Packers add a former first-round pick to secondary

The Green Bay Packers have made a move in the secondary.

According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the Packers have claimed safety Johnathan Abram on waivers. Abram is a former first-round pick and was released by the Las Vegas Raiders earlier this week.

Abram was selected with the 27th overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft by the Raiders.

He has played in 36 games for the Raiders with 34 starts, making 255 tackles, 12 pass defenses, and three interceptions.

The Packers will hope that a fresh start can help Abram, who never reached his first-round expectations for the Raiders.

What this move does show is that the Packers have added some competition at safety.

Darnell Savage has struggled this season, so bringing in another veteran safety makes sense. If Abram starts for Green Bay, another option would be to move Savage to a slot cornerback role, a position that may better suit him.

With Eric Stokes injured, an option would be to have Jaire Alexander and Rasul Douglas start on the outside, and Savage spend more time in the slot along with Keisean Nixon.

That’s where signing Abram would make sense, as he would compete with Rudy Ford for a starting job next to Adrian Amos.

This move likely won’t be the difference in Green Bay’s season, but it’s good to see general manager Brian Gutekunst still active when it comes to improving the roster.

We’ll see how it all works out in the Packers’ secondary. Abram struggled for much of his career with the Raiders, but a fresh start could be just what he needs.