Packers Make Change at Quarterback Before Playoffs

The Green Bay Packers made a change at the back of their quarterback depth chart on Tuesday, releasing last week’s starter, Clayton Tune, and promoting Desmond Ridder from the practice squad to the 53-man roster.

The Packers also welcomed back a couple familiar faces to their practice squad, signing receiver Julian Hicks and tight end Messian Swinson. They also signed receiver Kisean Johnson to the practice squad.

Big Opportunity for Desmond Ridder

The Packers signed Ridder to the practice squad before Wednesday’s practice last week.

“He’s a guy that we’ve seen up close and personal,” Packers coach Matt LaFleur said on Friday, two days before the Week 18 loss at the Vikings. “We played against him when he was in Atlanta and watching what he did in that game, he led them to a win. So, he’s got experience in the system. I think he’s put in the time. Sean’s been working with him, too. Yeah, he’ll be ready to go if need be.”

Sean is quarterbacks coach Sean Mannion, who was a third-round draft pick in 2015 and a backup through the 2021 season. It was up to Mannion to give Ridder a crash course to get ready for the Minnesota game. Ultimately, he wasn’t elevated for that game but now he’ll be on the roster for the playoffs.

“It’s trying to really prioritize, ‘Hey, what are the things we have to get covered’ in sequence,” Mannion explained. “How do we get him in and out of the huddle? How do we get him to understand our protection scheme? How do we get him to understand our formations? So, you try to stick to the same teaching progression. It’s just really, really accelerated.”

With three quarterbacks on the roster, the Packers would be able to designate an emergency third quarterback for Saturday’s playoff game at the Bears.

Tune had a mission-impossible type of game against the Vikings. Surrounded almost entirely by backups and facing one of the best defenses in the NFL, he was part of one of the worst pass-game performances in franchise history.