In a surprising move, the Green Bay Packers tried out two punters, Jack Stonehouse and James Rendell. They seem completely set at the position, thanks to Daniel Whelan, so why now?
Some quickly speculated that Whelan could've gotten hurt in practice. However, his name was nowhere to be found on the Week 7 injury report. What gives?
If Whelan is healthy and solidified as a starter, why audition Stonehouse and Rendell? That's the natural question Packers fans are asking themselves.
Packers' unexpected punter auditions send a confusing message about Daniel Whelan
Every team hosts workouts throughout the year, so that's nothing new. What makes it odd for the Packers is that they tried out two punters. Rendell and Stonehouse's auditions threw everyone for a loop about Whelan.
While the Packers' special teams have had well-chronicled issues in the past, punting is the one aspect of the unit that has always been solid. Whelan is considered one of the NFL's most elite punters. He's currently tied for the league's most punts inside the opponent's 20-yard line (14) and is one of just five players with a 70-plus-yard punt this season.
Rendell is an international player from Australia. The son of Australian Football League player Matt Rendell, James played for Notre Dame from 2024 through 2025 before going undrafted. Last year, James averaged 44.6 yards per punt and finished with four punts of over 50 yards.
Stonehouse is also the son of a former pro; his father, John Stonehouse, was an NFL punter. At Syracuse, Jack was a two-time All-ACC player and averaged 45.9 yards per punt, with 58 total punts of 50-plus yards. He finished his college career as Syracuse's net punting average record-holder. After going undrafted this offseason, Jack was signed by the Houston Texans but was let go in August, just ahead of the start of the season.
As of now, at least, the Packers haven't officially signed either Stonehouse or Rendell. That's not too surprising, considering Whelan is too good a punter to replace on the fly. Nevertheless, the front office can now say they've at least done their due diligence on two guys should something change.
Fortunately, though, there doesn't seem to be cause for concern regarding Whelan's outlook at the moment. Like most squads, Green Bay doesn't have a backup punter on the active roster or practice squad — and probably won't add one barring injury,
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