Every Packers Player Who Helped His Roster Chances During Training Camp

GREEN BAY, Wis. – If you’re not getting better, you’re getting worse.

That’s true in all areas of life, and especially true in the NFL. With significant roster turnover every season, if you’re not getting better, you’re not just getting worse. You might be out of a job.

These 15 players certainly got better to either win a starting job or a roster spot or at least get into the conversation.

RB MarShawn Lloyd

A player’s greatest ability is – you know the rest. It’s his availability. At running back for the Packers, Josh Jacobs missed a big chunk of training camp. Chris Brooks missed the start of training camp.

You know who hasn’t missed any time at all? MarShawn Lloyd.

Time waits for no one, no matter how talented. Lloyd has the ability. Without the availability, the Packers might have thrown in the towel after playing in only one game in his first two seasons. Instead, Lloyd will enter the regular season as the No. 2 running back.

RB Pierre Strong

A fourth-round pick by the Patriots in 2022, Pierre Strong during his first three NFL seasons averaged 5.0 yards per carry, 7.4 yards per catch and even contributed 17 tackles. He was released by the Browns at the end of training camp last year and wound up spending the season on Green Bay’s practice squad.

All of that is to say Strong has a, well, relatively strong track record. He’s shown all of those skills during training camp. The numbers might work against him to make the opening 53 but he’ll probably be a factor at some point.

WR Will Sheppard

From the group of Isaiah Neyor, J. Michael Sturdivant and Will Sheppard, Sheppard stands out as the player without the elite physical skill-set. He’s got the height at almost 6-foot-3, but he barely broke 4.60 seconds in the 40.

Will Sheppard went undrafted as a WR in the 2025 draft class. He scored a 8.72 #RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 488 out of 3816 WR from 1987 to 2025.

UDFA #Buccaneers https://t.co/8MUMh9w9u0 pic.twitter.com/EBq8WpOk4d
— RAS.football (@MathBomb) April 27, 2025

Sheppard and Neyor are tied for the team lead with seven receptions in the preseason. Sheppard is physical, sure-handed and tough.

“He played fast last week in practice (and) was making plays,” passing-game coordinator Jason Vrable said on Saturday. “He was releasing the best that he’s ever done when you watch his one-on-ones. He was really winning some one-on-one reps.

“I think it all started for him probably in the summer. He had a great offseason. He came back, I thought, stronger, more confident. He’s always been able to catch the ball really well, and he’s always been a smart player for us.”

Will Sheppard is one of the talented receivers in the mix for a roster spot. pic.twitter.com/P06qwHSaHW
— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) August 26, 2026

OG Jacob Monk

Perhaps no player on offense changed his fate more in training camp than Jacob Monk.

This offseason, the Packers drafted Jager Burton in the fifth round and added Dillon Wade and Josh Gesky with expensive undrafted rookie contracts. Surely, that was a signal that Monk’s career was on the clock.

Well, Monk’s no longer on the roster bubble. Barring an unexpected debacle against Arizona this week, he will be the team’s starting right guard at the Vikings in the opener.

“Monk, love his play style. He’s a nasty dude,” offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich said.

For what it’s worth, he gave up a total of nine pressures in the 2024 and 2025 preseasons, according to PFF, but only one so far in 2026.

“We’ve been emphasizing play style in this room more than ever this year as well as the improvement,” offensive line coach Luke Butkus said, “but I think Jacob Monk was born with a chip on his shoulder. He showed that at Duke, and that’s one of the reasons we were attracted to him. He is a physical and violent human being when he steps on that football field.”

OT John Williams

Green Bay Packers quarterback Tyrod Taylor (6) looks to pass as lineman John Williams (73) helps with protection. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Even offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich had questions about John Williams.

“That was our big question going into the preseason is where’s this guy at? What do we think he can be?” Stenavich said on Saturday.

A seventh-round pick last year who didn’t play as a rookie following back surgery, Williams has played center, left guard and left tackle during training camp, with the preseason emphasis at left tackle. The Packers love multitasking offensive linemen like archaeologists love shovels, so Williams’ position flexibility could be a real asset on gamedays, when maybe only eight linemen are active.

“We talk about all the time, you need to be a guy that probably needs to play all five,” offensive line coach Luke Butkus said. “His ability, obviously his brain and his athletic ability are making it easier for him to do that.”

OG Donovan Jennings

Jennings went undrafted in 2024 and spent his rookie season on the practice squad. Last year, he broke through for a spot on the 53. He played in two games with six snaps on offense; he would have started at Minnesota in Week 18 but suffered an injured throat during the practice week and missed the rest of the season.

The college left tackle has settled in as a guard with the ability to play center.

“It’s just being a pro (and) doing what they expect you to do,” he said of shifting positions. “Just being comfortable doing the stuff that’s uncomfortable kind of. But it’s good. It’s not too bad.”

DT Jonathan Ford

Perhaps no player on the entire roster has changed his fate during training camp more than Jonathan Ford.

The assumption was the Packers would keep six interior defensive linemen on their 53-man roster, with newcomers Javon Hargrave (free agency) and Chris McClellan (third round) joining Devonte Wyatt, Karl Brooks and Warren Brinson. That meant Ford would battle Nazir Stackhouse for the sixth spot.

Instead, Ford not only seems set to make the roster but be a Week 1 starter. Consider how incredible that is for a moment. Ford was a seventh-round pick by the Packers in 2022. He spent all of 2022 and 2023 and most of 2024 on their practice squad without playing in a game. It wasn’t until he was poached by the Bears on Dec. 11, 2024, that he got an opportunity to play in a game.

Ford returned to the roster late last season after injuries sidelined Wyatt and his replacement, Jordon Riley. When Ford is on the field this preseason, the run defense is 0.43 yards better per snap and the pass defense is 4.18 yards better per snap.

“The biggest thing is they want a big nose that’s not able to be moved in the run game or pushing the pocket in the pass game,” Ford said. “I feel like I bring that to the game and this defense.”

DT Anthony Campbell

“Stuff happened” to keep Anthony Campbell from getting anything close to regular playing time at Miami in 2023 and 2024. Now, he’s in the thick of the race for a roster spot because of a shockingly good training camp.

Surprise Packers training camp standout Anthony Campbell's path to the NFL began when he moved from Jamaica and got his start in the sport as a kicker. ⬇️https://t.co/Jwp1A7nHX6
— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) August 25, 2026

DT Jaden Crumedy

Jaden Crumedy was a sixth-round pick by the Panthers in 2024 who played 165 snaps in eight games for them the past two seasons. He joined the Packers at the end of last season and has had a quietly good training camp. Really, his greatest sin has been not making as many splash plays as Anthony Campbell.

Crumedy had a huge fourth-down pressure at Denver. When he’s on the field in the preseason, opponents are averaging a team-best 0.71 yards per carry.

Edge Nyjalik Kelly

The Packers have had at least one undrafted rookie make the opening roster for 21 consecutive seasons. With a late push, Nyjalik Kelly might be the best option to keep that streak alive.

Kelly, the highest-paid undrafted free agent in Packers history, has a sack/strip among his four pressures in the preseason. With Collin Oliver banged up, the door is open just a bit more.

CB Kamal Hadden

Kamal Hadden might have been a playoff starter at cornerback if not for the serious ankle injury sustained against Baltimore in Week 17. He returned to practice early in training camp and was moved into the slot, where there is no obvious backup behind Javon Bullard. He’s been an immediate hit.

In his preseason debut at Denver, he gave up two catches for 3 yards, according to PFF, and had two tackles for losses. He has the potential to be depth at the corner and nickel positions.

“Ain’t no hay in the barn yet. Ain’t no hay in the barn yet,” Hadden said after Monday’s practice. “I feel like I’ve just got so much more that I can show. If I really take control and take heed of everything that comes with the nickel position and learning it more and deeper – like, I only just started playing it, and I know a lot – but there's so much that I could have did more in the game, so many plays that I left out there in game, and so many plays that I left in practice.”

CB Jaylin Simpson

Denver Broncos receiver Lil'jordan Humphrey (5) is unable to pull in a pass against Green Bay Packers cornerback Jaylin Simpson. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Jaylin Simpson might wind up being the odd man out in the secondary, but he’s played well enough to be on a 53-man roster somewhere.

Simpson had some big days at training camp at cornerback, which put him in contention for a roster spot. He had a rough night at Pittsburgh when playing mostly in the slot. At Denver, almost every defensive snap came at cornerback; PFF charged him with 2-of-4 passing for just 12 yards.

S Mark Perry

Mark Perry is one of the great stories of this year’s training camp. He went undrafted in 2024. The Packers are his sixth team and he’s never been on a 53-man roster or played in a game.

“I feel like this time around it just feels a little different,” Perry told Packers On SI before training camp.

He was right about that. When the dust settles on Sunday, he’s likely to be the fifth safety on the roster and a core player on special teams.

Perry, who has run with the No. 2 defense since the first day of OTAs in May, made a couple big-time tackles at Pittsburgh and a crucial interception at Denver.

“He’s done a good job. Talking with Cam, he’s doing a good job on fourth down, as well,” defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon said after the Pittsburgh game. “He’s a big, physical, fast guy.”

K Trey Smack

Based on his scattershot kicking during OTAs and minicamp, it was anything but a guarantee that Trey Smack would be the team’s kicker. If you can’t make kicks at practice, how can you be expected to make kicks in the games?

“I would say like I’m going to put more stock into gamedays and when we kick in stadiums,” special teams coordinator Cam Achord said before the preseason.

Well, Smack has made all of his kicks in the games. He’s 4-of-4 from longer than 50 yards in the preseason and he made a 60-yarder at practice on Monday. One kick later, he missed from 40. Still, Smack went from having to watch over his shoulder to the obvious Week 1 kicker.

LS Cal Adomitis

Somehow, Cal Adomitis was looking for a job when the Packers started training camp with Matt Orzech on PUP.

With Adomitis snapping, rookie kicker Trey Smack has gotten himself into a groove. To be sure, the same thing could have happened with Orzech. Based on what the coaches have said, the job will be Orzech’s once he’s healthy. But a case could certainly be made for not wanting to throw a wrench into a relatively well-oiled machine.

“I don’t put too much into that part of it because Matt’s a pro,” special teams coordinator Cam Achord said. “It’s not like you’re going back to a guy that’s never done it before. He’s obviously a quality guy. Cal’s done a great job, too.

“So, I think in that situation, both guys are going to be fine. Trey, his operation really is more so when Daniel (Whelan’s) moving than when the snap comes. It’s more Daniel, and Daniel’s obviously worked with Matt, so there’s that experience, and then working with Cal. So, I think we’re going to be OK either way, for sure.”

If he doesn’t make Green Bay’s roster, Adomitis should be at the top of every team’s ready list.

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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