Heflin, who played his senior year at Iowa, faced long odds at cracking the Packers' roster. He even joked Wednesday about the nerves felt during OTAs, constantly wondering if he'd be released.
Despite returning four veterans on the defensive line and using a fifth-round pick on Florida's T.J. Slaton, the Packers couldn't part with Heflin after a preseason in which the young defensive lineman posted nine tackles and a team-high three QB hits.
"He just kept making plays, quite honestly," General Manager Brian Gutekunst said. "I really liked his preparation and it showed in the games when he got out there and played, and he made plays. Finding big men later in the year is very hard to do, so letting those guys, exposing those guys wasn't something we were willing to do."
Joining Heflin as a former college free agent making the Packers' roster was linebacker Chauncey Rivers, who spent most of his rookie season on Baltimore's practice squad in 2020.
The 6-foot-2, 259-pound linebacker had high hopes for this upcoming season prior to being cut by the Ravens a week into training camp. The timing could not have been worse, since most NFL teams were set with their rosters and the 90 players they've been developing since May.
The Packers were in a tough spot, too, after losing Randy Ramsey to a season-ending ankle injury the day before Rivers was released. Looking for help at outside linebacker, the Packers claimed Rivers off waivers and quickly noticed the chip that had formed on the first-year linebacker's shoulder.
"My mindset was I already had a fire in me from getting cut, so I just came in ready to give my best effort," Rivers said. "Come in, earn a spot and show what I can do on the field."
Working closely with position coach Mike Smith, the 24-year-old Rivers quickly caught up on Green Bay's playbook. With Za'Darius Smith, Preston Smith or Rashan Gary not playing in the preseason, there were plenty of in-game reps for him to put what he'd learned to the test.
It fed into Rivers having his best showing in a Packers uniform during last Saturday's preseason finale against Buffalo, where he registered two QB hits and sacked Bills All-Pro quarterback Josh Allen for a 10-yard loss.
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Long odds didn't stop Jack Heflin, Chauncey Rivers - Packers.com
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