New 53-Man Packers Roster Projection Includes Big Change After Preseason Game

GREEN BAY, Wis. – It’s getting late in a hurry in the race for roster spots for the Green Bay Packers.

Friday – one day after the Packers lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers to start the preseason – marks the exact midpoint between the first day of training camp and the Aug. 30 roster cuts.

Here’s our second roster projection, including the changes and tough decisions.

Quarterbacks (2)

Today’s roster: Jordan Love, Tyrod Taylor, Kyle McCord, Kyron Drones.

Week 1 projection: Love and Taylor.

What changed?: Nothing, other than …

Tough decision: Entering training camp, we would have bet on Drones’ upside in the race for a spot on the practice squad. Now, based on reps at training camp over the last week and the performances on Thursday night, there is an enormous separation between McCord and Drones.

Will a year of seasoning close that gap, or will McCord’s uncoachable feel for the game be the determining factor? The guess is McCord will earn the developmental spot.

Running Backs (3)

Today’s roster: Josh Jacobs, MarShawn Lloyd, Chris Brooks, Pierre Strong, Damien Martinez, Jaden Nixon.

Packers running back Damien Martinez gained 14 of his 20 yards after contact, according to PFF. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Week 1 projection: Jacobs, Lloyd and Brooks.

What changed?: Nothing.

Tough decision: None, though Strong has shown himself to be a legit NFL running back. However, four running backs on the 53 is just too many, especially with the likelihood that Strong – who spent all of last season on the practice squad – could be re-signed to the practice squad after final cuts.

Receivers (6)

Today’s roster: Christian Watson, Jayden Reed, Matthew Golden, Savion Williams, Bo Melton, Skyy Moore, Will Sheppard, Isaiah Neyor, J. Michael Sturdivant, Kisean Johnson, Kaden Prather, Chris Hilton.

Week 1 projection: Watson, Reed, Golden, Williams, Melton and Moore.

What changed?: Nothing.

Tough decision: Nothing, really. That’s not to say Neyor, Sturdivant and Sheppard aren’t legit NFL receivers. It’s that just about every team in the league has legit NFL receivers at the end of the depth chart. Other than the real needle-movers, it’s a dime-a-dozen position because there are so many talented players.

Williams was a third-round pick last year, Melton’s intangibles and speed are valued by the organization and Moore will be an X-factor even if he doesn’t catch a single pass on offense. Which one of them would GM Brian Gutekunst release to keep Neyor (for example), who caught four passes on Thursday?

Tight Ends (3)

Today’s roster: Tucker Kraft, Josh Whyle, Luke Musgrave, Drake Dabney, Messiah Swinson, McCallan Castles, Thomas Yassmin (international).

Week 1 projection: Kraft, Whyle and TBA.

PUP: Musgrave.

What changed?: With a neck injury, the Packers will be in no rush to get Musgrave back on the field. Placing him on PUP to start the regular season seems to be the prudent decision. We had Swinson on the opening roster, as well, due to his potential as a blocker, but that hasn’t come to the forefront.

Tough decision: Dabney would be a decent fourth tight end with some developmental upside but there has to be a better option as a third tight end, especially when the star starter is coming off a torn ACL.

Obviously, the Packers could add a tight end from the waiver wire and keep four. There is a wild card out there in free agency.

Offensive Line (9)

Today’s roster: LT Jordan Morgan, LG Aaron Banks, C Sean Rhyan, RG Jacob Monk, RT Zach Bako-Bewele, T/G Anthony Belton, T/G Darian Kinnard, C/G Jager Burton, T/G/C John Williams, T/G Travis Glover, G/C Donovan Jennings, T Brant Banks, T Dalton Cooper, G Dillon Wade, G Josh Gesky, G/C Dylan Barrett.

Week 1 projection: Morgan, Banks, Rhyan, Monk, Bako-Bewele, Belton, Kinnard, Burton Williams.

What changed?: Williams in and Glover out.

Tough decision: As always, the bottom of the depth chart means the toughest decisions when rounding out an offensive line. It’s a given that the sixth man is going to play meaningful snaps. It’s also a likelihood that the seventh or even eighth man will get on the field, too. Last year, eight Packers linemen played at least 285 snaps; seven played at least 488.

Kinnard has been working at right guard after playing right tackle and blocking tight end last year. Williams started camp as a center and guard but has been locked in at left tackle. Jennings can play the three interior spots. Wade continues to get more run than the other undrafted rookies, Gesky and Barrett, so the coaches must see something in him.

We took Williams as the ninth lineman instead of Jennings because Williams was a seventh-round pick last year and is essentially a rookie this year. Always go with youth and upside, especially if that player has shown flashes of ability at left tackle. Jennings, who played well against the Steelers, was our 54th player.

As an aside, Morgan had a good night at left tackle.

Edge (5)

Pittsburgh Steelers running back Lew Nichols (35) looks to stiff arm Green Bay Packers defensive end Collin Oliver. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Today’s roster: Micah Parsons, Lukas Van Ness, Barryn Sorrell, Brenton Cox, Dani Dennis Sutton, Collin Oliver, Arron Mosby, Nyjalik Kelly.

