Green Bay Packers sign defensive lineman Josh Avery

Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst announced Wednesday that the team signed defensive lineman Josh Avery. A 6-foot-3, 318-pound lineman out of Southeast Missouri State, he went undrafted in the 2020 NFL draft. He later signed with the Seattle Seahawks as a free agent. This spring, Avery played for the Alphas of the Spring League.

College and pro career

At Southeast Missouri State, Avery recorded 41 total tackles, 2.5 sacks and seven tackles for loss in two seasons. His senior season is where he recorded the majority of his tackles for loss (6) and sacks (1.5). For his pro day workout, he put up 31 reps on the bench press and had a vertical leap of 34.5 inches. Unfortunately, while in Seattle, Avery did not see the field once. Before he even made it to training camp he was cut by the Seahawks. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, teams could only take 80 players into training camp last year instead of the standard 90.

For the Packers

In February, the Packers hired Joe Berry to be their new defensive coordinator. It is unclear right now the specifics of the type of defense Barry will implement. They currently have eight defensive linemen on the roster. Kenny Clark, Dean Lowry, Tyler Lancaster and Kingsley Keke are veteran linemen. The Packers drafted T.J. Slaton in the fifth round of the draft. Rounding out the group is undrafted free agent pickups Willington Previlon, Jack Heflin, and Carlo Kemp. However, only seven of them are practicing. Keke hasn’t practiced due to an ankle injury.

What’s next for Avery

Getting signed by the Packers for training camp is only half the battle for Avery. Although he impressed the Packers enough to sign him before the preseason, he still has his work cut out for him to make the regular-season roster. NFL teams can only carry a 53-man roster for the regular season. Teams can have up to 12 players on their practice squad. But with the NFL going from four preseason games to three, the audition window for him is going to be tight.

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