Packers 53-Man Roster Projection After Beating Bengals

The Green Bay Packers beat the Cincinnati Bengals on Friday night. Here’s a fresh look at how the roster could shake out when the team picks its 53-man roster on Aug. 29.

Author:
Bill Huber
Updated:
Aug 13, 2023 9:38 AM EDT
Original:
Aug 12, 2023

In this story:

Green Bay Packers

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The battles for spots on the Green Bay Packers’ Week 1 roster are heating up.

With a joint practice and the opening preseason game at Cincinnati complete, the Packers will turn the page to joint practices against New England on Wednesday and Thursday followed by a home preseason game against the Patriots on Saturday.

Even with two interceptions against the Bengals, rookie quarterback Sean Clifford perhaps locked up his spot as the team’s top backup. With two touchdown runs, rookie Emanuel Wilson thrust himself into the competition to be the No. 3 running back. Undrafted rookie Brenton Cox made his move at outside linebacker.

Rosters must be cut from 90 players to 53 by 3 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 29. Here’s where things stand with two preseason games to go.

Quarterbacks

On the 53 (2): Jordan Love, Sean Clifford.

Fighting for practice squad (1): Alex McGough.

This one is pretty simple. While a rules change has incentivized teams to keep three quarterbacks – a third quarterback on the gameday roster doesn’t count against the 48-man limit – McGough hasn’t shown enough to take up a roster spot.

Running Backs

On the 53 (2): Aaron Jones, AJ Dillon.

Fighting for practice squad (5): Patrick Taylor, Emanuel Wilson, Tyler Goodson, Lew Nichols, Nate McCrary.

Last year, the Packers opened the season with two running backs on the roster and went that way most of the season. While Taylor played in 14 games, he only spent about half the season on the 53. They could go that route again by going running back-heavy on the practice squad and elevating one every week.

Taylor can do a little of everything but is the least explosive of the bunch. Nichols, a seventh-round pick, has been a disappointment but has obvious talent. With Nichols and Goodson down with shoulder injuries, Wilson had a monster game with 111 yards on six carries against Cincinnati.

Fullback

On the 53 (1): Josiah Deguara.

Fighting for practice squad (1): Henry Pearson.

Yes, Deguara is a tight end on the roster but he’s used more like a fullback. That happens to be his position on the team depth chart. Pearson has stepped up his game the last week and is worthy of sticking around for development, but Deguara has his spot on the roster locked up.

Receivers

Romeo Doubs and Christian Watson (Photo by Kareem Elgazza/USA Today Sports Images)

On the 53 (6): Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs, Samori Toure, Jayden Reed, Dontayvion Wicks, Malik Heath.

Fighting for practice squad (6): Bo Melton, Grant DuBose, Duece Watts, Jadakis Bonds, Cody Chrest, Dre Miller.

The first four players listed here are locks, and the fifth-round pick Wicks probably is, too, after catching three passes for 68 yards and leading the charge on Tyler Goodson’s touchdown run.

Heath, an undrafted rookie, caught three passes for 36 yards against Cincinnati, but nothing he did was more impressive than blocking safety William Tell III from Paycor Stadium to Columbus. A couple days earlier, LaFleur said this of Heath: “Malik’s more your big, goonish type of guy that you guys know we love around here. He’s very physical.” He’s ahead of seventh-round picks Melton (by Seattle in 2022) and DuBose (by Green Bay in 2023).

Tight Ends

On the 53 (3): Luke Musgrave, Tucker Kraft, Austin Allen.

Injured reserve (1): Tyler Davis.

Fighting for practice squad (0): None.

Davis’ torn ACL has thrown this spot up in the air. Musgrave and Kraft, drafted in the second and third rounds, are locks. With Deguara put in his rightful spot at fullback, the Packers can’t possibly carry two tight ends on the 53. So, who will be No. 3?

Allen, an undrafted free agent last year, is the only other player on the roster. At 6-foot-8, he’s an intriguing player as a blocker and receiver. So, the position is his, for now, though the Packers almost certainly will add another player this week. Will it be a veteran ready to contribute right away or another developmental prospect?

Offensive Line

On the 53 (9): LT David Bakhtiari, LG Elgton Jenkins, C Josh Myers, RG Jon Runyan, RT Zach Tom, OT Yosh Nijman, G Sean Rhyan, T Rasheed Walker, T Caleb Jones.

Fighting for practice squad (7): C/G James Empey, C/G Jake Hanson, C/G Cole Schneider, G Royce Newman, T Luke Tenuta, T Jean Delance, T Kadeem Telfort.

