Rookie Vogel is lone punter
Schum released after one season
GREEN BAY - If the Green Bay Packers keep an undrafted rookie on their roster for the 13th straight year, the punter position appears to be the most likely spot.
The Packers announced Thursday they were releasing Jacob Schum, their punter from 2016, leaving undrafted rookie Justin Vogel as the only punter on the roster. Schum had yet to participate during organized team activities because of injury and was ultimately waived injured.
“That’s kind of the nature of the NFL,” special teams coordinator Ron Zook said. “I think everybody gets in that situation one time or another. You’d like to be status quo there, but I think change is human nature. People resist change, but it is what it is in this league and you deal with it to do what you’ve got to get done.”
Vogel was a secondteam all-ACC selection as a senior at Miami last season. He built a reputation for having a big leg, averaging 43.8 yards per punt in 13 games last season. He was a directional kicker for the Hurricanes, and that’s what Zook will ask him to do in Green Bay.
Vogel went undrafted and chose to sign with the Packers despite interest from other teams. One of his deciding factors was the team-friendly contract situation for Schum, who received a tender from the Packers as an exclusive-rights free agent. Schum could be released without a financial hit.
“There were other teams that asked me to come out of the combine after the combine was over,” Vogel said. “But with the veterans that are either strong veterans or guys that are on big contracts, there’s more incentives than just playing incentives to keep guys around. I knew that with the current contract that Schum had, there was an equal opportunity to let the better punter win.”
With Vogel facing no competition on the roster, the Packers’ starting punter job is his to lose. The roster stands at its maximum 90 players, but the front office could make a move before training camp to bring in another punter if Vogel struggles.
Schum, who replaced Tim Masthay late in training camp a year ago, punted in all 16 regularseason games, ranking 27th in the league with a 43.2-yard average and 24th with a 39.1-yard net average. Schum improved in the Packers’ three playoffs games, averaging 47.6 yards per punt with a 43.5-yard net.
The Packers filled Schum’s spot on the roster with Colby Pearson, an undrafted receiver out of BYU. They also signed fourth-round running back Jamaal Williams, leaving third-round defensive tackle Montravius Adams as the only unsigned draftee.
No limits for Adams: Those 3 yards stuck with Davante Adams this offseason.
Not that the gap diminished what the Packers receiver did in 2016. Adams recovered from his sophomore slump in a big way, silenced the doubters. He had 12 touchdown catches, tied with AllPros Antonio Brown and Mike Evans for second most in the league.
He also had 997 yards. A nice number, but he knows it sounds different from 1,000.
“I’ll put it this way,” Adams said after being asked about the 3-yard gap for a second time. “I would much rather have 1,000 yards than 997, but it doesn’t really matter at the end of the day. It’s just a matter of saying I got 1,000 yards vs. nine hundred and whatever, because that’s what people look at it as – 900 yards vs. hitting the 1,000-yard mark.
“But it doesn’t put a damper on my season because I didn’t get it. At the end of the day, I would definitely rather have it, but I’ll live.”
No, 9 feet weren’t going to change how Adams felt about his third NFL season. Much better to have to answer about almost reaching 1,000 yards than drops, something that plagued him in 2015. Adams made a big jump last fall, surpassing the 929 combined yards he caught in his first two seasons.
The question now is how much better can he be. Adams isn’t setting a limit for himself.
“The jump to me,” Adams said, “is just expanding on all the positive things that I did last year. Obviously there’s a lot more production. I can’t predict numbers, but as far as what my film will consistently look like, what I’m able to go out there and contribute to the team, whether it’s having more respect on the field and taking away from having Marty (Bennett) open or Richard (Rodgers) or Jordy (Nelson) or Randall (Cobb) — just being a bigger part of the offense.
“I can’t go out there and tell you that I’m going to have 1,500 yards and 20 touchdowns, but I’m going to go out and try to do that.”
A big year would come at the right time. Adams’ rookie contract expires in March, when he’ll enter free agency. There’s sure to be a big market for receivers who can catch double-digit touchdowns.
Of course, there’s also plenty of demand for 1,000-yard receivers. Even if it’s just cosmetic, Adams would benefit from gaining 9 more feet this season.
Tempers flare: After two years of relative tranquility, a fight broke out during practice Thursday involving offensive tackle Jason Spriggs and undrafted rookie linebacker Johnathan Calvin.
The Packers were running team drills when Spriggs and Calvin began swinging wildly at each other’s heads. Both players threw multiple punches before falling to the ground, and at that point outside linebacker Clay Matthews and offensive line coach James Campen were able to break it up.
Spriggs said later he took exception to Calvin’s decision to bull rush him during a non-padded practice.
“If I’m going to throw a punch I’m not really trying to hit the face of his helmet,” Spriggs said in the locker room after practice. “I’m trying to get under his chin or something, you know what I mean? It’s the people that miss that are hitting helmets. I’ll throw a couple but I’m not going to sit there and punch someone’s helmet. That’s stupid.”
It was the first time Spriggs had been involved in a fight during his time with the Packers. He admitted to being involved in similar situations during his college career at Indiana.
The situation quickly cooled, and within minutes the fight was largely forgotten.
“Once you step on the field again there’s nothing after that,” Spriggs said.
Roll call: Cobb was not present for Thursday’s practice. The reason for his absence was unclear, but a team spokesman said Cobb was at the facility the day before.
Cornerbacks David Rivers and Demetri Goodson, outside linebacker Vince Biegel and wide receiver Michael Clark did not practice due to injury.
Rookie corner Kevin King and linebacker Josh Letuligasenoa remain on the West Coast as they finish their final semesters of college at Washington and Cal Poly, respectively. It’s possible they will rejoin the team in time for minicamp June 13.