GREEN BAY, Wis. -- It's time to see if the star of the Green Bay Packers' preseason can do it when it matters.
The Packers added receiver Jake Kumerow to the roster on Saturday, completing his comeback from the shoulder injury that ruined the story of the summer.
The Packers also signed fullback Danny Vitale to the active roster from the practice squad and placed receiver Trevor Davis (hamstring) and defensive tackle Mike Daniels (foot) on injured reserve.
Kumerow, 26, who has never played in a regular-season game, had been on injured reserve since Week 1. They kept him on the roster after final cuts with the hope that they could bring him back at some point. He returned to practice on Nov. 21, making the second of the two allotted IR-designated to return players. Davis was the other.
Kumerow, who has spent time with the Bengals and Patriots without ever playing in a game, has not been on the field for a game since he sprained the SC joint in his right shoulder on an end-zone dive after a preseason catch-and-run touchdown on Aug. 16.
Without playing in the final two preseason games, Kumerow still led the Packers with 190 yards receiving and two touchdown catches over the summer.
The former Division III standout at Wisconsin-Whitewater quickly became a fan favorite, but more important, a favorite of quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
"He's a talented guy, and I think many of us were wondering if he was going to be back on the field this year," Rodgers said last week when Kumerow returned to practice. "He understands the game; he has a great sense about him. In space, he can get open. He was incredible in training camp, earning a spot on the squad. Unfortunately, he'll learn from diving in the end zone there. But yeah, it will be nice to get him out there and get him some opportunities."
Kumerow came into the NFL as an undrafted free agent in 2015 with the Cincinnati Bengals. He spent the final week of the 2016 season on the Bengals' roster but was inactive for the game. He spent most of his first two years on the Bengals' practice squad. He also had a brief stint on the New England Patriots' practice squad last season before the Packers signed him to their practice squad for the final week of last season.
If his name is familiar, it's because his father, Eric, was a first-round draft pick of the Miami Dolphins in 1988. His NFL bloodlines run deeper. His uncle John Bosa was a Dolphins first-round pick in 1987, and his first cousin is Los Angeles Chargers star Joey Bosa.