The Green Bay Packers are reshuffling their wide receiver group ahead of their first training camp practice on Monday, July 22.
According to the team’s official transaction wire for July 19, the Packers waived former quarterback-turned-wide receiver Alex McGough with an injury designation as players reported from the offseason break to start camp.
In corresponding moves, the Packers signed two new pass-catchers, Jalen Wayne and Rory Starkey Jr., bringing their roster up to the 90-man limit.
McGough spent the 2023 season on the Packers’ practice squad as their third-string quarterback behind Jordan Love and Sean Clifford. After drafting Tulane quarterback Michael Pratt in the seventh round this year, the team transitioned the 28-year-old from quarterback to receiver ahead of OTAs, giving him a better shot at making the 2024 roster.
“He’s a really athletic guy,” Packers head coach Matt LaFleur told Packers.com’s Wes Hodkiewicz earlier this year. “He spent a lot of time on the scout team running receiver routes and did a great job. We feel like he’s such a talented athlete, why not give him a chance there?”
Had he stayed through camp, McGough would have competed for one of the final spots in the Packers’ receiving rotation or more likely a practice squad position alongside players like Bo Melton, Malik Heath, Samori Toure, and Grant DuBose. Now, he’ll need to seek opportunities with another team looking for additional depth at receiver or quarterback.
Jalen Wayne & Rory Starkey Jr. Join as WR Camp Additions
The Packers have added two new wide receivers for Monday’s first practice, but Jalen Wayne and Rory Starkey Jr. will need to prove they’re more than just camp bodies to stay on the roster for the 2024 regular season starting in September.
Wayne (6-foot-1, 211 pounds) had an impressive college career at South Alabama, catching 152 passes for 1,980 yards and 14 touchdowns. He earned second-team All-Sun Belt honors in his final season but went undrafted and didn’t secure a spot on an active roster or practice squad despite stints with Buffalo and Cleveland in the 2023 offseason.
Starkey (six feet, 214 pounds) posted similar college stats, with 119 receptions for 1,549 yards and 14 touchdowns over three seasons at Penn, plus 27 catches for 204 yards at Samford as a graduate transfer in 2023. Starkey might have a slight advantage, having received a pre-camp callback from the Packers after participating in their rookie minicamp on a tryout basis.
Both players will need to excel on special teams to secure a spot on the Packers’ roster for the 2024 season. Contributing to Rich Bisaccia’s units could earn them a place on the practice squad, a common path for Packers receivers to advance to the active roster.
Packers Eyeing No. 4 QB After Cutting Alex McGough
Although the Packers decided against keeping McGough as a quarterback, they seem to be looking for a fourth quarterback for camp. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Packers worked out veteran quarterback Jake Fromm the same day they released McGough. Fromm, who turns 26 soon, made two starts and played in three games for the New York Giants in 2021, completing 27 of 60 passes for 210 yards, a touchdown, and three interceptions.
Fromm has also spent time with Buffalo and Washington but didn’t play any regular-season snaps for either team. While the Packers might not sign Fromm, his experience could be valuable as they sort out their quarterback depth chart. As a seventh-round pick, Michael Pratt likely has an edge for the No. 3 quarterback job, but Fromm could challenge him if Pratt struggles more than expected during his rookie year.
