The Green Bay Packers have added a few new additions to their final roster and practice squad over the last several days. Of course, the vast majority of the final roster is composed of players who the Packers have seen extensively as a part of their offseason process. However, the Packers filled out their roster with several players who were not with the Packers this offseason. Some had been cut from other clubs, including one waiver claim for a player who will be a part of the Packers final 53-man roster.

Final Roster

Jhurell Pressley, RB

After being waived by the Minnesota Vikings at cut down, Pressley was claimed by the Packers, who have cut Brandon Burks and made Pressley the #3 running back behind Eddie Lacy and James Starks. Pressley is an impressive running back prospect out of New Mexico, where he averaged a whopping 7.8 yards per carry over three years of college football.

He complements what the Packers already have at the RB position well. Pressley is small (5-10, 206), but fast, running a 4.38 40 at the New Mexico Pro Day. He had two TDs in the Vikings’ final preseason game. The first was a catch behind the line of scrimmage that Pressley took 28 yards to the house; the second was a 106 yard kick off return, his first kick return attempt since high school. Clearly Pressley can contribute on special teams as well as in the backfield.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=35dlfIMlBR4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ok1AcpoooCw

Have you ever had more fun watching the Vikings?

The Packers plan to use Pressley as a third down back, attempting to throw to him out of the backfield and get him the ball in open space. He hauled in 5 catches for 57 yards during the preseason. Pressley certainly brings a little bit of electricity to the Packers backfield.

Jacob Schum, P

Tim Mathsay has been punting for the Packers since 2010. In the last several years, however, Mathsay’s punts have grown erratic. The Packers brought in Green Bay native Peter Mortell to push Mathsay. Mortell was cut, however, and most fans assumed that Mathsay would return again for another year, especially after Mike McCarthy claimed that Mathsay was “in the driver’s seat.” In fact, Mathsay was cut the next day.

The Packers signed Schum to replace him, an undrafted punter out of Buffalo in 2012. Schum has spent time with the Cleveland Browns, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and New York Jets, unable to win any consistent role as a starting punter in the NFL. Still, in his only preseason action with the Packers on Thursday, Schum looked good. One of the noticeable differences between Schum and Mathsay was hang time. Mathsay’s punts had grown increasingly horizontal. It is nice to see a Packers punter putting some air under the ball again. Hopefully he can keep it up as we head into the regular season.

Brett Goode, LS

Goode will already be well-known to serious Packer fans. Goode has been the Packers’ long-snapper since 2008. After suffering a torn ACL at the end of last season, however, the Packers brought in Rick Lovato as his replacement, who seemed to do well in his stead. However, the team did not appear comfortable with what they were seeing from Lovato this offseason. They brought in another long-snapper, Jesse Schmitt, to push for the job, but, unfortunately, Schmitt broke his hand on his first snap in camp. The Packers ended up cutting Lovato and returning to Goode, who is now healthy enough to reclaim his job.

Practice Squad

Blake Muir, G

Muir was an undrafted offensive linemen who hails from Australia. Muir came to the US to play football, initially for Hawaii before transferring to Baylor where he played for the final two years of his collegiate career. Muir signed with the 49ers but was waived as part of cut downs last week. He has good size at 6-5 and 315 and he played well in college, starting all 25 games during his two years at Baylor. However, Muir appears to be a raw prospect. This move likely had as much to do with the departure of Josh Sitton as anything else. With the left guard spot a little bit of a question mark, the Packers looked to add some depth.

Don Jackson, RB

Jackson isn’t so much of a new addition as a returning face. An undrafted rookie out of Nevada, Jackson originally signed with the Packers earlier in the offseason but he was released by the Packers in late-July, likely due to a failed physical. The Packers must have liked what they saw in their limited view of Jackson, however, since they brought him back to their practice squad even over fellow running back Brandon Burks, who initially made the final roster before being waived to make room for Pressley.

Jackson is another small, speedy back, coming in at about 5-10 and 210 lbs. He ran a 4.47 40 at the Nevada Pro Day. Jackson is a good receiver out of the backfield and was also a return man at Nevada. Jackson would likely fit into the Packers scheme in a similar manner to Pressley.

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Taylor O\'Neill is a Packer fan born and raised in Oshkosh, WI. He currently lives in Florida and is pursuing his PhD. Taylor is a writer with PackersTalk.com. You can follow him on Twitter at @TaylorONeill87 for more Packer news.

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