GREEN BAY, Wis. — In the first truly perplexing move of the day, the Green Bay Packers are releasing Kalen King for the second year in a row.
The hope is that the second-year cornerback will be able to pass through waivers unclaimed and return to the team's practice squad. However, after an impressive preseason, more teams will have an eye on the Penn State product. King was released last summer as well, but the Packers were able to retain him on the practice squad where he essentially redshirted the entirety of his rookie season.
The Packers also released fellow cornerbacks Corey Ballentine and Tyron Herring on Tuesday as they work to trim their roster down to 53 players by the 4 p.m. ET deadline. Ballentine was re-signed by the Packers on Aug. 5 after they allowed him to enter unrestricted free agency in March. As of right now, behind the entrenched starters of Keisean Nixon, Nate Hobbs and Carrington Valentine, the Packers have Micah Robinson, a seventh-round rookie from Tulane, and Kamal Hadden, an undrafted rookie free agent, in good position to make the initial 53-man roster.
Bo Melton, who made the transition from wide receiver to cornerback this past offseason, has also made the team.
(Photo: USA TODAY Sports)
After offseason wrist surgery, King was on the outside looking in. But it was difficult for general manager Brian Gutekunst and head coach Matt LaFleur not to be enamored with the prospect of someone who, at one point, was considered to be among the best cornerbacks in the country.
"I think he's had a pretty impressive three days," said LaFleur shortly after the start of training camp. "Just continue to stack those days and take advantage of those opportunities. But I think he's shown a lot of—I mean, he's not the biggest guy. He'll throw his body around in there and show a lot of toughness."
n 2022, King was stellar. He finished the year allowing a sub-50 percent completion rate from opposing quarterbacks and allowed just one touchdown in his 328 coverage snaps. He allowed more than three receptions in a game just twice—one of those games being against Marvin Harrison Jr.'s Ohio State Buckeyes. It's the only true blemish in what was otherwise a remarkable season. It was also the last time he'd be playing alongside Joey Porter Jr., who declared for the draft that following spring.
Without Porter, who would go on to be drafted No. 32 overall by the Pittsburgh Steelers, King was drawing more attention than ever the following year. Quarterbacks targeting King's coverage saw their completion rate skyrocket to 61 percent and he finished the season with just two pass breakups and no interceptions after tallying three as a sophomore. King never seemed to find his stride after an Oct. 21 game against a familiar foe in Ohio State. Harrison once again torched the Nittany Lions' secondary—and King specifically, hauling in five of his six targets against him for 87 yards and four first downs. The 118.8 passer rating King surrendered on that fateful day was his highest in a game since his freshman year—at least until two weeks later. All six of the targets in King's direction were caught for 69 yards and a 114.6 passer rating.
An uninspiring second half of the season, combined with his poor agility testing at the NFL Scouting Combine—he clocked a mediocre 4.61 40-yard dash—left teams wondering just how much more meat was left on the bone. General manager Brian Gutekunst, who has a stellar track record of finding seventh-round gems, took a swing and snagged King off the board with the No. 255 overall pick—three away from going undrafted.
In three exhibition contests this summer, King played 53 snaps in coverage. He was targeted just three times, allowing one catch for one measly yard. He shined in the Packers' preseason finale against the Seattle Seahawks, accounting for a pair of tackles and two "stops," which are defined by Pro Football Focus as "tackles that constitute a failure for the offense."
The practice squad is essentially an extension of the 53-man roster. Assuming King passes through the waiver wire without being snagged by another team, the Packers will be able to elevate him to the gameday roster whenever they please. They'll only be able to do so three times, though, before they have to sign him to the 53-man roster.
Zachary Jacobson is the Editor-in-Chief of Packer Report. He is entering his 11th season covering theGreen Bay Packers. He is a member of thePro Football Writers of America. Follow him on Twitter@zacobson or contact him via email atitszachariahj@gmail.com