The Green Bay Packers signed LB James Burgess from the Atlanta Falcons' practice squad and placed him on the exempt/commissioner permission list on Oct. 24, 2020.
Burgess, a 6-foot, 236-pound fourth-year player, was originally signed by the Miami Dolphins as an undrafted free agent out of the University of Louisville in 2016. As a rookie, he spent time on the practice squads of Miami, San Diego, Baltimore, Jacksonville and Cleveland. Burgess played in 14 games with nine starts for the Browns in 2017, recording 70 tackles (44 solo), four sacks, three passes defensed and a forced fumble. His 2018 season with Cleveland was cut short after three games (two starts) as he was placed on injured reserve. Burgess later was waived and finished the year on the Dolphins' practice squad. He started the 2019 season on the practice squad of the New York Jets before being promoted to the active roster and starting the last 10 games. Burgess finished No. 2 on the Jets last season with a career-best 90 tackles (68 solo), an interception, six passes defensed, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and a half a sack. He was released by the Jets after training camp this season and joined the Atlanta Falcons' practice squad on Oct. 13. Burgess will wear No. 57 for the Packers.
