Tom Silverstein, Milwaukee Journal SentinelWed, December 3, 2025 at 10:11 PM UTC·2 min readGREEN BAY – Help is on the way for the Green Bay Packers’ run defense.
It remains to be seen what they can get out of defensive lineman Jordan Riley, but at 6-foot-5 and 338 pounds, he’s built to play the run.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe Packers announced Dec. 3 that they had signed Riley, a three-year veteran, off the New York Giants’ practice squad. Riley was a seventh-round pick of the Giants in 2023 and played in 21 games with five starts for them in ’23 and ’24.
Riley didn’t make the 53-man roster after taking part in Giants training camp this year, but was signed to the practice squad soon after his release.
The Packers need run-stopping help after losing defensive tackle Devonte Wyatt to a season-ending ankle injury and will be getting someone who could probably help them right away. Riley had 12 tackles, including three for loss, and a quarterback hit in his 21 games with the Giants.
Since he was signed off someone else’s practice squad, Riley will have to be paid a minimum of three weeks’ salary. Thus, the Packers are hoping Riley can help them throughout the final month of the season.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe Packers will rely heavily on rookies Warren Brinson and Nazir Stackhouse to eat up some of Wyatt’s snaps, but the addition of Riley may allow them to rotate players at the nose tackle position. It also protects them if they suffer another injury in the interior of the defensive line.
They are hoping Karl Brooks, who has missed the last two games and most of one before that, will be able to play some snaps against the Chicago Bears, who have the league's leading rushing attack. Brooks was a limited participant after returning to practice Dec. 3.
The Packers chose to sign Riley over promoting James Ester or Dante Barnett from their practice squad. Barnett is not a nose tackle and Ester could probably play there, but he’s 6-3 and 289 pounds and not built to stop the run like Riley.
This article originally appeared on Packers News: Packers sign nose tackle Jordan Riley off Giants practice squad
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