Packers add WR Chris Hilton by waiver claim, continuing roster churn

The Green Bay Packers have claimed wide receiver Chris Hilton off waivers, a transaction the team announced as it continued a busy stretch of roster moves. The claim marks the second time in as many days that the Packers have added a receiver to their active mix, reflecting a late-summer focus on depth and competition at wideout.

According to the report, the Packers’ decision to claim Hilton follows the team’s earlier action on Sunday, when it signed Kisean Johnson as a free agent. Taken together, the two moves suggest Green Bay is seeking answers beyond its established receiving group, looking for players who can contribute across routes, special teams, or both depending on camp evaluations and practice needs.

Hilton’s path to Green Bay runs through the waiver process, meaning the player was available to be claimed by teams rather than arriving via a direct free-agent agreement. In NFL roster-building terms, waiver claims are often used to get immediate looks at talent that another club did not keep on its final pre-season roster or was not able to retain after roster decisions.

Johnson, meanwhile, is a separate addition the Packers made earlier in the week, and the timing matters. When a team adds one receiver as a free agent and then uses a waiver claim shortly afterward, it can indicate a specific need identified in practices, positional matchups during camp, or a desire to create more uniform competition for roles in three-receiver groupings and in situational packages.

For the Packers, the immediate question is how these receivers fit into the team’s broader depth chart. August roster moves are not the final word on who will make the regular-season team, but they often reveal which positions the coaching staff is most actively testing and how urgently it is searching for reliability as the preseason moves toward its end.

There is also a practical side to these transactions. NFL teams must manage limits on active roster and practice-squad spots, and adding players in quick succession can reduce the risk of being short on bodies if injuries occur or if multiple players are being evaluated for similar responsibilities. In that context, the Hilton claim reads as both a football decision and a roster-management one.

What to watch next is whether Hilton and Johnson start separating themselves in practice and preseason action, especially in areas the coaching staff values most for receivers during the final cuts window. If the Packers continue to add or shuffle at wide receiver, it could further define how much they are emphasizing the position as a competition priority heading into the regular season.