Taylor Elgersma’s story is just one of a few unusual moments from the Green Bay Packers’ offseason. Green Bay also broke a two-decade streak by drafting a wide receiver in the first round, Bo Melton switched from wide receiver to cornerback, and a 6’9” punter participated in OTAs.
Elgersma played in the CFL before joining the Packers in May. Last season at Wilfred Laurier University in Waterloo, Ont., he completed 73.8% of his passes for 4,252 yards, 35 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions, earning an invitation to the 2025 Senior Bowl — only the second player in U Sports history to receive such an honor.
“We did a workout with our tryout guys and he’s got a very live arm,” LaFleur said of Elgersma this offseason. “You could see that on tape. He played at the Senior Bowl. [Passing game coordinator Jason] Vrable got to see him there. I watched the stuff from the Senior Bowl and talked with Vrable about that.”
“We had him in on a 30 visit, so we got an opportunity to sit down with him, another guy that loves football,” he added. “Watching him throw — he’s got a live arm — so there’s a lot to like about him.”
He put that throwing ability on display this preseason, most notably against the Indianapolis Colts last Saturday. Elgersma has shown he has a more talented arm than Sean Clifford, which should give him a slight edge in the competition for the third-string quarterback spot.
Elgersma went seven of 11 for 109 yards on Saturday, and penalties wiped out a couple of big-time throws — including a 20-yard touchdown to Ben Sims. He consistently threw accurately, rarely putting his receivers in a position where they had to make extra adjustments.
One of his best throws of the day came on play-action under center. Elgersma fired a perfectly timed pass to Julian Hicks, who had a defender closing in fast.
Coming out of the break, he was back under center for the entire third quarter and orchestrated a methodical 14-play, 80-yard drive that chewed up more than nine minutes and ended in a touchdown.
Late in the fourth, Elgersma delivered a laser on fourth down to Cornelius Johnson. He did a nice job of fitting the ball between the linebackers while also putting Johnson in position to pick up yards after the catch. Elgersma went on to lead the Packers to a touchdown on that drive, tying the game at 16-16.
“I thought there was a lot of good things that he did, he led us on a couple of scoring drives,” Matt LaFleur said after the game. “I do think there were a couple of times where he put the ball in jeopardy in some tough situations, and we got bailed out by a penalty on the defense, so I think there’s a lot to like but also a lot to learn from.”
Much like any quarterback with no prior NFL experience, Elgersma has areas of his game that he must improve, most notably his ability to navigate the pocket.
He often looked a bit shaky and rushed while going through his progressions.
Still, those are coachable traits, leaving plenty of room for improvement.
Elgersma should get more opportunities next week against the Seattle Seahawks.
He entered the game for Malik Willis after just a couple of series against the Colts, with Sean Clifford taking over late in the fourth. Packers fans may finally get more chances to see Elgersma sling the ball, this time at Lambeau Field.
Jordan Love and Malik Willis will make Green Bay’s final roster.
Matt LaFleur could carry one more quarterback, but the most likely scenario is the winner of the third-string battle being assigned to the practice squad. That would allow the Packers to develop a talented, potentially valuable arm in Elgersma.
