Green Bay Packers Roster Projection 4.0

Here is a potential look at the Packers’ initial 53-man roster with training camp complete and one preseason game remaining.

GREEN BAY, Wis. – With training camp complete, the players resting uncomfortably on the Green Bay Packers’ roster bubble have only one more opportunity to win a spot on the 53-man roster. That’s Thursday night’s preseason finale against the Kansas City Chiefs.

The final cuts to the 53-man roster are due by 3 p.m. Tuesday. Including the 16-man practice squad, which can be formed on Wednesday, general manager Brian Gutekunst sees it as a 69-man roster.

That’s true from the team perspective, with each player eligible to be elevated from the practice squad three times, if not from the player perspective, given the disparity in pay between a player on the roster vs. the practice squad ($705,000 minimum per season, or about $39,000 per week, vs. $11,500 per week.)

“I know everybody focuses a lot on the 53 (but) it really is more the 69, the whole practice squad and how that stacks up,” Gutekunst said. “As you go through an NFL season, the amount of players you use and the team you’re playing with at the end of the season compared to the beginning of the season, it can be drastic.

“To me, certainly, I think you have some minimums at each position that you kind of feel you have to have, but then after that with a 16-man practice squad, you’re trying to keep maybe the best 53 overall to start the season. That doesn’t mean that’s going to be the best 53 (for) Game 8, Game 12 and into the playoffs.”

There’s a lot at stake on Thursday night, with spots seemingly available at half the position groups. Other than safety, which has been hit hard by injuries, and offensive line, where there are injury questions, the depth seems strong up and down the roster.

Quarterbacks (2)

Danny Etling (USA Today Sports Images)

On the 53: Aaron Rodgers, Jordan Love.

Changes from last week: None.

Toughest cut: None.

Injury concern: None.

Analysis: The Packers probably can get Danny Etling onto the practice squad. A seventh-round pick in 2018, it’s not as if he made a profound series of plays to change league-wide opinion.

Running Backs (2)

Aaron Jones (USA Today Sports Images)

On the 53: Aaron Jones, AJ Dillon.

Change from last week: Tyler Goodson (out).

Toughest cuts: Patrick Taylor and Tyler Goodson.

Injury concern: Kylin Hill will start the season on the physically unable to perform list. He can begin practicing after Week 4.

Analysis: This is one of the more interesting positions under Gutekunst’s premise that it’s a 69-man roster. In theory, the Packers could release Taylor and Goodson, confident they can get one or (probably) both onto the practice squad to be the third back and then elevate that player into onto the gameday roster until Hill is ready.

Last week, I asked Gutekunst what he’s looking for in a third back just for this story. His answer, with the italicized emphasis being mine and not his: “There’s some special teams that come into play with that. That’s going to be an important part of that third running back spot if we decide to keep three.

So, expect Taylor to be the third back at Minnesota. Will that be on the 53 or the practice squad?

Receivers (7)

Juwann Winfree (USA Today Sports Images)

On the 53: Allen Lazard, Sammy Watkins, Randall Cobb, Amari Rodgers, Romeo Doubs, Christian Watson, Juwann Winfree.

Change from last week: None.

Toughest cut: Samori Toure.

Injury concern: None, with Christian Watson potentially going to play against the Chiefs on Thursday.

Analysis: The first six players on the list are locks. So, in the race for No. 7, it’s Juwann Winfree vs. Samori Toure. Aaron Rodgers has talked up Winfree a few times, and Winfree is a No. 1 on kickoff and kickoff return while Toure is nowhere to be seen on special teams. Releasing Toure would risk losing him on waivers. However, how much interest will there be in the 258th pick of the draft? For those bottom-of-the-depth-chart players, receiver really is a dime-a-dozen position given the wide-open nature of college football and how many prospects enter the league every year.

Tight Ends (4)

Tyler Davis and Josiah Deguara (USA Today Sports Images)

On the 53: Robert Tonyan, Marcedes Lewis, Tyler Davis, Josiah Deguara.

Change from last week: None.

Toughest cut: None.

Injury concern: None, with Robert Tonyan practicing the last two weeks and seemingly on course to be ready for Week 1.

Analysis: Tyler Davis has a turnover in each of the first two preseason games but the Packers are playing the long game. Besides, with Tonyan coming off his injury, maybe he won’t be ready for a full workload.

“We still have a lot of confidence in Tyler,” coach Matt LaFleur said this week. “I know he was disappointed with the fumble and I know he had a holding penalty or whatever. But he’s done a lot of good things, too, and it’s maybe not as glaring as those two plays, in particular. But I feel like he’s definitely done a good job in a lot of aspects. No. 1, his value on teams alone is definitely noticeable. He’s still a young, developing player. I think there’s a lot of growth there for him. And we haven’t lost any confidence in him over two plays.”

Offensive Line (10)

David Bakhtiari (USA Today Sports Images)

On the 53: LT David Bakhtiari, LT Yosh Nijman, LG Jon Runyan Jr, C Josh Myers, RG Royce Newman, RT Elgton Jenkins, C/G Jake Hanson, OL Zach Tom, G Sean Rhyan, T Caleb Jones.

Change from last week: LT David Bakhtiari (in), OT Caleb Jones (in), Cole Van Lanen (out via trade).

Toughest cut: None.

Injury concerns: Elgton Jenkins practiced the last two weeks and David Bakhtiari practiced two times this week. With Bakhtiari’s status for Week 1 (and beyond) the great unknown, will the Packers need to keep an extra blocker?

