Packers Suddenly Terminate RB Contract Before Week 4

The Green Bay Packers terminated the practice-squad contract of running back Damon Bankston on Tuesday, ending a short stay that began as a late-summer depth add, the team announced.

The Packers also released guard Cordell Volson from the practice squad in the same announcement.

Bankston, an undrafted rookie out of New Mexico, had been in Green Bay for only a few weeks.

The Packers signed him to the practice squad on Sept. 9 after he worked out for the club. He first visited Green Bay as a pre-draft guest in the spring, then signed with the New York Giants as an undrafted free agent with $115,000 guaranteed. The Giants waived him at final cuts.

Green Bay brought him back after a tryout and used him as extra insurance in a backfield that had already been strained.

At New Mexico in 2025, Bankston was a three-way contributor. He rushed 114 times for 635 yards and five touchdowns (5.6 yards per carry), caught 31 passes for 397 yards and three scores, and returned kickoffs, including two touchdowns.

In the preseason with the Giants, he carried 21 times for 73 yards, highlighted by 11 carries for 62 yards against the Jets. That production was not enough to stick in New York, and it was not enough to keep him in Green Bay once practice-squad space became a priority.

The Packers signed him while Josh Jacobs was on the commissioner’s exempt list and the active running-back group included MarShawn Lloyd, Chris Brooks, and Kaleb Johnson, with Pierre Strong Jr. already on the practice squad.

Bankston was a developmental option: a 5-foot-10, about 190-pound back with a 4.43-second 40-yard dash and some return value. He never reached the 53-man roster in Green Bay.

Tuesday’s moves follow other recent practice-squad shuffling, including offensive-line additions after Zach Bako-Bewele went on injured reserve. Volson, a former Cincinnati fourth-round pick who later spent time with Tennessee, had been on Green Bay’s practice squad since mid-September.

Releasing both players opens two spots if general manager Brian Gutekunst wants to sign replacements this week.

For Bankston, the cut is another early-career reset. At 23, he remains a free agent who can sign with any team’s practice squad if he clears the process. His college tape and preseason work suggest a player who can still help as a change-of-pace back or returner.

For the Packers, the decision looks like a routine roster trim rather than a verdict on the running-game plan. Jacobs’ status and the play of the current backs will matter more than one practice-squad transaction.

Green Bay is 1-2 and fourth in the NFC North. Practice-squad turnover is typical at this stage of the season, and Bankston’s release is one more example of the team cycling through available bodies while it manages injuries, exemptions, and weekly game-plan needs.