Matt Blanchard probably won't steal any starting snaps from Aaron Rodgers next season, but he's still set for an opportunity to show the Green Bay Packers brass just what he's got.
Blanchard, the former University of Wisconsin-Whitewater standout, has signed a contract with the Packers his agent Paul Sheehy announced, per the UW-Whitewater athletics website.
Originally picked up by the Chicago Bears as an undrafted free agent in 2012, Blanchard spent about a year in the Windy City but wound up on the Carolina Panthers practice squad by the end of the 2013 season.
He suffered a concussion during the 2014 preseason and spent the entirety of last year on the injured reserve for the Panthers.
Now, the former Warhawk will try his hand at the NFL as a member of the Packers, joining Rodgers and former University of Wisconsin quarterback Scott Tolzien on the Green Bay depth chart.
Packers GM Ted Thompson is a man known for finding and developing diamonds in the rough, so Blanchard may now be in the best and most favorable position possible for his future NFL career prospects.
The 26-year-old Blanchard transferred from Northern Michigan University and after a season holding a clipboard for Jeff Donovan proceeded to lead the UW-Whitewater Warhawks to three consecutive NCAA Division III national championships and three straight Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference titles. He also amassed a 45-0 record.
Per the UW-Whitewater site, Blanchard is the Warhawks all-time leader in completion percentage (70.4 percent) and currently ranks among career leaders in yards (5,106), touchdowns (44), completions (393), attempts (558) and consecutive attempts without an interception (212).
