 |
www.packers.com | |||
 |
||||
|
return to site | |||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Adding depth and quality experience to the offensive line, the Green Bay Packers have re-signed guard Jeff Blackshear to the team's 53-man active roster as a free agent, GM/Head Coach Mike Sherman announced Wednesday.
Sherman also announced the signing of two other free agents, running back Reggie White and quarterback Greg Zolman, to the practice squad.
Blackshear, 6-6 and 323 pounds, has started 96 games over an eight-year NFL career which began with the Seattle Seahawks in 1993 (62 starts at right guard and 32 at left guard).
In the process, the 33-year-old Northeast Louisiana product forged a 57-game starting streak for the Baltimore Ravens, to whom he was traded by the Seahawks (March 12, 1996), and started all 16 games in four seasons overall (1994, 1997, 1998 and 1999). Placed on waivers by the Ravens following the 1999 season (February 22, 2000), he subsequently signed with Kansas City as a free agent May 5, 2000 and started 15 games for the Chiefs that season. He was released June 8, 2001 and was out of football during the 2001season.
The Packers initially signed Blackshear as a free agent on July 31, 2002, and he remained on the squad throughout the preseason, before being waived August 31 in the team's final roster reduction for the regular season.
A two-year starter for Northeast Louisiana as a collegian, earning Kodak first team All-America honors as a senior, Blackshear originally was selected by Seattle in the eighth round of the 1992 NFL draft (the 197th player chosen).
The 6-foot, 228-pound White originally was signed as a free agent by the New York Jets as a free agent coming out of Oklahoma State in 2001. Waived September 1, 2001, he subsequently spent periods on the Tennessee and Pittsburgh practice squads before being signed to Jacksonville's active roster (November 27). He played in 5 of the Jaguars' last 6 games and recorded 2 special teams tackles - both in a Monday night game against the Packers (December 3).
As a collegian, he was the eighth player in school history to rush for 1,000 yards in a season as he led the team with 210 carries for 1,049 yards (5.0 avg.) and 4 touchdowns as a junior in 2000.
Zolman, 6-1-1/2 and 220 pounds, was signed as a free agent by the Indianapolis Colts April 25, 2002, after starting 39 of 40 career games at Vanderbilt. He later was waived September 1 in the Colts' final roster reduction for the regular season and had been out of football since.
At Vanderbilt, Zolman completed 596 of 1,156 passes for 7,981 yards with 41 touchdowns and 40 interceptions. His 41 TD passes tied a school record set by Whit Taylor (1979-82) and his yardage total ranked ninth in SEC history.
Blackshear has been assigned jersey number 69, White number 43 and Zolman number 16.