The Green Bay Packers have re-signed veteran defensive end Jared Tomich as a free agent, thus filling the team's 53-man active roster, GM/Head Coach Mike Sherman announced today.
Sherman also announced the signing of offensive tackle Jay Humphrey to the team's practice squad. He replaces offensive tackle Mitch White, who has been released.
It will be the second time in green and gold for Tomich, a 6-3, 283-pound University of Nebraska alumnus who first was signed as a free agent Jan. 2, 2002, and was a game de-active for the Packers' regular-season finale against the New York Giants (Jan. 6) and two subsequent postseason games - their Wild Card playoff against the San Francisco 49ers (Jan. 13) and their Divisional playoff against the St. Louis Rams (Jan. 20). Returning to the Packers' training camp this past July, he played in all four preseason games, posting 7 solo tackles, including 2 sacks, plus 1 forced fumble. He was waived in the team's final cutdown (Sept. 1).
A fifth-year professional, Tomich originally was a second-round draft selection out of Nebraska by the Saints in 1997 and played in 55 games for New Orleans over the 1997-2000 seasons, with 18 starts. He had his best season in 1998, making 26 tackles - 21 of them unassisted - while playing in all 16 games for the Saints. Not invited to re-sign by New Orleans in 2001, he signed on with the Arizona Cardinals July 28, 2001, and later was terminated Aug. 27. He subsequently was out of football for the '01 season until signing with Green Bay.
Humphrey, 6-6 and 320 pounds, is a second-year professional out of the University of Texas. A fourth-round draft selection of the Minnesota Vikings in 1999, he was inactive for all 16 games in the '99 regular season. Subsequently waived Aug. 27, 2000, he was signed to the Vikings' practice squad, where he remained for the 2000 regular season.
Allocated to the Scottish Claymores of the NFL Europe League in 2001, Humphrey was waived Sept. 2 in the team's final roster reduction for the regular season and out of football for the balance of the season. He signed on with the Denver Broncos as a future reserve Jan. 31, 2002 and was waived July 24. He was signed to Carolina's active roster July 29 and waived Sept. 1, before being signed to the Panthers' practice squad then terminated Oct. 22.
As a collegian, Humphrey was a three-year starter for the Texas Longhorns, earning All-Big 12 Conference first-team selection as a senior in 1998, a year in which he posted a team-high 45 knockdowns as the team averaged 204.2 yards rushing and 266.5 yards passing per game.
Tomich has been assigned jersey No. 75, Humphrey No. 79. Both players joined the Packers on the practice field this afternoon.
