The Packers will become the second team this month to move on from Johnathan Abram. Green Bay will waive the former first-round pick, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets.
Abram ended up playing just one defensive snap with the Packers in two games, seeing most of his work on special teams under former Raiders interim HC Rich Bisaccia. But the Packers would prefer to evaluate their younger safeties the rest of the way, per Pelissero.
One other team — the Broncos — attempted to claim Abram when the Raiders cut him. It will be interesting to see if Denver pulls the trigger again, but Abram’s stock has undoubtedly dropped. He began the season as a Raiders starter but was demoted toward the end of his run with the team.
No team claiming Abram will lead him to free agency for the first time. While Abram is eligible for unrestricted free agency in 2023, two teams having cut him this season indicates a tepid market will await the former No. 27 overall pick — obtained when the Raiders traded Amari Cooper to the Cowboys ahead of the 2018 deadline.
Abram, 26, has started 34 career games. Six of those came for the Raiders this season. He bounced back from a season-ending shoulder injury in his NFL debut to be a full-time Raiders starter from 2020-21. Since 2020, Abram has been in four different defensive schemes.
Although the Raiders have regressed defensively under new DC Patrick Graham, the new regime did not view Abram as a keeper. The Raiders passed on the fifth-year options for him, Clelin Ferrell, and Josh Jacobs. Of the three 2019 first-rounders, only Jacobs — who is submitting by far his best season — has played a regular role for Las Vegas this year.
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