The Green Bay Packers officially claimed veteran offensive tackle Jared Veldheer off of waivers on Friday, confirming he passed his physical with the team.
Veldheer, a third-round pick in 2010 with over 100 career starts, was placed on the exempt/commissioners list, meaning he won’t yet take up a roster spot.
Veldheer signed with the New England Patriots in May but quickly retired from the NFL. He returned this week and was waived off the reserve/retired list by the Patriots, allowing the Packers to make a potentially important late-season addition.
Veldheer has experience at left and right tackle, starting 91 games on the left side and 21 on the right.
Quality offensive tackles are hard to come by in the NFL, and now the Packers have one to back up Bryan Bulaga, who is currently recovering from a knee injury suffered against the 49ers last Sunday night.
