GREEN BAY – The Packers' defensive coaching staff has been busy getting their new veteran additions up to speed this week in preparation for Sunday's regular-season opener against the Seattle Seahawks at Lambeau Field.
Over the last four days, the Packers have welcomed three new players – outside linebackers Ahmad Brooks and Chris Odom, and defensive tackle Quinton Dial – to their 53-man roster.
Brooks and Dial, former teammates with the San Francisco 49ers, have past experience operating in a comparable 3-4 scheme, but it's still incumbent on position coaches Winston Moss and Mike Trgovac to help their transition to Green Bay.
It's a responsibility everyone welcomes, according to Head Coach Mike McCarthy.
"Everybody does it. It's part of our business," said McCarthy prior to practice Wednesday. "They have experience and we'll get them ready to go for Sunday. It's all about improving our football team and we feel we like we've done it with these player personnel acquisitions we've made as of late."
Dial, a former teammate of Packers safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix at Alabama, started 26 of the 29 games over the past two seasons with the 49ers. After signing with Green Bay Tuesday, Dial is expected to practice with the team for the first time on Thursday.
A fifth-round pick in 2013, the 6-foot-5, 318-pound defensive tackle has registered 126 tackles and 4 1/2 sacks during his first four NFL seasons. He'll play across the Packers' defensive front.
"Quinton Dial is an excellent addition to our football team as an interior lineman," McCarthy said. "I think his measureables are the first thing that jump out at you when you meet him and have an opportunity to compete against him. He definitely helps us in that area. We'll move him around whether it's the one-, the nose, the three-, and maybe even look at some of our four-technique stuff."
The Packers are scheduled to practice at 3:15 p.m. CT at Clarke Hinkle Field. Starting right tackle Bryan Bulaga, who sat out of Monday's practice with an ankle injury, is slated to do some work in the team's pre-practice program.
"Bryan will go through the early parts of practice and then we'll take a look at him," McCarthy said.
