Source: Goode expected to sign with Packers

GREEN BAY - The Green Bay Packers submitted their 53-man roster devoid of a long snapper Saturday afternoon, but the vacancy is going to last fewer than 24 hours.

Veteran Brett Goode, who snapped in every game for the Packers from 2008 until an injury in 2015, is expected to re-sign with the team Sunday, according to a league source. He is currently in Green Bay.

The news was first reported by ESPN.com.

Goode will be reclaiming his spot from Rick Lovato, a player brought in by general manager Ted Thompson on Dec. 22, 2015, after Goode suffered a torn ACL against the Oakland Raiders. Lovato had spent the spring and summer of that year with the Chicago Bears as an undrafted free agent from Old Dominion before getting released at the end of August.

The Packers experienced no significant errors with Lovato snapping, even as he was thrown into the fire of a late-season playoff push. But special teams coordinator Ron Zook could be heard screaming at Lovato on multiple occasions during training camp, and soon enough Thompson signed another long snapper, Jesse Schmitt, to offer a bit of competition.

The battle ended quickly when Schmitt broke his hand during the very first practice.

With 53 players on their roster, the Packers will need to make a move in order to create a spot for Goode, whose rehab from knee surgery progressed smoothly both in Green Bay and his native Arkansas. He hoped to return to the Packers all along.

“There were no burned bridges there," Goode told the Journal Sentinel in May. “The communication and everything was all fine.

“Obviously, this is also a business and you don't leave any stone unturned either. Yes, I would like to be back, but I know there are other opportunities. Whatever is best for me and my family at that time, whenever I get that chance, we'll make the decision from there.”