Packers make three roster moves, including Jaire Alexander to injured reserve

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers placed cornerback Jaire Alexander on injured reserve on Saturday and opted not to fill the roster spot.

Instead, the Packers elevated rookie linebacker Michael Barrett and rookie safety Omar Brown from the practice squad to spots on the game-day roster for Sunday’s home game against the Chicago Bears.

Alexander suffered a knee injury in the game before halftime against Jacksonville on October 27. After the break, he played 10 snaps against Chicago before leaving the lineup.

While he practiced frequently, sometimes fully participating, he couldn’t get himself in a good enough place to return to the field.

“Ja was practicing, he was trying to come back. So there is always hope, right?” defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley said Thursday. “He was there last week still trying to practice. So I kept that in the back of my mind and was hoping to get him back. He worked for it, kept trying, and it didn’t work.

“So now it’s final, he’s no longer there, so now there’s certainly no more thinking about what we would do differently if he was in the game.”

Including Sunday’s game against the Bears, the Packers will have played 68 games in the regular season. He will have missed exactly half of those games. Alexander has played 35.2 percent of defensive snaps this season. Still, he is tied for second on the team with seven passes defended.

The Packers are running with their current cornerbacks – Keisean Nixon, Carrington Valentine, Eric Stokes, Corey Ballentine and Robert Rochell – and decided not to promote any of their practice squad cornerbacks, rookies Kamal Hadden and Kalen King.

“I feel sorry for Ja,” Hafley said. “We’ve been counting on the guys that have been on the field (and) they’ve been doing a really good job, so there’s no looking back or doing what ifs. It’s about going full speed ahead with the way we’ve been playing and every week how we can evolve and improve. But I am proud of the guys who have participated because I think they are improving.”

The Packers signed Barrett to the practice squad on November 30..

Barrett, captain of Michigan’s national championship defense last season, was drafted in the seventh round by the Carolina Panthers this year.

He was traded to the Seattle Seahawks during training camp, and served stints on the practice squad with the Seahawks and Cleveland Browns before joining the Packers.

At Michigan, Barrett played in 62 games with 35 starts in six seasons. He was third-team All-Big Ten during each of his final two seasons. In 2023, he had 65 tackles, three sacks and four tackles for losses.

“Coming into contact with bad intentions is always the goal.” he said after being recruited.

At 5-foot-11 3/8 and 239 pounds, he’s a little small for the position, which likely led to him going undrafted.

“Honestly, I’ve always been an underdog.” said in a Panthers.com diary. “The one that has been overlooked. I have always had to recover, using my emotions. (There is) motivation not to take revenge, but to prove everyone wrong. I’ve heard all the negative things about me or why I wasn’t selected higher or why this and that.

“They asked me if I had a grudge on my shoulder and I feel like I have a whole bag.”

This will be the first time Barrett has been on the game day roster. Starter Quay Walker will miss a third straight game with an ankle injury.

This is the third time the Packers have elevated Brown, including last week when he was inactive for his return to his hometown of Minneapolis to face the Minnesota Vikings.

The Packers are dealing with injuries to safeties Evan Williams (quadriceps) and Zayne Anderson (concussion), who are out Sunday.

Brown had eight interceptions at Northern Iowa before spending his final two seasons at Nebraska. He had one interception last season.

Brown was not drafted but earned a big Broncos contract.

“He’s easy to like,” Packers coach Matt LaFleur said. “He’s got a great personality, he comes to work, he’s always busting his butt and working as hard as he can every day. What an opportunity for him. “Having him in the game and having some plays was important for him.”

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Matt LaFleur had no idea that Sunday’s game against the Bears would be his 100th as Bears coach. #Packers.

On Thursday we talked about:

– Memories of Game 1.
– Self-doubt.
– Many victories.
– The pressure of winning everything. https://t.co/x5v7J60II6

-Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) January 4, 2025