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Ricky Jean Francois, LaDarius Gunter released by Packers

GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Ricky Jean Francois' tenure with the Green Bay Packers lasted all of six snaps.

The veteran defensive tackle, who signed a one-year, $2 million contract in free agency this offseason, has been released, the team announced Wednesday.

Jean Francois, 30, was not a major part of the Packers' defensive plan in Sunday's regular-season opener against the Seattle Seahawks. He played only six snaps from scrimmage during the 17-9 victory.

The Packers must feel good about third-round pick Montravius Adams and Quinton Dial, the former San Francisco 49ers defensive tackle who signed last week. Both were inactive against the Seahawks.

Adams returned to practice last week, the first time he was on the field since July 28. That's when he dropped out after the second practice of training camp because of a foot injury that eventually required surgery. The Packers kept Adams on their 53-man roster instead of injured reserve because they believed he could contribute soon.

Dial, a fifth-year pro who started 26 games over the past two seasons for the 49ers, was held out of the opener because he did not practice with the Packers until last Thursday.

The Packers also announced two offensive line moves, bringing up Adam Pankey from the practice squad to the 53-man roster and signing Darrell Greene to the practice squad.

On Tuesday, the Packers released cornerback LaDarius Gunter, a move that made room for wide receiver Geronimo Allison on the roster.

Allison served a one-game suspension last week for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy, regarding a marijuana charge last season. He is eligible to play in Sunday's game at Atlanta.

Gunter finished last season as the Packers' No 1 cornerback and was assigned to cover Odell Beckham Jr., Dez Bryant and Julio Jones in consecutive playoff games in January. However, he had fallen out of the regular rotation at cornerback this season and played just two snaps in the opener.

The Jean Francois move leaves the Packers with just five defensive linemen: Mike Daniels, Kenny Clark, Dean Lowry, Adams and Dial. But considering how much defensive coordinator Dom Capers uses his sub packages with only two defensive linemen on the field, they often go with just five linemen.

The Packers gave Jean Francois a $250,000 signing bonus. He is also eligible for termination pay, meaning the team would owe him the remainder of his $1.25 million base salary because he was cut after Week 1. Vested veterans can collect that one time during their careers. Had the Packers released him before the opener, they would not have owed him anything.