With tight end Messiah Swinson being signed by the Carolina Panthers from the Green Bay Packers’ practice squad, the Packers had an opening on their roster. On Tuesday, after practice, the team announced that they had filled this vacancy by signing running back Chris Brooks, who was recently with the Miami Dolphins.
Brooks played four seasons at Cal before transferring to BYU in 2022. As an undrafted rookie last year, he appeared in nine games for the Dolphins, where he logged 19 carries for 106 yards. Last week, Miami waived Brooks with an injury designation due to a concussion, placing him on injured reserve until the two sides agreed on an injury settlement. It seems that the Packers’ medical team has now cleared him for action.
Interestingly, Brooks enters a crowded backfield. Running backs La’Mical Perine and Ellis Merriweather are already on the practice squad, and the Packers recently added fullback Andrew Beck to the mix. There’s some concern that one of these practice squad backs might have to play in Brazil on Friday against the Philadelphia Eagles, as rookie third-round pick MarShawn Lloyd missed Tuesday’s practice with a hamstring injury. With AJ Dillon on season-ending injured reserve (neck), Lloyd was expected to be Josh Jacobs’ primary backup for the 2024 season.
Perhaps we’ll see Brooks in action during Week 1.
