Packers had to release 22 players today to get to the 53-man roster limit.
Perhaps the biggest surprise among those players is safety and return man Will Blackmon.
Blackmon has been injured for much of training camp and that certainly didn’t help his chances of making the roster, but he was considered the Packers top return man, especially after Jason Chery didn’t impress when he got all of the opportunities in that role in the final exhibition game.
Chery was also released.
The other surprise was tight end Spencer Havner, who opened training camp as the Packers No. 2 tight end. Havner was outplayed by veteran Donald Lee and first-year player Tom Crabtree was also impressive. The Packers kept four tight ends. Jermichael Finley and rookie Andrew Quarless round out the group.
Offensive linemen Allen Barbre, a starter at the beginning of last season, was released along with defensive tackle Anthony Toribio, defensive end Ronald Talley, wide receiver Charles Dillon, linebacker Alex Joseph, defensive end Jarius Wynn, tackle Chris Campbell, linebacker Maurice Simpkins, wide receiver Chastin West, punter Chris Bryan, wide receiver Patrick Williams, linebacker Robert Francois, cornerback D.J. Clark, safety Anthony Levine, tackle Breno Giacomini, guard/center Evan Dietrich-Smith, quarterback Graham Harrell, linebacker Cyril Obiozor and running back Kregg Lumpkin.
Lumpkin’s release means fullback John Kuhn will serve as the Packers third halfback, unless the team picks up a back off the waiver wire.
Check back for updates.
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