The Green Bay Packers signed TE Tucker Kraft and P Daniel Whelan, claimed C DJ Scaife off waivers from the Miami Dolphins and released CB Benjie Franklin. General Manager Brian Gutekunst announced the transactions Wednesday.
Kraft (6-5, 259) was selected by the Packers in the third round (No. 78 overall) of the 2023 NFL Draft out of South Dakota State.
Whelan (6-5, 216), a first-year player out of the University of California, Davis, entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent with the New Orleans Saints in May 2022 before being released by the Saints in late July. He played for the D.C. Defenders in 2023, earning All-XFL honors after ranking No. 3 in the league in both punting average (45.6) and punts inside the 20 (11). Whelan (wee-lan), a native of Ireland, finished his career at UC Davis (2017-21) ranked No. 1 in school history in punting average (44.0) and punts inside the 20 (86). He will wear No. 41 for the Packers.
Scaife (6-3, 321), a rookie out of the University of Miami, signed with the Dolphins as an undrafted free agent on May 12. He appeared in 61 games with 52 starts (32 at right tackle, 20 at right guard) during his five seasons (2018-22) with the Hurricanes, earning All-Atlantic Coast Conference honorable mention in 2022 and second-team All-ACC recognition in 2021. Scaife will wear No. 61 for the Packers.
Franklin spent the first six weeks of the 2022 season on Green Bay's practice squad and then re-signed with the Packers on Jan. 10, 2023.
