The Green Bay Packers elevated kicker Ramiz Ahmed and running back Tyler Goodson from the practice squad to the gameday roster for Week 17. The move was announced Saturday, making Ahmed and Goodson available for Matt LaFleur and the Packers for Sunday’s showdown with the Minnesota Vikings.
Buy Packers TicketsAhmed was previously elevated to the gameday roster for Week 10 against the Cowboys. He handled kickoffs for Mason Crosby, who was battling a back injury at the time.
The idea is probably similar this time around. Ahmed is likely to be used on kickoffs, where his strong leg will provide an opportunity to get the football into the end zone and avoid returns from Kene Nwangwu of the Vikings.
Of Crosby’s 62 kickoffs this season, 50 have been returned. The weather doesn’t help. Of his last 32 kickoffs, 29 have been returned. The 38-year-old just doesn’t have the leg strength to consistently kick the ball out of range of the returner, especially in colder temps.
Ahmed played six snaps (all on kickoffs) and had one assisted tackle during the Packers’ win over the Cowboys. Three of his six kickoffs were returned.
Nwangwu is among the league leaders in kickoff return yardage and kickoff return average, and he’s the only player in the NFL with more than one kickoff return touchdown over the last two seasons.
Although the Packers have covered kicks well this season, a touchback is the safest option against a great returner.
In Goodson, the Packers will have another running back who can handle carries and possibly help in the return game as an emergency option. This is the first elevation to the gameday roster for the undrafted rookie from Iowa.
All teams are allowed to elevate up to two players from the practice squad each week. An individual player can only be elevated from the practice squad three times per season, so Ahmed now has one more elevation available this season. Goodson has two. On Monday, Ahmed and Goodson will revert back to the practice squad.
Elevations by week
Week 1: WR Juwann Winfree, S Micah Abernathy
Week 2: RB Patrick Taylor
Week 3: WR Juwann Winfree
Week 4: CB Kiondre Thomas
Week 5: None
Week 6: WR Juwann Winfree
Week 7: OLB La’Darius Hamilton
Week 8: S Innis Gaines, OLB Kobe Jones
Week 9: None
Week 10: OLB La’Darius Hamilton, K Ramiz Ahmed
Week 11: OLB La’Darius Hamilton
Week 12: RB Patrick Taylor, S Innis Gaines
Week 13: S Micah Abernathy, RB Patrick Taylor
Week 17: K Ramiz Ahmed, RB Tyler Goodson
