Unprotected by Rams, Hatcher Agrees to Terms With Packers

By HELENE ELLIOTT

March 17, 1990 12 AM PT

Punter Dale Hatcher, who became a Plan B free agent when he was left unprotected by the Rams, has agreed to a contract with the Green Bay Packers. Terms were not announced, but it is believed to be a one-year deal.

Hatcher, 26, is the third player lost by the Rams because of free agency. Guard/center Tony Slaton and safety James Washington have agreed to terms with the Dallas Cowboys.

Hatcher, who was the Rams’ third-round draft pick in 1985 out of Clemson, has averaged 40.4 yards on 369 punts during his five seasons. However, he averaged only 38.8 yards on 73 punts last season. His best season was 1985, when he averaged 43.2 yards and was named to the Pro Bowl as a rookie.

Hatcher is expected to succeed Don Bracken, another Plan B free agent. Hatcher could not be reached for comment Friday.

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Helene Elliott

Helene Elliott was with the Los Angeles Times’ Sports department from 1989 to 2024, first as a staff writer and then, starting in 2006, as a columnist. She became the first female journalist to be honored with a plaque in the Hall of Fame of a major professional sport as the 2005 winner of the Hockey Hall of Fame’s Elmer Ferguson Award, awarded to writers “who have brought honor to journalism and to hockey.” A native of Brooklyn, N.Y., and graduate of Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, she has covered 18 Olympics.