5 things to know about new Packers practice squad QB Clayton Tune

The Green Bay Packers are making a change behind Jordan Love and Malik Willis at quarterback. Out are Taylor Elgersma, a rookie from Canada, and Sean Clifford, a 2023 draft pick. In is Clayton Tune, a recent draft pick of the Arizona Cardinals who has started at the NFL level and was a prolific passer at the University of Houston. Per Bill Huber of SI, the Packers are signing Tune after he went unclaimed on waivers on Wednesday.

Is the third quarterback on the practice squad a big deal? Maybe not for 2025. But in 2026? Willis is entering a contract year in 2025 and could be looking for an opportunity to start come 2026, so the quarterback on the practice squad this year might be viewed as a front-runner to be the No. 2 quarterback behind Love come 2026.

Here are five quick things to know about the Packers new practice squad quarterback:

Fifth-round pick after decorated college career

The Cardinals made Tune the 139th overall pick in the 2023 draft. Ten picks later, the Packers took Clifford. A five-year starter at Houston, Tune finished second in school history in touchdown passes, third in completions and fourth in wins. His best statistical season came as a senior in 2022 when he threw for 40 touchdown passes and over 4,000 yards while also rushing for 546 yards and five more scores. The year before, he led Houston to a 12-2 record and a trip to the AAC Championship Game. By all accounts, Tune was an accurate and productive passer who started for mutliple seasons and really helped an ascending program. A fun fact and connection to the 2025 Packers: Tune was the teammate of first-round pick Matthew Golden, who caught 38 passes for 584 yards and seven touchdowns as a true freshman at Houston in 2022.

Lone NFL start didn't go well

Tune's only NFL start came in Week 9 of his rookie season, and it can't be viewed as a fond memory. Tune completed 11 of 20 passes for 58 yards, threw two interceptions, took seven sacks and lost a fumble during a 27-0 defeat to the Cleveland Browns on the road. Counting the lost yardage of the sacks, Tune finished with 17 net passing yards. The Cardinals, who fell to 1-8, finished 1-for-13 on third or fourth down and didn't advance further than the Browns' 44-yard line. Tune only started because Kyler Murray hadn't yet returned from a knee injury and the Cardinals traded away Josh Dobbs (to Minnesota) at the trade deadline.

Elite athlete at quarterback

Tune has an intriguing mix of size and athleticism. The 6-2, 220-pounder ran the 40-yard dash in 4.64 seconds, was explosive in the jumps (37.5" vertical, 10-2 broad) and quick in the agility testing (4.25 short shuttle, 6.89 three-cone), making him a 98 percentile athlete at the quarterback position. Tune rushed for over 1,200 yards at Houston, so he can make plays with his legs. Considering he started 44 games, was a three-time captain and tested incredibly well, it's probably surprising he didn't go higher in the 2023 draft.

Preseason numbers

Tune has really only played in one NFL regular season game, making him a difficult evaluation. But it helps to have three years of preseason games to consider. Between 2023 and 2025, Tune completed 99 of 160 passes (61.9 percent) for 900 yards (5.6 yards per attempt), three touchdowns and three interceptions (75.5 passer rating). Pro Football Focus credited him with five "big time throws" and three "turnover worthy plays." Pressure is a big issue. Tune took 19 sacks, allowed almost 25 percent of his pressured dropbacks to turn into sacks and averaged over 3.0 seconds from snap to throw during his three preseasons. It's hard to see clear progression: Tune averaged only 3.8 yards per attempt and earned his lowest career passing grade at PFF during the preseason in 2025.

Tune loses out in Arizona but lands in Green Bay

After two years of being a backup in Arizona, Tune lost out to veteran Jacoby Brissett for the No. 2 job behind Kyler Murray in 2025. He was released at final roster cuts on Tuesday and went unclaimed on Wednesday, freeing him to sign with any team. The Packers didn't have a runaway winner for the third quarterback job this summer considering Taylor Elgersma's lack of experience and Sean Clifford's lack of true development. It's likely Elgersma was just too far behind entering the NFL, and Clifford wasn't a viable option after back-to-back disappointing summers. Tune will get an opportunity to develop under Matt LaFleur, who has helped both Jordan Love and Malik Willis improve drastically. With the right mix of development in 2025 and production next summer, Tune could end up being Love's backup in 2026.

This article originally appeared on Packers Wire: 5 things to know about new Packers practice squad QB Clayton Tune