Packers send Dean Lowry to injured reserve, sign WR Bo Melton from Seahawks

The Packers made a trio of roster moves on Tuesday, also releasing Tipa Galeai from IR.

The Green Bay Packers saw a handful of key players leave Sunday’s game against the Miami Dolphins with injuries. Several of those individuals should have a chance to play in week 17 against the Minnesota Vikings, but one in particular will be unavailable for at least a few weeks.

That player is defensive lineman Dean Lowry. On Tuesday, the Packers sent Lowry to injured reserve, ending his regular season at least. Lowry will be ineligible for the next four weeks, meaning he would only be eligible to return this season if the Packers were to make the playoffs and advance to the NFC Championship Game.

Of course, a return may be out of the question anyway depending on the severity of the injury. It has been described as a calf issue, but the team has not directly addressed its severity beyond the roster transaction.

To fill Lowry’s spot on the 53-man roster, the Packers turned to another team’s practice squad, signing wide receiver Bo Melton from the Seattle Seahawks. Melton, a rookie out of Rutgers, is on the smaller side at about 5-foot-11 and 189 pounds, but he has blistering speed, running a 4.34-second 40 at the 2022 NFL Combine.

The Seahawks deaftdd Melton in the 7th round of the 2022 NFL Draft, but he has not appeared in a game yet this season.

Finally, the Packers made one additional transaction, releasing outside linebacker Tipa Galeai from injured reserve. Galeai was designated for return earlier this season but was never activated, and presumably the team has reached an injury settlement with him as a part of the release.

One of the major effects of these moves should be a significant uptick in playing time for rookie lineman Devonte Wyatt, who set a career high in snaps on Sunday after Lowry left the game. Wyatt has played well in limited action lately and should have a chance to get his longest look yet in week 17.

Meanwhile, Melton may be in line for emergency action should the Packers need another receiver this week. Christian Watson left the win over the Dolphins with a hip injury and could be limited this week. That may drive the Packers to give Samori Toure a bigger workload, which could lead to special teams or injury replacement reps for Melton if another receiver were to go down on Sunday.

Stay tuned on Wednesday, when the Packers are set to release their first injury report of week 17.