HEADLINES

Oren Burks

Colts Trade Antonio Morrison To Packers

August 26th, 2018 at 12:18pm CST by Rory Parks

The Colts have traded linebacker Antonio Morrison to the Packers, per Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Demovsky hears that Green Bay will send cornerback Lenzy Pipkins to Indianapolis in return, which has since been confirmed by multiple reporters.

Morrison, whom the Colts selected in the fourth round of the 2016 draft, started 15 games for the club last year. While he showed some promise, racking up 108 tackles in the middle of the Colts’ defense, he lacks the speed and athleticism that new defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus has been stressing. He was firmly on the roster bubble, so GM Chris Ballard decided to get something for him rather than potentially letting him go for nothing.

Indianapolis does need help at corner, and the team hopes that Pipkins will provide some depth in that regard. He started one game for Green Bay last year and appeared in 12, picking up 14 tackles and a pass defensed.

The Packers, meanwhile, needed help at linebacker, as rookie Oren Burks is expected to miss time with an injury (per Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network, via Twitter). Green Bay has already lost Jake Ryan for the season.

Packers Fear Serious Injury For Jake Ryan

July 30th, 2018 at 5:30pm CST by Sam Robinson

Jake Ryan enjoyed a breakout 2017 season, but the fourth-year linebacker may not have a chance to build on it. At least, not right away.

While it’s not certain just yet, the Packers fear one of their starting inside linebackers suffered a “significant and potentially season-ending” right knee injury, Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com reports. Pro Football Focus’ No. 19 overall linebacker last season, Ryan suffered this setback during an 11-on-11 drill at Packers practice Monday.

The former fourth-round pick, who’s entering a contract year, has started 27 games with Green Bay since his rookie season. If it’s determined Ryan will miss time, Demovsky notes third-round rookie Oren Burks could be thrust into action alongside Blake Martinez. The Packers have also been impressed with rookie UDFA Greer Martini, per Demovsky.

Ryan played 506 snaps last season, and although his 79 tackles were well off Martinez’s league-leading 142, PFF preferred his coverage to Martinez’s work as Green Bay’s other primary linebacker.

Safety Kentrell Brice, whom Demovsky writes may be the leading candidate to replace Morgan Burnett, was also carted away from practice Monday. Brice was running with Green Bay’s first-string defense. Josh Jones, a 2017 second-round pick, replaced Brice with the starting defense.

Packers Sign Third-Rounder Oren Burks

May 17th, 2018 at 7:06pm CST by Ben Levine

The Packers have officially signed their entire draft class. The team announced today that they’ve signed third-round linebacker Oren Burks. This was Green Bay’s second rookie signing of the day, as they inked second-rounder Josh Jackson this morning.

The 6-foot-3, 233-pound linebacker had a standout career at Vanderbilt, including a 2017 campaign where he established career-highs in tackles (80) and tackles for loss (seven). Burks was drafted with the 88th pick by the Packers, providing defensive coordinator Mike Pettine with a versatile weapon.

The 23-year-old primarily played inside and outside linebacker during his time in college, and he also had stints at safety (he had three interceptions during his sophomore campaign). The rookie’s best path to playing time is probably inside linebacker, where he’ll have to compete with Ahmad Thomas for playing time behind Blake Martinez and Jake Ryan.

With this signing, the Packers have officially signed all 11 of their draft picks. This list includes: