The Green Bay Packers Tuesday claimed Rod Gardner on waivers from the Carolina Panthers. Ted Thompson, Executive Vice President, General Manager and Director of Football Operations, made the announcement.

Gardner, a 6-foot-2, 215-pound wide receiver out of Clemson, played in 10 games this season for the Panthers, catching nine passes for 84 yards with one touchdown.

The Redskins' first-round selection (15th overall ) in the 2001 NFL Draft, Gardner played his first four years in Washington before the team traded him to Carolina this past July. A big target, Gardner had a catch in each of his first 55 NFL games. The streak ended in 2004, one week after he posted a pair of touchdown receptions in a loss to the Packers at FedEx Field.

All told, in 74 NFL games, Gardner has 236 catches for 3,081 yards (13.1-yard average) and 23 touchdowns.

Gardner, who'll wear No. 82, takes the 53rd spot on the Packers' active roster. The roster had been at 52.