Daniel Whelan looks set to become the first Irish-born player to play in an NFL regular season game in nearly 40 years after being left as the only active punter with the Green Bay Packers ahead of Tuesday’s roster cut deadline.
On Monday, the Packers released nine-year veteran Pat O’Donnell, last year’s starting punter and the early favourite to remain in the job. After impressing in preseason displays against the Cincinnati Bengals, New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks, Whelan is now the favourite to be named the Packers’ starting punter.
While Green Bay does have time to sign another punter ahead of Tuesday’s deadline, sources indicate Whelan will be the week one starter.
Whelan, aged 24, originally grew up in Eniskerry, Co Wicklow before moving to California aged 13. When the Packers start their season on Sunday, September 10th away to the Chicago Bears, he could be the first Irish-born NFL player since Dubliner Neil O’Donoghue lined out for the St Louis Cardinals in 1985.
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Whelan, a punter, looks to have made an active NFL roster at the second time of asking having signed for the New Orleans Saints last year as an undrafted free agent only to be released before the 2022 season.
The former St Gerard’s School pupil subsequently played for the DC Defenders in the XFL, a professional league ranked below the NFL, before signing on with the Packers ahead of this year’s summer training camp.
Whelan was signed as competition for O’Donnell this summer. Since teams only carry one player on the active roster in the specialised position, Whelan’s inexperience was widely expected to see him fall short.
Across the board on special teams, the Packers look to have opted for youth as Whelan and rookie kicker Anders Carlson have beaten out the incumbents O’Donnell and Mason Crosby respectively.
The Packers, one of the game’s more storied franchises with four Super Bowl titles, finished last season with a record of eight victories and nine losses. They found themselves third in the NFC North and outside the playoff positions.
Following the season-opener in Chicago on September 10th, Whelan will be in line to play his first regular-season game at Green Bay’s Lambeau field a week later against the Atlanta Falcons.
The Packers will name their final roster ahead of the league’s deadline of 9pm Irish time on Tuesday. Barring the singing of another punter currently outside the franchise, Whelan will be named the week one starter.
