Packers bringing in two quarterbacks for rookie minicamp to add depth

Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst said after the draft he would look at adding a veteran quarterback to add depth to the position.

It has nothing to do with the Aaron Rodgers’ situation — they just need more arms.

“We’ll add a third arm and maybe a fourth arm as we go through. We’ve kind of had some conversations before the draft with some veterans, and then there are some rookie guys we’re looking at as well,” Gutekunst said during his post-draft press conference.

Last season the Packers had three quarterbacks on the roster (Rodgers, Tim Boyle and Jordan Love). Boyle was the QB2 and has since signed with the Detroit Lions, while Love was inactive every game last season.

Every team in the NFL has three or more quarterbacks on their 90-man roster. It was reported by Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network that Green Bay is bringing in Kurt Benkert and Chad Kelly for rookie minicamp on a tryout basis on May 14-15.

Kurt Benkert is an undrafted free agent and was on the Atlanta practice squad in 2018 and 2020. He was on injured reserve in 2019 with a toe injury. The Falcons released him in February. Benkert played collegiately at East Carolina and Virginia. He threw for 5,759 yards, 46 touchdowns and had a 122.6 quarterback rating during his two years at Virginia.

Chad Kelly, the nephew of Buffalo Bills legend Jim Kelly, was the last pick in the 2017 NFL Draft. He was on the Indianapolis Colts practice squad in 2019 and 2020. He has a checkered past: having been kicked off the team at Clemson in 2014, pleaded guilty to misdemeanor disorderly conduct after a bar fight, arrested for suspicion of first-degree criminal trespassing and served a two-game suspension to start the 2019 season after violating the league’s personal conduct policy.

Despite Kelly’s past, he played a year at Clemson and two years at Ole Miss. He threw for 6,800 yards, 50 touchdowns and had a 152.3 quarterback rating during his collegiate career.

The Packers didn’t draft a quarterback in the 2021 NFL draft.