Packers drop Makinton Dorleant after failed physical

GREEN BAY - Green Bay Packers cornerback Makinton Dorleant, injured in the final game of the 2016 regular season, was released Tuesday after he failed a physical, according to the NFL’s transaction wire.

The Packers had not commented on Dorleant, 24, being cited for disorderly conduct, public intoxication and interference stemming from a March 26 incident at a bar in Cedar Falls, Iowa, other than to acknowledge they were aware of it.

Dorleant was issued a citation for the incident, which centered on the cornerback’s friend Deiondre’ Hall, a Chicago Bears defensive back, who allegedly got into an altercation with a bouncer and then a police officer.

But that doesn’t appear to be the reason the Packers let Dorleant go.

The release came with the failed-physical designation, which means Dorleant would not have been able to practice next Tuesday when the Packers begin their offseason workouts. Dorleant injured his right knee Jan. 1 against the Detroit Lions and subsequently was put on injured reserve.

Since that time, he would have been rehabbing under the Packers’ guidance, but apparently they felt he wasn’t making enough progress.

Dorleant, an undrafted free agent from Northern Iowa, had a good offseason last year, but he injured his hamstring in training camp and spent the first 11 weeks on injured reserve. The Packers used their one “designated-to-return” option to bring him back to the active roster Dec. 3.

Dorleant played in four games, almost exclusively on special teams. He did help cause an interception Dec. 18 against Chicago, when he deflected a Bears "Hail Mary" pass into the arms of teammate Micah Hyde.

The Packers still have seven cornerbacks on the roster, including free agent Davon House, who was signed in March. They have two other young, developmental players in Josh Hawkins and Herb Waters, and because it is a good year for cornerbacks in the draft there is a good chance they'll add help there, too.