Saturday’s Packers Transactions: What They Mean vs. Bills

The Green Bay Packers have elevated safety Innis Gaines and outside linebacker Kobe Jones from the practice squad for Sunday’s game against the Buffalo Bills. What does it all mean?

Elevated: OLB Kobe Jones

Last week, the Packers elevated La’Darius Hamilton from the practice squad and played him ahead of Jonathan Garvin against the Commanders. This week, it’s Kobe Jones’ turn to be that potential No. 4 outside linebacker behind Rashan Gary, Preston Smith and rising rookie Kingsley Enagbare.

Jones is a great story. After this year’s draft, the Packers invited a bunch of undrafted free agents to their rookie camp as tryout players. Part of that group was Jones, who went undrafted in 2021. Jones wound up being the only player signed immediately after the camp.

At Mississippi State, he was known as the Mayor of Starkville.

“My linebacker coach in 2017, Tem Lukabu, he was very big on that,” Jones said during camp. “He would tell me that when he was going around the city, he couldn’t take a foot in any building without somebody giving him high praise toward me. I was flattered, and it’s a name I really wanted to embrace because it meant a lot to me.”

Gary was in the concussion protocol as of Friday morning but trending toward playing.

Elevated: S Innis Gaines

When the Packers re-signed Gaines to their practice squad on Oct. 18, a source said he expected Gaines to be added to the active roster soon. Sure enough, after two weeks of practice, he will be chasing kicks on Sunday night.

After spending all last season on the practice squad, Gaines might have made the 53 this summer if not for a nagging hamstring injury that led to his release. A safety by trade, he got a lot of snaps in the slot during camp.

“Thump” is a great story.

Not Elevated: A Receiver

The Packers will be playing without Allen Lazard and Randall Cobb. That leaves veteran Sammy Watkins, rarely used second-year player Amari Rodgers and rookies Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs and Samori Toure as the receivers. Five isn’t many – especially with Watson having missed the last two games with a hamstring injury and being listed as questionable for Sunday.

Presumably, the Packers are 100 percent confident that Watson is good to go.

“We certainly do need him,” coach Matt LaFleur said on Friday. “But you’re not going treat it any differently than if those guys were available. That’s not fair to the player or our team, and especially with just kind of his history so far, we want to make sure that he’s good to go before we put him out there.”

The elevation options were Juwann Winfree, Travis Fulgham and newcomer Kawaan Baker. Winfree is out of elevations; the Packers would have to add him to the 53 for the rest of the season. Fulgham had one incredible stretch of games in 2020.