GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) – Maybe it’s concern with two key players dealing with injuries or they just want to add some experience but the Green Bay Packers have added a veteran defensive back and running back to their roster this week. The Packers have claimed David Long Jr. off waivers from the Carolina Panthers to take a roster spot in the secondary. Long was drafted by the Los Angeles Rams out of Michigan and spent four seasons in L.A. before splitting time this year with both Carolina and the Las Vegas Raiders. He was on the Raiders practice squad but didn’t play in Green Bay’s 17-13 loss in Las Vegas earlier this year. The Packers have also swapped veteran running backs on their own practice squad, releasing former Jacksonville Jaguar James Robinson. He was signed and cut by the Packers three times over the past five weeks, finally getting activated to the game day roster against Kansas City last Sunday night where he carried the ball once for two yards and caught a pass where lost two yards. To replace Robinson, Green Bay has signed 29 year old veteran running back Kenyan Drake. A former third round pick out of Alabama by the Miami Dolphins in 2016, Drake has also played with Arizona, Las Vegas and Baltimore. He’s rushed for 3866 yards and 33 touchdowns in his career. The moves come at positions of concern for the Pack. Jaire Alexander has now missed seven games this season, first with a back injury and more recently a shoulder injury that occurred against the Los Angeles Rams in November, keeping him out of action for the last month. Running back Aaron Jones is recovering from a sprained MCL suffered in the win against the Los Angeles Chargers and his return to the lineup is still a question mark. The Packers have just A.J. Dillon and Patrick Taylor on their active roster. The team has one more day off Wednesday before they start preparing Thursday for Monday night’s opponent, the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium. New York Head Coach Brian Daboll announced on Tuesday that undrafted free agent Tommy DeVito will start his third game at quarterback. Starting QB Daniel Jones is on injured reserve and backup Tyrod Taylor is eligible to come off IR after a shoulder injury but Daboll is sticking with DeVito after helping the 4-8 Giants to win back to back games before their bye week.
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