Yosh Nijman is sticking around Green Bay. The Packers have placed a second-round tender on the restricted free agent offensive lineman, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero (via Twitter).
Nijman joined the Packers as a 2019 undrafted free agent out of Virginia Tech. He effectively red shirted as a rookie and mostly played on special teams as a sophomore, but he’s seen more playing time on offense over the past two years.
After starting eight of his 17 appearances in 2020, Nijman started 13 of his 17 appearances in 2021, appearing in 69 percent of his team’s offensive snaps. While Pro Football Focus only ranked him 54th among 81 qualifying offensive tackles, he earned high marks for his pass-rushing ability.
Any team is free to sign Nijman to an offer sheet, but if the Packers don’t match the offer, the suitor would owe Green Bay a second-round pick. If the 27-year-old lineman isn’t signed to an offer sheet, he’ll return to Green Bay on a $4.3MM deal.
The offseason rumors of Elgton Jenkins‘ return not transpiring until at least October are looking likelier to be true. The Pro Bowl offensive lineman is likely to begin the season on the reserve/PUP list, Matt Schneidman of The Athletic notes (subscription required).
Players currently on teams’ active/PUP lists have until August 23 to be activated. If activations do not take place, they must begin the regular season on the reserve/PUP list — a roster designation that requires a minimum four-game absence to start the season. The potential unavailability of Jenkins and All-Pro left tackle David Bakhtiari continues to complicate matters for the Packers’ offensive front.
Jenkins, who has played a few spots along Green Bay’s offensive line, suffered his ACL tear on Nov. 21, 2021, going down on a noncontact play. If he remains on the PUP list going into the season, the earliest he could return would be the team’s Oct. 9 game against the Giants. That would be on the longer end for an ACL return, though these severe knee injuries — as Bakhtiari’s complications from a New Year’s Eve 2020 tear show — affect each player differently. The Packers also are known for injury-related caution.
Bakhtiari remains on Green Bay’s active/PUP list as well. The team managed to go 14-2, prior to a meaningless Week 18 loss to the Lions, with its starters last season. That came entirely without Bakhtiari and partially without Jenkins, who missed 10 games (counting Green Bay’s divisional-round loss to San Francisco).
The Packers have been using Jon Runyan Jr. as their first-string left guard during camp, per Schneidman, who adds a combination of Yosh Nijman, Zach Tom, Royce Newman and Jake Hansonhave been combining to fill the other three tackle and guard posts. The Packers used third- and fourth-round picks onSean Rhyanand Tom, respectively, this year. Josh Myers, who also missed a chunk of last season, remains at center. The team’s first depth chart listed Nijman at left tackle, Newman at right tackle and Hanson, a third-year blocker, at right guard.
Jenkins, who filled in for Bakhtiari at left tackle to start last season, is going into a contract year. A strong return from the ACL tear would put him in position to command top-tier guard money. He was a Pro Bowl guard alongside Bakhtiari, who signed a top-tier tackle contract weeks before his ACL tear, in 2020. Of course, the longer both he and Bakhtiari remain out the more questions it will generate about the state of Green Bay’s O-line.
Yosuah Nijmanis heading back to Green Bay. The offensive tackle has signed his exclusive rights free agent tender, reports ESPN’s Rob Demovsky (via Twitter).
The ERFA tender is a non-guaranteed, one-year deal worth $780K, which is the league minimum for a player with one season of experience.
The Virginia Tech product went undrafted during the 2019 draft, but he quickly caught on with the Packers. He spent time on the practice squad and active roster during his rookie season, but he didn’t see the field for a regular-season game. The lineman managed to get into all 16 games in 2020, although most of his playing time came on special teams; Nijman was limited to only 14 offensive snaps last season.
The 25-year-old has a chance to take on a larger role in 2021. As Demovsky notes, Nijman could be called upon to start in place of David Bakhtiari, who’s been named to an All-Pro team in each of the past five seasons. The veteran’s 2020 season was cut short by a torn ACL, but Bakhtiari is apparently ahead of schedule and could even be ready for the start of next season.
Listed below are the Sunday roster moves for the four NFC North teams. Following the 53-man roster cutdown deadline yesterday, many teams will make slight tweaks to their rosters, claiming players off waivers or signing guys who clear waivers. Those transactions for the Bears, Lions, Packers and Vikings are noted below.
Additionally, teams can begin constructing their 10-man practice squads today. You can check out our glossary entry on practice squads to brush up on those changes, as well as all the other guidelines that govern the 10-man units, whose players practice with the team but aren’t eligible to suit up on Sundays.
Here are Sunday’s NFC North transactions, which will continue to be updated throughout the day.
Equanimeous St. Brown, meanwhile, is not on that WR list. He was initially thought to have suffered a mild ankle sprain, but now, he’ll be out for the season.
The three linebackers join seventh-round pick Ty Summers in adding to Green Bay’s defensive second level depth. Bolton was a one-year starter at Oklahoma, with Ramsey having been a two-season starter at Temple. Ramsey also saw action on the Owls’ defensive line. A 26-game Baylor starter, Roberts received a $7K signing bonus and $65K base salary guarantee, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reports (on Twitter).
Wilkins was the Sun Devils’ starting quarterback for three seasons. Joining Aaron Rodgers, DeShone Kizer and 2018 UDFA Tim Boyle, Wilkins represents the Packers’ only offseason QB addition. In addition to throwing 52 touchdown passes in three seasons, Wilkins rushed for 20 TDs and gained 1,035 yards on the ground.
