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Cutting undrafted free agent quarterback Jalen Morton was a necessary decision in a training camp environment affected by the coronavirus, especially when the Green Bay Packers have three quarterbacks they’re expecting to make the roster in 2020.
Coach Matt LaFleur explained the decision to release Morton, who was signed out of Prairie View A&M in April to be the team’s fourth quarterback, noting how hard it can be to get four passers the right amount of reps during the summer, especially without preseason games.
“Right now, we’re at 80 (players) in the building, so that played a part in it,” LaFleur said during a Zoom call with reporters on Thursday. “Certainly, the lack of preseason games. Anytime, throughout a training camp, it’s really, really difficult to get four guys reps. Especially meaningful reps and you can see that improvement.”
LaFleur said he’d like Aaron Rodgers, Tim Boyle and first-round pick Jordan Love to make the team as the roster’s three quarterbacks. Any reps given to Morton during an abbreviated training camp practice period before the regular season would have been lost reps for both Boyle and Love.
“With the three guys, we wanted to focus on the three we know we’re going to have, I believe, on our roster,” LaFleur said.
Boyle, an undrafted free agent from UConn, beat out DeShone Kizer to be the team’s backup quarterback last summer. He’ll have a good opportunity to remain the backup in 2020 after Love, the 26th overall pick, missed the entire in-person part of the offseason workout program. It’s possible LaFleur and GM Brian Gutekunst will want Boyle around as the No. 2 while Love learns without being one snap away from the field, at least in the short term.
Boyle, who is now in his second season in LaFleur’s offense, played in three games last season, completing three of four passes for 15 yards and kneeling down five times. As a rookie in 2018, he made the team as the No. 3 quarterback. The Packers kept only two quarterbacks on the active roster in 2019.
