Now that new acquisition Jared Veldheer has been in Green Bay for nearly a week, the pressing question is what kind of contribution the veteran offensive lineman can offer a team with Big Game aspirations.
Given that right tackle Bryan Bulaga’s knee injury (suffered early in the San Francisco game a few weeks ago) doesn’t seem to be as serious as was initially feared, there may not be a long-term roster spot for Veldheer, who has started 113 NFL games since being drafted in the third round out of tiny Hillsdale College. But Veldheer does offer short-term depth to a line lacking experience beyond the first five. Alex Light was serviceable in limited time backing up Bulaga against Kansas City but struggled while blocking San Francisco’s vaunted defensive front, and Veldheer offers the sort of versatility (he’s started at both tackle spots and at center in his career), athleticism, and experience that could add up to a valuable November contribution. As is the case with most late-season acquisitions, Velhdeer will need to prove he can work himself into playing shape – and quickly – if he is going to participate in a meaningful way.
But, of course, should Veldheer prove to be a key player down the stretch, he would not be the first late-season signing to play a role for a Green Bay squad with great expectations. Here are five more players who were surprise contributors at 1265 Lombardi.
Note: This list is limited to players who the Packers signed in October or later, and who contributed during the season in which they were signed. This excludes players like Ryan Grant, John Kuhn, Brett Goode and others who were signed in September, as well as Tramon Williams, for example, who was signed to the practice squad in November 2006 but didn’t play until the following season.
Keith Jackson, TE, 1995
Although the Packers initially acquired Jackson via trade prior to the 1995 season, he didn’t report to Green Bay until midway through that year. Less than thrilled to be moved to Green Bay, Jackson held out until Reggie White, his former Philadelphia teammate, convinced him to join the team and chase a ring. While they didn’t accomplish that goal until the 1996 season, Jackson contributed to the ‘95 squad that made it to the NFC Championship Game and then scored 10 touchdowns during the 1996 run. He later referred to his years in Green Bay as an “outstanding time.”
Andre Rison, WR, 1996
Signed as a free agent on November 19, 1996, following Robert Brooks’ season-ending knee injury, Rison was on the receiving end of one of the most famous plays in Packers history: the first score of Super Bowl XXI, in which he ran under a perfectly-lofted deep ball from Brett Favre and danced his way into the endzone, setting off Favre’s infamous helmetless celebration. In total Rison caught seven passes that postseason for 143 yards and two touchdowns (the other coming in the divisional round against San Francisco), as well as 13 regular-season receptions for 135 yards and an additional score. In the weeks following the Super Bowl, Rison was released by GM Ron Wolf who cited Rison’s desire to start which would have been unlikely given Brooks’ return in 1997 and the continued ascension of young star Antonio Freeman. So although Rison’s time in Green Bay was brief, his role was meaningful and his high-stepping across the Superdome goalline will be on a loop in the Packers Hall of Fame as long as the doors remain open.
Rob Davis, LS, 1997
Prior to working for the Packers for nearly 20 years (10 as a player and 10 as Director of Player Development), Rob Davis was a street free agent long snapper who filled in during the 1997 run to Super Bowl XXXII. Following the injury of starter Paul Frase, Davis started the final seven games of the 1997 regular season plus three postseason games, ultimately proving to be one of the most reliable special teams players in franchise history. At a position that necessarily revels in obscurity, Davis carved out a niche for himself that lasted nearly two decades.
Samkon Gado, RB, 2005
Although the 2005 Packers were just 4-12, wallowing in the muck of an injury-mired season, Gado (initially signed to the Packers practice squad on October 17 of that year) quickly endeared himself to the Green Bay faithful thanks to the combination of his amiable personality and tenacious running style. Following season-ending injuries to Ahman Green and Najeh Davenport, Gado leap-frogged fellow backs Noah Herron, Tony Fisher, and RaShard Lee, and eventually started five of the final eight games. He rushed 143 times for 582 yards and six TDs, and also caught one score. As with so many players who are last-season acquisitions in the NFL, Gado’s stay in Green Bay was short, but to this day his half-season run is the one memorable part of an otherwise miserable 2005 stretch run. Today, Gado is chief resident in the Saint Louis University Otolaryngology program (he’s an ENT doctor) and will soon be moving to Nigeria, where he lived until he was nine, to practice medicine.
Howard Green, DT, 2010
Green, a monumental nose tackle who had been playing for Jets before being released, was signed off waivers by the Packers on October 27, 2010, and, like Rison, played a key role in a play that will be remembered in Packers lore forever. With 3:32 left in the first quarter of Super Bowl XLV, the Packers already leading 7-0, Green bull-rushed his way into the backfield and hit the elbow of Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger, whose deep sideline pass tumbled well short of the intended target. All-Pro safety Nick Collins swept over, intercepted it, and returned it 37 yards for a touchdown. Overall, Green started eight games in one and a half seasons in Green Bay, contributing one regular-season sack and eleven tackles, but his physical pass rush produced perhaps the greatest defensive play in Packers history.
It remains to be seen, of course, if Jared Veldheer will contribute to the Packers this season. It’s not a sure-bet he ever makes the active roster. But historic teams often discover key contributions in unlikely places, and perhaps Veldheer – or someone like him, someone cast off by other teams, such as new returner Tyler Ervin – will play that role during a 2019 run to Miami, Florida where the Lombardi Trophy awaits.