Instead of starting TE Luke Musgrave and RB Emanuel Wilson on injured reserve, the Packers got WR Bo Melton and RB James Robinson off the practice squad. On gameday, the Packers activated FB Henry Pearson and S Benny Sapp III. The transactions were announced on Wednesday by General Manager Brian Gutekunst.
Starting on December 27, 2022, after being released from the practice squad of the Seattle Seahawks, Melton has been a member of the Packers’ team for the whole season. He was a 2022 Rutgers University graduate who the Seahawks selected in the seventh round, 229th overall. After playing every snap of the 2022 season for Seattle’s practice squad, Melton made the jump to Green Bay. After 56 games played, 164 receptions, five 100-yard games, and 2,011 yards, he finished his collegiate career in third place for the program. Over his final season with the club, Melton was selected All-Big Ten by Pro Football Focus (third team) and Phil Steele’s College Football (fourth team).
The fourth-year player from Illinois State, Robinson, has spent time on Green Bay’s practice squad twice this season. In 2020, he was signed as a free agent by the Jaguars after being undrafted. He was a member of the Patriots and Giants in the offseason, and he started 32 games in 2020 and 2021 with the Jaguars and 2022 with the Jets, respectively. In his career, Robinson has rushed for 2,262 yards on 514 runs (4.4 average) and scored 18 touchdowns. He has also caught 91 passes for 617 yards (6.8 average) and scored five more. Tenth in the NFL in 2020–22, he ran for 100 yards in six games. In 2020, with 1,414 scrimmage yards, Robinson became the most productive undrafted rookie in the common-draft era.
