The bubble battles: Plenty at stake for Packers in preseason finale

For the Green Bay Packers, training camp is like a horse race and the announcer is exclaiming, “And down the stretch they come!”

There are battles at every position, with a strong stretch run perhaps taking those players over the finish line. With that, here’s a look at what’s at stake in the roster run for the roses this week and in Thursday’s preseason game against Kansas City.

Quarterback: DeShone Kizer or Tim Boyle? By the scoreboard, Boyle has led the Packers to 45 points compared to only 10 for Kizer in three preseason games. The evaluation goes beyond that, according to quarterbacks coach Luke Getsy, as they battle to be Rodgers’ primary backup – or only backup.

“It’s an every-day evaluation,” he said. “It’s hard to compare apples to apples within a preseason game when you’re playing with different people and you’re playing against different people. But that still is part of it because there’s still that element of getting a play call and going and executing a play call. So, there’s no doubt that’s a part of the evaluation. But the amount of opportunities we’ve given both of them in practice – in competitive environments against our really good defense – I think we’d be fools to not let that be a huge part of the evaluation.”

Running back: Dexter Williams or Tra Carson or Keith Ford? Who will emerge as the No. 3 back? Carson is like a minivan – safe and reliable. Williams is like a sports car – flashy but prone to malfunction. Ford is like an import – promising but unknown.

“He’s better than he was before but still needs to work to hit that plateau that we want when we say, ‘We feel really great about him in this situation,” running backs coach Ben Sirmans said of Williams, a sixth-round pick. “So he’s making progress in that direction. Some guys, they come out, boom, they get it right away no issues, no problems. And some guys, it just takes them a little bit to get to where you want them to go. The biggest thing is he’s putting forth the time into it because those guys know we have to be able to trust you out there on the field. That’s part of our deal in that room. He’s making progress toward being at that level where we say, ‘OK, this guy is good to go.’”

Receiver: Allen Lazard or Darrius Shepherd? Let’s assume Jake Kumerow is the fourth receiver, receiver/returner Trevor Davis won a job against Oakland and the Packers save a roster spot for Equanimeous St. Brown, who’s been rolling through the locker room on a scooter after suffering an ankle injury against Oakland. With St. Brown eating up a roster spot, the Packers probably have to carry a seventh receiver on the 53. Lazard and Shepherd have played well enough to earn that spot. Then again, both players went undrafted – Lazard in 2018 and Shepherd in 2019 – and the odds might be in Green Bay’s favor that it can get both on the practice squad.

“Both of those young men have a really high football IQ. I’d say that’s the biggest thing,” receivers coach Alvis Whitted said. “No stage is too big for either of them. Shep, I really love what he brings to the table as far as his toughness, his willingness to do anything on the football field to help this team win. Same things for Allen. Allen can play many different positions on the field and can function in this offense in many facets. The thing I really like about Allen, what separates him is he’s being more physical in the run game. He’s establishing his physicality in the run game and knows what we’re trying to get accomplished from a run standpoint and how it marries up with the play pass. He’s done a great job.”

Tight end: None. With coach Matt LaFleur’s desire to run the football, veteran Marcedes Lewis figures to make the roster to fill the role of blocker.

“I’m going to brag on him a little bit,” Rodgers said. “He’s really transformed his body, I think. He looks leaner, stronger and he’s running well. I really give him a lot of credit for an older guy to come back in the shape he did. He put a hell of a lot of work in. He’s going to be an important part of our squad and our locker room with his leadership.”

Offensive line: Lane Taylor? Will Taylor start at left guard or will that role be handed to second-round pick Elgton Jenkins? “It’s been cool to watch both guys really step their game up,” offensive line coach Adam Stenavich said.

If Taylor’s not the starter, will the Packers keep Taylor for valuable depth or will they try to move him as part of getting down to 53 players on Saturday? Not that Taylor’s contract is especially expensive but a combined $3.1 million in base salary and weekly roster bonuses would make him a relatively pricy backup.

Defensive line: Fadol Brown? There’s little doubt run-stopping Tyler Lancaster and promising Kingsley Keke will prove the depth. Is there room for Fadol Brown? Brown missed most of training camp with a calf injury and hasn’t played in the preseason. His ability to play on the edge and inside would be valuable, but outside linebackers Za’Darius Smith and Rashan Gary can rush from the inside, so do the Packers really need six defensive linemen?

Outside linebacker: Reggie Gilbert or Randy Ramsey? With Smith and Gary part of the interior rush, the Packers probably need to keep five. