Four Draft Picks Among Packers on Roster Bubble Who Must Shine vs. Cardinals

GREEN BAY, Wis. – It’s almost the NFL equivalent of 2 a.m.

For players resting precariously on the roster bubble, it’s last call at Green Bay Packers training camp. The 91-man roster must be cut to 53 players by 5 p.m. Sunday. Wednesday’s joint practice and Friday’s preseason game against the Cardinals will be the last chances.

While these players boosted their roster chances, this group of draft picks and returning veteran players with more than a taste of NFL experience with the team is in jeopardy. It includes four recent draft picks, one from 2024, two from 2025 and one from this year.

RB Pierre Strong

Pierre Strong was a fourth-round pick in 2022. He did well in limited opportunities with the Patriots and Browns during his first three seasons in the league but spent last year on Green Bay’s practice squad without getting into a game.

The odds are against Strong from a numbers perspective, with veteran standout Josh Jacobs, potential-packed MarShawn Lloyd and rugged role player Chris Brooks atop the depth chart.

All Strong can do is what he did against the Broncos, when he had a big kickoff return, and what he’s done throughout training camp, and that’s find creases to get into the open field.

OT Darian Kinnard

Darian Kinnard had played in three games in three NFL seasons before the Packers acquired him toward the end of training camp last year. He became an incredibly valuable player, whether as an injury replacement for Zach Bako-Bewele or a blocking tight end to help fill the void following Tucker Kraft’s torn ACL.

The Packers gave him a $1 million signing bonus to re-sign him in free agency.

Kinnard suffered an ankle injury early in the preseason game at Pittsburgh and didn’t play in the preseason game at Denver. He returned to some limited work at Monday’s practice.

Kinnard has position flexibility but is mostly a right-side backup. Following Anthony Belton’s demotion at right guard, Belton’s job description for the upcoming season could be swing tackle and right-side backup, too. A good couple days could prove that Kinnard is the better option and secure his spot on the roster.

G/T Travis Glover

A sixth-round pick in 2024, Glover spent last season on injured reserve. He’s been with the No. 2 offense throughout training camp, mostly at right guard. As noted above with Darian Kinnard, the demotion of Anthony Belton might have made Glover expendable.

G/C Donovan Jennings

Jennings made the roster last season but played in only a couple of games with six snaps on offense and seven on special teams. There’s a path to a roster spot if he plays as effectively against Arizona on Friday as he did against Pittsburgh in the first preseason game.

OT John Williams

How would the Packers pivot if Jordan Morgan were to miss time at left tackle? There are two obvious options. One would be to make Anthony Belton the swing tackle. A second-round pick in 2025, he was a three-year left tackle at North Carolina State. However, he’s barely taken any left-side reps during training camp.

Instead, all of the No. 2 reps the past couple weeks have gone to John Williams, a seventh-round pick last year who spent the season on injured reserve following back surgery. He’s turned in two decent performances in the preseason. He’s a bit undersized at the position at 6-foot-4 1/8 but has 33 7/8-inch arms and ample strength and intelligence.

More than anybody on this list, his fate on the roster could boil down to Wednesday’s practice and, especially, Friday’s game.

TE Messiah Swinson

Messiah Swinson initially signed with the Packers as an undrafted free agent in 2024. This is his third training camp. With the need for a blocking tight end, there was an obvious path forward to a roster spot but he hasn’t taken full advantage. Two big days could make all the difference in whether the third time is the charm or it's three strikes and he's out.

DT Nazir Stackhouse

Last year, Nazir Stackhouse extended the Packers’ streak to 21 consecutive seasons in which an undrafted rookie made the Week 1 roster.

Stackhouse has had a solid training camp. The problem is Jonathan Ford has had a terrific training camp to seize the job at nose tackle. With an abundance of depth on the defensive line, Stackhouse might be the odd man out through, really, no fault of his own. That means Friday’s game might be as much a final audition in front of general manager Brian Gutekunst and the team’s coaches as it is an audition for his next team.

Edge Collin Oliver

The Packers spent a fifth-round draft pick on Oliver last year. It was a swing-for-the-fences selection in hopes that the undersized Oliver’s pass-rush production would translate to the NFL.

So far, that has not been the case. That’s not to say he hasn’t gotten to the quarterback, but it hasn’t been with consistency. The question is whether there’s a space on the roster for Oliver to play special teams – he had the big block on Pierre Strong’s long kickoff return last week – and rush the passer 10 times a game with the hope that he gets to the quarterback once.

Complicating matters, Oliver was injured at Denver and didn’t practice on Monday.

Edge Arron Mosby

Collin Oliver’s loss could be Arron Mosby’s gain. And Cam Achord’s gain, as well.

Mosby might never be a threat on defense. Last season, he played 17 snaps on defense but 221 on special teams, where he brought a physical element to the kick-coverage units. No doubt Achord will push for him to make the roster to help his fledgling group hit the ground running in Week 1.

LB Kristian Welch

Kristian Welch, a career-long standout on special teams, had strong training camps and preseasons in 2024 and 2025 but fell short of his goal of making his home-state’s 53-man roster. He hasn’t been as impactful this preseason, though he’s still played well, especially on special teams at Denver.

The problem is the numbers. Edgerrin Cooper and Zaire Franklin will start, Isaiah McDuffie and Ty’Ron Hopper will be backups and core players on special teams, and Nick Niemann – who the Packers signed after final cuts last year rather than keeping Welch – will be a key player on special teams again.

CB Domani Jackson

Five of Green Bay’s six draft picks are locks to make the roster. The exception is sixth-round pick Domani Jackson.

Jackson, who had an up-and-down college career, especially as a senior at Alabama, was viewed as a potential first-round pick at this point last year. So, the traits are there. However, he missed all of the offseason practices and the start of training camp following core-muscle surgery. He made his preseason debut at Denver last week.

That makes these next two days possible all-or-nothing events for Jackson. He’s good enough to keep and develop, to be sure, but can the Packers use their 53rd roster spot on the NFL equivalent of a redshirt?

CB Jaylin Simpson

Jaylin Simpson was a fifth-round pick by the Colts in 2024 who made his NFL debut in Week 18 of last season at Minnesota.

Simpson has had a really good training camp when playing cornerback but struggled when in the slot at Pittsburgh. Because he’s played better at cornerback and slot, Kamal Hadden has probably locked up a spot in the secondary. That puts Simpson’s spot on the roster in jeopardy. Unless there’s a trade, the decision could boil down to keeping Simpson, Domani Jackson or neither.

For the afternoon crowd, here are the credentials for 13 players on the Packers' roster bubble (and why it might burst) headed into two huge days to wrap up training camp. ⬇️https://t.co/uVOmlPL4we
— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) August 25, 2026

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