Jake Kumerow is holed up in his hotel room trying to lose himself in Fortnite. His opponent is Packers teammate Rob Tonyan, who is staying just two rooms down the hall at the Wingate Hotel near Green Bay’s airport. Both players have their phones close, screens turned face up and ringers set on loud so they won’t miss any incoming calls or texts.
Kumerow and Tonyan are neighbors—for the rest of the day at least—as roster longshots in Green Bay. Kumerow anxiously pushes his brown, shoulder-length hair behind his ears. He can’t help but look down at the phone every few minutes to double- and triple-check he hasn’t missed a call from a Packers staffer, letting him know he had been cut.