Packers Beat Out Rams, Claim 5th-Round Rookie CB From Seahawks
The Green Bay Packers have secured some additional help for their cornerback room in their first string of NFL roster moves to begin Week 11.
According to the NFL’s official transaction wire for November 13, the Packers claimed fifth-round rookie cornerback Kyu Blu Kelly off the waivers from the Seattle Seahawks on Monday and cut safety Innis Gaines to clear a spot for him on the 53-man roster.
The Packers had competition for Kelly. Per Ari Meirov of The 33rd Team, the Los Angeles Rams (3-6) also tried to claim Kelly from their NFC West rivals, but the Packers (3-6) hold a higher waiver priority over them and beat out their claim.
Now, Green Bay reinforces its depleted secondary with a rookie cornerback who scored an impressive 8.76 relative athletic score (RAS) ahead of the 2023 NFL draft. Kelly has played 37 snaps on special teams this season but only a single defensive snap.
The Packers have not yet officially announced the acquisition of Kelly, but they did confirm Gaines’ departure. They had just bumped Gaines up from the practice squad on November 11 heading into their road matchup with the Pittsburgh Steelers, but he did not play on defense in the loss. And considering Gaines has already used up all of his elevation opportunities, he appears unlikely to return to Green Bay’s practice squad.
Kyu Blu Kelly Went No. 157 Overall to Ravens in 2023
Kelly spent four seasons as a starting cornerback at Stanford before reaching the NFL, earning consecutive second-team All-Pac-12 honors in his final two years and leading the conference with 13 pass deflections in 2021. He also drew rave reviews at the 2023 Senior Bowl with director Jim Nagy putting a “fringe Top-100 grade” on him.
Ultimately, Kelly fell further than the top 100, but the Baltimore Ravens took a chance on him in the fifth round (No. 157 overall), liking his experience and durability.