Week 1 projection: Van Ness, Sorrell, Cox, Dennis-Sutton, Oliver.

PUP: Parsons.

What changed?: Nothing.

Tough decision: None, though it was interesting that only a couple defensive backs played more snaps than Kelly against the Steelers. Was that because they see something in Kelly, who received a big contract as an undrafted free agent? Or because Dennis-Sutton was out due to illness and the coaches elected to give those snaps to the undrafted rookie rather than their key players?

Defensive Tackles (6)

Today’s roster: Devonte Wyatt, Javon Hargrave, Karl Brooks, Warren Brinson, Nazir Stackhouse, Jonathan Ford, Chris McClellan, Anthony Campbell, Jaden Crumedy, Jordon Riley.

Week 1 projection: Wyatt, Hargrave, Brooks, Brinson, Stackhouse and McClellan.

PUP: Riley.

What changed?: Stackhouse in; Ford out.

Tough decision: The Packers are unexpectedly strong here. An argument could be made that every player on the depth chart will wind up on a 53-man roster this season.

Ford is a good player; he had a tackle for loss against the Steelers to highlight a really strong performance. He started ahead of Stackhouse on Thursday but that has not been the case at practice. Campbell was as active as ever until he exited with an injury; he teamed with Brinson for a tackle for loss. More testing will be done in Green Bay to get a handle on the severity. Crumedy had three tackles that limited the Steelers to 6 yards. He’s been sneaky solid all summer.

Maybe there’s a trade to be made with Brooks, who is on an expiring contract, to make room for Ford or Campbell.

Linebackers (5)

Today’s roster: Edgerrin Cooper, Zaire Franklin, Isaiah McDuffie, Ty’Ron Hopper, Nick Niemann, Kristian Welch, T.J. Quinn.

Week 1 projection: Cooper, Franklin, McDuffie, Hopper and Niemann.

What changed?: Nothing.

Tough decision: Linebacker, from top to bottom, is Green Bay’s strongest position. Niemann, a stud on special teams, played 14 snaps on defense before his night was over. Welch and Quinn played 30 apiece.

Cornerbacks (6)

Today’s roster: Keisean Nixon, Brandon Cisse, Benjamin St-Juste, Carrington Valentine, Kamal Hadden, Jaylin Simpson, Shemar Bartholomew, M.J. Devonshire, Domani Jackson.

Week 1 projection: Cisse, St-Juste, Valentine, Hadden and Simpson.

What changed?: Valentine in; Nixon out.

Tough decision: Maybe we are guilty of overreacting, but unless Nixon is going to come ready to play every day, maybe a trade would represent addition by subtraction. Nixon is a decent player – much better than he’s given credit for. He broke up a lot of passes and was a tremendous tackler last season, though he’s limited in coverage and guilty of far too many penalties.

The problem in moving on from Nixon is the young cornerbacks struggled. Simpson, who had been on a heater at training camp, had a rough night. That comes with the caveat that Simpson had been playing well at cornerback but was in the slot at Pittsburgh. Bartholmew and Devonshire were picked on by Drew Allar, though Bartholmew had a team-high three tackles on special teams.

Jackson, a sixth-round pick, missed the offseason practices after core-muscle surgery and is out again. But he is a talented prospect, which is why he’s the 53rd man on the roster ahead of a 10th lineman or a fourth tight end.

Safeties (5)

Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Robert Tonyan (83) runs after a catch against Green Bay Packers safety Mark Perry. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Today’s roster: Xavier McKinney, Evan Williams, Javon Bullard, Kitan Oladapo, Mark Perry, Murvin Kenion III, Trey Dean, Tra Fluellen.

Week 1 projection: McKinney, Williams, Bullard, Oladapo and Perry.

What changed?: Nothing.

Tough decision: What had been a three-man battle for the final spot between Perry, Kenion and Johnathan Baldwin is down to a two-man battle with this week’s release of Baldwin.

Perry and Kenion played with physicality, and Perry showed his toughness by returning after suffering an injury. Perry and Simpson wound up leading the team with 49 defensive snaps. Kenion had a team-high six tackles (and one pass breakup) and Perry had five, including a huge on for a fourth-and-goal stop.

Kenion is the best bet to extend Green Bay’s run to 22 consecutive seasons with at least one undrafted rookie making the opening 53. This will be a fight to the finish.

Specialists (3)

Today’s roster: K Trey Smack, P Daniel Whelan, LS Matt Orzech, LS Cal Adomitis.

Week 1 projection: Smack, Whelan and Orzech.

What changed?: Nothing.

Tough decision: The snapper decision has some intrigue. Smack has gotten into a bit of a groove with Adomitis filling in for the injured Orzech. Would the Packers decide to not upset the apple cart?

Our weekly Packers Overreactions are up, starting with the cornerback battle that disappeared at the end of the practice week. ⬇️https://t.co/9zigHD7LHc
— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) August 14, 2026

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