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Packers Rising Star Cut From Final 53-Man Roster After Refusing to Be a Backup to a Rookie! 

Green Bay, WI — August 30, 2025
The NFL is always unforgiving in late August, but this twist left the Lambeau locker room stunned. Colby Wooden — a third-year defensive lineman who earned rotational work (including a spot start) in 2024 and became a quiet favorite for his motor and versatility — has been released from the Packers’ final 53 after a week of internal friction.

Wooden’s rise once read like a grit-and-grind tale: a young interior/edge tweener who flashed early effort plays and positional flexibility, proving he could slide between interior gaps and 5-tech in sub-packages.

But things shifted when the staff informed him he would take a backup role behind rookie Nazir Stackhouse, who impressed with knock-back power and leverage through the preseason — and made the 2025 53-man roster as part of a deeper, heavier defensive line group.

“He said he would never be a backup to a rookie who had just walked into the building — on the strength of only a few eye-catching preseason snaps. When we pushed back, he skipped a practice in protest. In Green Bay, that kinda crap just doesn’t fly.”Matt LaFleur

From that moment, the decision was nearly irreversible. The Packers parted ways with Wooden — a shock to many who had penciled him in as rotational depth in a newly streamlined defensive line room.

The move clears the runway for Nazir Stackhouse to jump straight into a larger early-down role, while sub-package usage keeps Green Bay’s “speed + pursuit” identity intact. In a pressure-tilted front that forces early QB decisions, a rookie who can control first contact, anchor, and finish tackles is the kind of bet worth tracking.

The open question: is this the end of Wooden’s Titletown chapter, or merely the start of another elsewhere? At 23–24 years old, with NFL snaps and flashes on tape, he’s unlikely to linger on the market — provided he’s willing to embrace a role that fits and compete his way back up.

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Packers Rookie Cut Before Season Retires to Join Military Service
The NFL is often described as the pinnacle of athletic dreams, but for one Green Bay rookie, the path to greatness has taken a turn away from the gridiron and toward a higher calling. After signing as an undrafted free agent in May, the young cornerback fought through training camp and preseason battles, hoping to carve out a roster spot on a Packers team recalibrating its depth and identity in the secondary. That player is Tyron Herring, a Delaware (via Dartmouth) standout known as a true outside corner with length, competitive toughness, and special-teams upside. Listed at 6’1”, 201 pounds with verified long speed, Herring built a reputation as a press-capable defender who thrives along the boundary.  Waived in late August, Herring stunned teammates and fans by announcing his retirement from professional football and his decision to enlist in the U.S. military, trading a Packers jersey for a soldier’s uniform. “I lived my NFL dream in Green Bay, but being cut before the season opened another path,” Herring said in a statement. “This isn’t the end — it’s a higher calling. Now, I choose to serve my country with the same heart I gave the Packers.” Prototypical on paper for Green Bay’s boundary profile and steady on tape throughout August, Herring nevertheless faced heavy competition in a crowded cornerback room. The numbers game won out as the Packers finalized their 53 and practice squad. For the Packers, the move closes the chapter on a developmental project with intriguing tools. For Herring, it begins a profound new journey that echoes his “hidden gem” label — a player who consistently rose above expectations and now seeks to do so in service to something bigger than the game. Fans across Wisconsin and the college football community saluted the decision on social media, calling it “the ultimate sacrifice” and “proof that heart is bigger than the game.” Herring leaves the NFL, but his next mission may prove even greater.