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Jun 11, 2025; Green Bay, WI, USA; Green Bay Packers offensive tackle Anthony Belton (71) participates in the team's minicamp at Ray Nitschke Field. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

Packers Release Two, Sign Anthony Belton

Originally posted on Green Bay Packers on SI
By Jacob Westendorf | Last updated Jul 18, 2025 5:27 PM ET

The churning of the Green Bay Packers’ roster has begun.

Friday afternoon, Brian Gutekunst announced three roster moves via a news release on Packers.com.

As far as who is going, that would be two defensive linemen.

Cameron Young and Nesta Jade Silvera were both released on Friday before the team was set to report to training camp early next week.

The Packers signed Young just two days after his 25th birthday,

Young was a former fourth-round draft pick by the Seattle Seahawks in 2023, he played in 16 games with one start as a rookie but only one game last season due to a knee injury.

Jade Silvera was signed in Green Bay just after their season ended last January, and was a former seventh-round pick by the Las Vegas Raiders.

Neither appeared in a game for the Packers, and now will be looking for new opportunities with training camps set to open across the league.

The big story coming out of Friday for the Packers is that they’ve avoided a potential nightmare with their second round pick.

At the start of the week, 30 of 32 second-round picks around the league were unsigned as a result of trying to avoid fully guaranteed contracts handed out by the Houston Texans and Cleveland Browns.

The Texans fully guaranteed wide receiver Jayden Higgins’ contract, and were soon matched in precedent with the Browns giving 33rd overall pick, linebacker Carson Schwesinger a fully guaranteed deal as well.

Other teams have followed suit as the week has progressed, including Chicago who fully guaranteed the contract of their second-round pick, wide receiver Luther Burden III.

Belton will now get a chance to enter training camp and get a normal offseason of work, instead of potentially stunting his growth as a rookie.

That growth, of course, means on the field. Physically, Belton, who was given the nickname ‘Escalade’ is physically imposing, and represents a potential shift on Green Bay’s offensive line.

“The genesis behind that nickname is that Anthony Belton, he’s a really big guy – 6-foot-6, 336-pound guy – that is very smooth and is an excellent bender." NC State strength and conditioning coach Dantonio Burnette told Packers on SI after he was selected.

"When you see him change direction, it’s like, man, that’s wild that a big guy can move that well and be smooth while still doing it. He’s a big guy that’s very under control, so it was one of those things that, during the team run, he was out there killing the guy that he was going against. It was just one of those nicknames that I came up with.”

In years’ past, the Packers tilted more toward athletic offensive linemen who may have been smaller, but had better movement skills.

Belton is massive, standing in a 6-foot-6, 336 pounds.

Rookie second-rounder Anthony Belton pic.twitter.com/UEm012mRVF
— Matt Schneidman (@mattschneidman) June 3, 2025

“We really liked Anthony’s film at North Carolina State,” offensive line coach Luke Butkus said. “Last year, I believe he was around 360-plus. He’s a little lighter now, but he was really athletic, and now it’s showing even more as he starts to shed some pounds. So, for a big man to be able to move like that, it’s pretty cool.”

Will Belton have a chance to start?

That seems unlikely with the Packers returning five of their top six offensive linemen from last year, with $77 million man Aaron Banks replacing Josh Myers, who signed with the New York Jets this offseason.

Reality, however, is that the offensive line is a position that often faces attrition. The Packers were incredibly healthy through most of last year up front.

That is, of course, until they were not, which came at the worst possible time.

First-round pick Jordan Morgan was in and out of the lineup with injuries, but was placed on injured reserve after aggravating a shoulder injury that bothered him for most of his rookie season.

The Packers were ok without Morgan, who was the loser of an in-season competition at right guard with Sean Rhyan.

Unfortunately, however, disaster struck almost immediately in the Packers’ 22-10 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in January.

Elgton Jenkins left the game with a stinger and was unable to return.

The Packers’ depth on the offensive line was virtually non-existent, and it played out immediately from there.

Travis Glover and KaDeem Telfort were both overwhelmed by a ferocious Philadelphia front, and the Packers’ offense was stagnant for the majority of the day.

Belton has a chance to compete at both guard and tackle. He played left tackle in college, but focused mostly on right guard and right tackle during the team’s offseason activities.

Belton is likely going to play at some point this season, and even be asked to start a game.

Now that he’s able to start training camp on time, the Packers can focus on getting him ready, instead of having to worry about a contract dispute bleeding into camp.

This article first appeared on Green Bay Packers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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