When the Green Bay Packers added Mark Perry to their practice squad late in the 2025 season, the move barely registered. The undrafted safety from TCU had already bounced between several teams in a short professional career, and few expected him to become anything more than temporary depth.
Nine months later, that quiet signing has taken on new meaning as Perry emerges as a legitimate candidate for the 53-man roster heading into the 2026 season.
Bill Huber of Packers On SI recently highlighted the numbers game and special teams contributions that could secure Perry a spot.
“The Packers usually keep five safeties,” wrote Huber. “Xavier McKinney, Evan Williams and Javon Bullard are locks for three spots, and Kitan Oladapo probably is a lock for a fourth. Who would be the fifth? Mark Perry has been part of the No. 1 kickoff unit throughout camp.”
That consistent role on the top kickoff unit carries significant weight. In Green Bay’s scheme, special teams value often decides the final roster spots at crowded positions like safety. If Perry continues to hold that first-team role through the preseason, the path to making the team becomes much clearer.
Perry’s journey to this point has been anything but straightforward. After signing with the Miami Dolphins as an undrafted free agent in 2024, he was waived during final cuts and quickly claimed by the Houston Texans.
A short stint on Houston’s practice squad ended, leading him to the New England Patriots for the remainder of his rookie year and a subsequent futures contract. New England released him before the next training camp, sending him to the Tennessee Titans and then briefly to the Chicago Bears.
After another release, the Packers offered him a practice squad opportunity to close out 2025. They brought him back for training camp this summer, and the results have been encouraging.
The safety depth chart currently features McKinney and Williams as the clear starters, with Bullard also viewed as a safety. The recent season-ending loss of Johnathan Baldwin created additional opportunity behind them.
Oladapo sits ahead of Perry on the defensive side and already possesses proven special teams experience from last season. That leaves Perry battling for the final safety spot against players like rookie undrafted free agent Murvin Kenion.
What separates Perry at the moment is his established presence on special teams combined with the team’s historical preference for carrying five safeties.
That combination has elevated a player once considered an afterthought into someone with a realistic chance of sticking on the active roster.
From a late-season practice squad addition to a potential 53-man contributor, Perry’s quiet climb stands as one of the more unexpected storylines of Packers training camp.
