Green Bay Packers Cut Former UNLV Rebels Defensive Back Johnathan Baldwin

In a surprising turn of events, the Green Bay Packers have released former UNLV Rebels safety turned cornerback Johnathan Baldwin when cutting their roster down to 53 players on Tuesday. It came as a shock to us after we had him pegged to be locked onto the team's 53-man roster. Now he will hit waivers, where another team can claim him. If he clears waivers, he will be a free agent to sign anywhere he wants, including back in Green Bay, or he could end up being signed to a practice squad.

All signs pointed to him sticking on the Packers' 53-man roster. They raved about him all summer and appeared to have a plan in place to use him. Right from the start, they scooped him up as an undrafted free agent after he wasn't selected in the 2025 NFL Draft, and gave him more guaranteed money than an actual seventh-round draft pick. After signing him, they changed his safety designation to cornerback and immediately began using him all over the field at both rookie minicamp and training camp.

We saw the same thing in the preseason. Baldwin was used all over the field. One play he'd be the deep safety, on the next play he'd be up covering the slot receiver, then you'd see him blitzing into the backfield. He looked good in the preseason and ended up finishing with 12 tackles in four games. Apparently, he just didn't fit into the Packers' plans for the immediate future.

We'd expect him to catch on somewhere else either prior to Week 1 or just after, once contracts are no longer guaranteed for the season. A defensive back with his kind of versatility, who can play both safety and corner with strong coverage skills, is a coveted talent in the NFL. There are a number of teams that are currently in the market for a defensive back, especially one who can man the slot. It remains to be seen which team is going to take a shot on him, but we'd expect to see him back wearing an NFL helmet sooner rather than later.

Once he does latch on with another team or join a practice squad, we will be sure to keep you up to date. There is still a decent chance he finds himself back in Green Bay. They spoke extremely highly of him during his time there.