Packers reach injury settlement with Colt Lyerla

The Green Bay Packers decided not to hold onto Colt Lyerla, after all.

The Packers reached an injury settlement with the rookie tight end on Tuesday, his agent Vinnie Porter has confirmed. It will cover the first eight weeks of the regular season.

NFL rules require teams to wait at least six weeks after the player is cleared from injury to re-sign him to the practice squad. That would be Week 14 in Lyerla's case.

Lyerla tore his MCL and PCL trying to hurdle Packers cornerback Jumal Rolle during the team's Family Night scrimmage on Aug. 2. Last week, the Packers waived him and then placed on injured reserve. He told reporters the plan was for him to stay in that capacity this season.

The former Oregon tight end arrived in Green Bay much acclaim. Many considered him to be a second-day draft pick in May, but numerous off-the-field incidents resulted in him going undrafted and unsigned entirely.

The Packers signed him to a three-year deal without a signing bonus following their rookie orientation camp. His athleticism was clearly evident, especially in his attempt to vault the 6-foot Rolle, but he got off to a slow start with two drops during the first day of camp.

So the Lyerla experiment ends at least temporarily. The Packers would have needed to pay Lyerla $303,000 to leave him on injured reserve all season.

-whodkiew@pressgazettemedia.com and follow him on Twitter @WesHod.