Analysis: The Packers have drafted nine offensive linemen the past three years and still the depth is precarious. Of this year’s draft picks, Mr. Versatility, fourth-rounder Zach Tom, looks like a real keeper but third-round guard Sean Rhyan and seventh-round tackle Rasheed Walker are nowhere near ready to contribute. The aforementioned uncertainty regarding Bakhtiari could force the Packers to keep a 10th. That would be massive Caleb Jones, who has impressed as an undrafted free agent. If he makes the roster and plays in a game, he’d be the biggest player in franchise history. Or, the Packers could go shopping for a more experienced option.

Defensive Line (5)

Jack Heflin (USA Today Sports Images)

On the 53: Kenny Clark, Dean Lowry, Jarran Reed, Devonte Wyatt, TJ Slaton.

Change from last week: None.

Toughest cuts: Seventh-round rookie Jonathan Ford, Chris Slayton and, especially, Jack Heflin, are NFL-worthy players.

Injury concern: None.

Analysis: Generally, the fear of losing this player or that player after final cuts is unfounded. Teams typically like their own guys, for whom they’ve invested a lot of time and resources over the past several months. The reality is the Packers do a lot more claiming players off waivers than the other way around. The Packers haven’t lost a player who was among their final cuts since Taysom Hill and Brian Price in 2017. So, is there a grave concern about losing Heflin, an undrafted free agent in 2021 who barely played as a rookie, or Ford, the 234th overall selection in 2022?

Outside Linebackers (6)

Kingsley Enagbare (USA Today Sports Images)

On the 53: Rashan Gary, Preston Smith, Jonathan Garvin, Tipa Galeai, Kingsley Enagbare, La’Darius Hamilton.

Change from last week: La’Darius Hamilton (in).

Toughest cut: Kobe Jones.

Injury concern: None.

Analysis: What a free-for-all. Rashan Gary and Preston Smith are the starters and Jonathan Garvin appears to be No. 3 based on the practice field and his limited snaps in the preseason. After that, who knows? Tipa Galeai, Kingsley Enagbare, La’Darius Hamilton and Kobe Jones have all had their shots opposite Garvin with the No. 2 defense. On the bright side, they all strung together a bunch of quality rushes in the joint practices vs. the Saints. On the other hand, they were all too quiet in the preseason game against the Saints. Based on special teams, Galeai will make it. Based on the draft, Enagbare will make it.

Inside Linebackers (4)

Quay Walker (USA Today Sports Images)

On the 53: De’Vondre Campbell, Quay Walker, Krys Barnes, Isaiah McDuffie.

Change from last week: None.

Toughest cut: None.

Injury concern: None.

Analysis: This seems to be pretty cut-and-dried. Krys Barnes and Isaiah McDuffie will provide strong depth. Ty Summers, a key special teams player his first three seasons, is nowhere to be found with the No. 1 units in any of the four phases of the kicking game. Ray Wilborn hasn’t mounted much of a challenge.

Cornerbacks (6)

Kiondre Thomas (USA Today Sports Images)

On the 53: Jaire Alexander, Rasul Douglas, Eric Stokes, Keisean Nixon, Shemar Jean-Charles, Kiondre Thomas.

Change from last week: None.

Toughest cut: Rico Gafford.

Injury concern: None.

Analysis: Rico Gafford has run with the twos throughout training camp while Kiondre Thomas has mostly been with the threes, but I’m going to go the other way here. Thomas has provided excellent coverage the first two games and offers more size than fellow backups Shemar Jean-Charles and Keisean Nixon. Could this be a winner-takes-all battle based on Thursday’s game?

Safeties (4*)

Micah Abernathy (USA Today Sports Images)

On the 53: Adrian Amos, Darnell Savage, Shawn Davis, Micah Abernathy.

Change from last week: Micah Abernathy (in), Tariq Carpenter (out).

Toughest cut: Tariq Carpenter.

Injury concerns: With the release of Vernon Scott due to a shoulder injury, will the Packers be shopping for a veteran?

Analysis: Further complicating matters is the shoulder injury sustained by Dallin Leavitt against the 49ers. Presumably, he will make the initial 53-man roster and then be sent to injured reserve, where he’ll have to spend the first four weeks. So, this is a day-after-final-cuts projection.

With Rasul Douglas lining up at safety on Tuesday, it’s possible the Packers will go into the season with only three pure safeties and use the extra space for a sixth defensive lineman. But, we’ll go with four and make it a Tariq Carpenter vs. Micah Abernathy showdown for the final spot. Carpenter is back from a knee injury that hurt his development, and Abernathy has been quite a find as an injury replacement.

Specialists (3)

Jack Coco (USA Today Sports Images)

On the 53: K Mason Crosby, P Pat O’Donnell, LS Jack Coco.

Change from last week: None.

Toughest cut: None.

Injury concern: Mason Crosby remains on the physically unable to perform list but he’s been kicking inside the Don Hutson Center.

Analysis: Only Cincinnati and Tennessee have two snappers on their roster, so it’s not as if there’s going to be a bunch of prospects hitting the market next week. One of those teams is Cincinnati, with veteran Clark Harris (a 2007 Packers draft pick) battling Cal Adomitis, who was considered the top snapper in the draft class. But undrafted rookie Jack Coco has answered every challenge. While he hasn’t been perfect, his field-goal snaps have generally been right on the money.