If there was any holdout hope still flickering that Green Bay would bring back beloved veteran John Kuhn for another year, it was all but extinguished Wednesday – quietly and subtly – with the signing of undrafted free agent Warren Gatewood.
With the addition of Gatewood, a 22-year-old rookie from Alcorn State, the Packers filled the final remaining spot on their 90-man roster going into next week’s training camp. And, while it’s possible they could make another move before the first practice on Tuesday, the likely reality is that the roster is now set. Even assuming injuries, teams don’t usually sign new players during camp, as rosters progressively are reduced to 53 men.
Kuhn, the fan-favorite fullback who has been in Green Bay since 2007, remains a free agent, while two fullbacks and six halfbacks prepare to compete for the team’s four or five backfield jobs. Last week, the Packers signed undrafted running back Brandon Ross.
Gatewood (5-foot-11, 188 pounds) played in 42 games over four seasons at Alcorn State, totaling 117 tackles, 33 passes defensed, eight interceptions and one blocked kick. As a senior last year, he set career highs with 47 tackles and four picks. He was named the defensive player of the game in the Braves’ win over Grambling in the 2015 Southwestern Athletic Conference Championship Game, snagging three interceptions, including one he returned 25 yards for a touchdown.
At his pro day, Gatewood reportedly ran a 4.51-second 40-yard dash, did 16 reps of 225 pounds on the bench press and had a vertical leap of 36.5 inches.
As for Kuhn, head coach Mike McCarthy said in May, "I don’t think you ever close the door" on a player returning. But during the Packers’ minicamp last month, Kuhn’s nameplate was no longer on his stall in the locker room. Quarterback and close friend Aaron Rodgers said, "It's tough when you lose guys like that or you show back up in the locker room and they're not there."
Kuhn played 307 snaps last season, fourth-most among NFL fullbacks. He made the Pro Bowl in 2011, 2014 and 2015 and knows the Packers’ offense as well as anyone on the team, garnering the nickname "The General" from younger players for his experience and leadership.
But Green Bay drafted fullback Aaron Ripkowski in the sixth round last year and, while he only played 19 snaps on offense as a rookie in 2015, he became a core special teamer and well-liked by the coaching staff. This offseason, the Packers also added undrafted free agent Alstevis Squirewell at fullback, a position at which they’ve had two players on the roster before but might not be able to do so this year if they keep six or seven wide receivers.
Kuhn played last season on a one-year contract worth $870,000. Presumably, he’d return again at that veteran’s minimum salary, if the Packers so desired. But, it seems, the John Kuhn (or, "Kuuuuuhhnnn") era is really, truly over in Green Bay.
What do you think? Do you want to see Kuhn playing for the Packers in 2016? Let us know in the comments.
Born in Milwaukee but a product of Shorewood High School (go ‘Hounds!) and Northwestern University (go ‘Cats!), Jimmy never knew the schoolboy bliss of cheering for a winning football, basketball or baseball team. So he ditched being a fan in order to cover sports professionally - occasionally objectively, always passionately. He's lived in Chicago, New York and Dallas, but now resides again in his beloved Brew City and is an ardent attacker of the notorious Milwaukee Inferiority Complex.
After interning at print publications like Birds and Blooms (official motto: "America's #1 backyard birding and gardening magazine!"), Sports Illustrated (unofficial motto: "Subscribe and save up to 90% off the cover price!") and The Dallas Morning News (a newspaper!), Jimmy worked for web outlets like CBSSports.com, where he was a Packers beat reporter, and FOX Sports Wisconsin, where he managed digital content. He's a proponent and frequent user of em dashes, parenthetical asides, descriptive appositives and, really, anything that makes his sentences longer and more needlessly complex.
Jimmy appreciates references to late '90s Brewers and Bucks players and is the curator of the unofficial John Jaha Hall of Fame. He also enjoys running, biking and soccer, but isn't too annoying about them. He writes about sports - both mainstream and unconventional - and non-sports, including history, music, food, art and even golf (just kidding!), and welcomes reader suggestions for off-the-beaten-path story ideas.
