Packers Add Fifth-Round Rookie Cornerback

With the roster spot created by the release of Innis Gaines, the Green Bay Packers are adding cornerback Kyu Blu Kelly off waivers.

Kelly was a fifth-round pick in this year’s draft by the Baltimore Ravens. He was released at the end of training camp and spent the last two-and-a-half months with the Seattle Seahawks. In five games, he played 38 snaps on special teams but didn’t see any action on defense.

Kelly will bolster the depth in the secondary. Following the trade of Rasul Douglas to the Buffalo Bills and with Jaire Alexander inactive at Pittsburgh because of a shoulder injury, the Packers played with rookie Carrington Valentine and journeyman Corey Ballentine as the perimeter corners. Robert Rochell, claimed off waivers from Carolina a few wees ago, was the only depth.

“What I bring to the secondary and the team is, No. 1, a competitor,” Kelly said upon being drafted. “Whatever I'm doing, I want to be the best and beat the best. A nickel and a corner, wherever they want to fit me – man coverage – I was able to experience a lot of different scheme diversity that really helps me. Being a Swiss Army knife, putting me in different places.”

At Stanford, Kelly started nine games as a freshman, each of the final five games as a sophomore and all 21 appearances as a junior and senior. He was second-team all-Pac-12 during each of those final two seasons. He led the conference with 12 pass breakups in 2021, when he had two of his three career interceptions, and added six in 2022.

At 6-foot 1/4 and 191 pounds with 4.52 speed in the 40 and a 36-inch vertical, he had a Relative Athletic Score of 8.72.

“A very polished, efficient mover, good eyes, physical, good size, can play zone, can play man. A very experienced player, durable guy,” Ravens GM Eric DeCosta said after drafting Kelly.

Kelly’s father, Brian, played at USC and spent 11 seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Detroit Lions. Brian Kelly led the NFL with eight interceptions in 2002, including two against Brett Favre and the Packers.

“I'd say everybody knew I was B.K.’s son growing up, especially the more I started to make a name for myself,” Kyu Blue Kelly told ESPN before the draft. “I embraced it. It was not too much pressure. I was glad I had such a role model in my life.”

Kelly is a man of many talents. He helped develop a video game that’s based on a movie.

“I just sat down for maybe like a few hours, created a whole story board, characters and stuff like that,” he told BaltimoreRavens.com. “They gave it to the company, and they really liked it. So, that game is still in progress; we're still figuring it out. It'll definitely be coming out soon with the movie and everything.”

Earlier this season, the Packers burned all three practice-squad elevations on running back Patrick Taylor. They signed him to the active roster for the Week 5 game against Las Vegas, released him the following day and didn’t bring him back to the practice squad.

That appears to be the approach with Gaines, who was elevated three times, signed to the 53-man roster for Sunday at Pittsburgh, and released to make way for Kelly. The Packers have an open spot on the practice squad but will look elsewhere to fill it.