With the starting five perhaps set with Tom at right tackle instead of Nijman, perhaps two battles remain. One is between two former midround draft picks, Royce Newman (fourth round, 2021) and Sean Rhyan (third round, 2022). Newman has the experience; by regular-season snap count, it’s 1,535 for Newman and zero for Rhyan. Newman was guilty of two holds on Friday night while Rhyan gave up the pressure that turned into a pick-six. Don’t rule out Empey, who has been given a steady diet of second-team reps.

The other battle is at tackle between Jones, Walker and Tenuta. Tenuta’s ankle injury might remove the mystery, though there's hope he will avoid surgery. Walker, a seventh-round pick last year who played in only one game as a rookie, and Jones, an undrafted free agent last year who’s taken care of his body to maximize his tools, have had good camps.

Defensive Line

On the 53 (6): Kenny Clark, Devonte Wyatt, TJ Slaton, Jonathan Ford, Colby Wooden, Karl Brooks.

Fighting for practice squad (3): Chris Slayton, Jason Lewan, Antonio Moultrie.

This one seems easy. Ford, a seventh-round pick last year who was inactive for every game, has made big strides. His two quarterback pressures on Friday seem like an added bonus. The team is betting on the potential of Day 3 rookies Wooden and Brooks to grow into quality performers.

Outside Linebackers

On the 53 (5): Rashan Gary, Preston Smith, Lukas Van Ness, Kingsley Enagbare, Justin Hollins.

Fighting for practice squad (3): Brenton Cox, Keshawn Banks, Arron Mosby.

Roster exemption (1): Kenneth Odumegwu.

The question is whether the Packers will keep five or six. There’s no reason to believe the five listed above won’t earn a spot on the 53. Can Cox or Banks force their way onto the roster? Both players have been on the upswing. Cox was a menace against the Bengals, with three pressures. His batted pass turned into an interception. Banks, who has flown well under the radar despite a strong collegiate resume, had a big TFL against the run.

Inside Linebacker

On the 53 (5): De’Vondre Campbell, Quay Walker, Isaiah McDuffie, Eric Wilson, Tariq Carpenter.

Fighting for practice squad (1): Jimmy Phillips.

Given the prowess of McDuffie, Wilson and Carpenter on special teams – and the hole left on special teams following Tyler Davis’ torn ACL – it’s hard to see the Packers going any other direction.

Cornerbacks

On the 53 (6): Jaire Alexander, Rasul Douglas, Keisean Nixon, Eric Stokes, Carrington Valentine, Corey Ballentine.

Fighting for practice squad (4): Shemar Jean-Charles, Kiondre Thomas, Tyrell Ford, William Hooper.

This one seems rather clear cut, as well. Valentine, a seventh-round pick, has been magnificent. He had one interception and three passes defensed against Cincinnati, a continuation of his strong start to training camp.

“I’m not scared to run, I’m not scared to tackle, I’m not scared how big you are,” he told reporters after the game. “I’m going to go out and I’m going to go after you, regardless. It’s just who I am.”

The Bengals had success in going against Ballentine but his role will be on special teams, anyway.

Thomas is no slouch, as he showed again against Cincinnati. And the wild card could be Hooper, an undrafted free agent who was signed as a tryout player at the rookie camp. He ended the game with back-to-back breakups. Can he string together a few days like that one?

Safeties

On the 53 (5): Darnell Savage, Jonathan Owens, Tarvarius Moore, Rudy Ford, Dallin Leavitt.

Fighting for practice squad (3): Innis Gaines, Anthony Johnson, Benny Sapp.

Owens worked alongside Savage all week with the No. 1 defense. Right when it looked like he was ready to seize control of the starting job, he was at least partially to blame for giving up a 32-yard catch. Moore had a strong night, which could bolster his chances of being Savage’s sidekick. His tackling really stood out.

Ford and Leavitt are vital cogs on special teams, which should give them the nod over the seventh-round pick Johnson and the undrafted Sapp, who each had an impressive late-game breakup.

Specialists

On the 53 (3): K Anders Carlson, P Pat O’Donnell, LS Matt Orzech.

Fighting for practice squad (2): P Daniel Whelan, LS Broughton Hatcher.

The Packers seem prepared to ride the rollercoaster that is Carlson. He had a great Family Night and a strong joint practice, then missed two extra points in the game.

“I don’t want to look too far into it,” LaFleur said. “It’s one game, but as long as you learn from it and get better and make the necessary adjustments, then a lot of times you come back stronger from it.”

The veteran O’Donnell’s only punt was a 60-yard bomb. That was the kind of punt Whelan had unleashed throughout camp, but his two kicks on Friday went 43 and 42 yards with modest hangtime.

The Last Men Out

I had 56 players on my first run-through. The last three off were outside linebacker Brenton Cox, slot/safety Innis Gaines and running back Emanuel Wilson.