The Green Bay Packers released Bo Melton on Friday, a sharp roster move for a player who had just made the 53-man roster out of training camp. He was with the team during practice that day, which is why the move landed as such a surprise.
Melton’s name matters now because the timing points directly at Week 1. He spent the last three seasons with the Packers, caught 28 passes for 416 yards and two touchdowns in 38 games, and had become a core special teamer in 2024 before moonlighting as a backup cornerback during the 2025 season. He was back at receiver to start 2026, and the Packers kept him in the mix after training camp because they valued him as both a depth target and a coverage player.
That is also why the release does not read like a clean breakup. The move appears to be procedural rather than permanent, with Matt Schneidman reporting that Melton is expected to return on the practice squad if he clears waivers. He is also expected to be elevated for Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings, then go back to the 53-man roster next week. In roster terms, that sequence would let the Packers keep him in the building without carrying him on the active group until they need him.
The wrinkle is that the Packers still chose to cut him after naming six receivers on the initial 53, with undrafted rookie J. Michael Sturdivant included and Savion Williams starting the season on injured reserve with designation to return. Melton was expected to be a core coverage player for Cam Achord’s special teams and the second kickoff returner alongside Skyy Moore, so his release strips away a player the Packers had been planning to use in more than one phase. If the expectation holds, Friday’s move will look less like an ending than a roster shuffle built around Sunday’s game and the week that follows.
