Here's a look at some Packers midseason roster additions who made a difference
The Green Bay Packers seldom make moves in the middle of the season, famously doing virtually nothing around the NFL's annual trade deadline under former general manager Ted Thompson. If there's any reason to think 2023 will be different, it could come down to whether the Packers elect to trade away current contributors with an eye on next year or beyond.
With the deadline approaching at 3 p.m. CT Oct. 31, here are the players the Packers have added midway through the year (at least, in the past 30 years) who made a difference; granted, they usually didn't arrive via trade.
Andre Rison, 1996
Rison was claimed off waivers in late November, so the Packers already had the majority of their eventual Super Bowl champion roster intact. The longtime Atlanta receiver played the first 10 games of the season with Jacksonville and only five with Green Bay, snaring only 13 receptions for 135 yards and one touchdown. But then came the playoffs: Rison caught a touchdown against San Francisco in the playoff opener and, more importantly, a 54-yard score to kick off scoring in Super Bowl XXXI, as the Packers went on to defeat New England, 35-21.
Rasul Douglas, 2021
Famously acquired off the Arizona practice squad in October, Douglas quickly became indispensable. He returned two interceptions for touchdowns and secured five interceptions overall, including one against his former team, Arizona, in his third game. That one killed what could have been a winning rally in the final moments of the game, helping the Packers topple the undefeated Cardinals, 24-21. He's now in his third season with the Packers and has started 27 games.
Grady Jackson, 2003
The Packers added Jackson off waivers from New Orleans in early November, and he almost immediately became the team's best defensive lineman. Green Bay went 6-2 in the second half of the season with Jackson in for ailing Gilbert Brown, then beat Seattle in the playoffs before the dreaded 4th-and-26 game against Philadelphia, a 20-17 overtime loss.
Samkon Gado, 2005
Initially singed to the practice squad Oct. 17, he joined the 53-man roster two years later and wound up leading the team in rushing for the season overall with 582 yards. The Nigerian-born Gado became a popular player and went into a career of medicine after his playing days, eventually graduating from medical school in 2015 and becoming a resident at the St. Louis University Hospital program for ear, nose and throat specialty.
Matt Flynn, 2013
The Packers had drafted Matt Flynn in 2008 and he spent four seasons as a backup quarterback, so the familiarity was there. He signed with the Seahawks as a free agent in 2012 but was supplanted as starter by Russell Wilson, and when the Packers were desperate in mid-November of the following year, they turned to a familiar face. Flynn, who had been in Oakland and Buffalo that season, wound up starting five games for Green Bay after Scott Tolzien faltered, leading the Packers to two wildly improbable wins and a tie. That bought enough time for Aaron Rodgers to return for the season finale against the Bears, where he orchestrated a thrilling win that gave the Packers a division title.
Howard Green, 2010
He was claimed off waivers from the New York Jets in late October and became a fixture on the defensive line. His biggest moment came in Super Bowl XLV, when he rushed Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and forced a fluttered throw that landed in the arms of Nick Collins, who returned it for an unforgettable pick-6.
More: Remember when these midseason additions played a role in a Super Bowl run?
Erik Walden, 2010
Green wasn't the only big addition midway through a Super Bowl season. Signing as a street free agent in late October, Walden filled in admirably for a depleted linebacker core and wound up starting six games down the stretch. He was unstoppable in a win over the Chicago Bears in January, coming in a season where every win mattered. He was named NFC Defensive Player of the Week, although he didn't appear in the Super Bowl with an injury.
Allen Lazard, 2018 and Robert Tonyan, 2017
This two don't count in quite the same way, since their impact came later, but the Packers struck gold in back-to-back seasons.
Lazard was signed off the Jacksonville practice squad in mid-December, making one reception that season. But he was a big deal in Green Bay over the next four years, catching 60 passes last year for 788 yards and six touchdowns before signing with the Jets. The big-bodied receiver with a penchant for blocking caught 169 passes during his Packers career, with 20 touchdowns.
Tonyan was signed off the street in December to the practice squad and didn't play that year. But Tonyan went on to become a factor for the Packers, gradually seeing his role increase over the next five years. He started all 17 games last year and caught 53 passes with two touchdowns, and he hauled in a staggering 11 touchdowns in the 2020 season.
Darick Holmes, 1998
The running back was acquired in late September in a trade with Buffalo for a fourth-round pick; the Packers were desperate with Dorsey Levens holding out and running backs Travis Jervey and Raymont Harris sidelined by injury. Holmes played 11 games and wound up leading the team in rushing with 386 yards before leaving for Indianapolis in 1999.
Matt Bowen, 2001
After getting waived by the St. Louis Rams, Bowen was still rehabbing a foot injury when Green Bay signed him Dec. 1. He wound up playing a role on special teams the rest of the year, then appeared in two playoff games, but his big moment came in the following postseason. Moved to safety, Bowen started six games that year and appeared in 16, with an interception and 60 tackles. In a playoff loss to Atlanta, Bowen had 15 combined tackles and two passes defended, but Michael Vick was too much to handle in a 27-7 win at Lambeau Field.
John Jefferson, 1981
This goes back before our designated window of time, but we'll point him out anyway. The two-time All-Pro had clashed with San Diego, and the Chargers dealt him to the Packers in late September. Jefferson took off running, with 121 yards receiving in his first game on seven receptions despite just two days of practice with Green Bay. Pairing him with James Lofton was supposed to give Green Bay a dynamic receiving duo, and Jefferson was solid in 1981 before making the Pro Bowl again in 1982.
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Packers midseason roster additions who made a big difference
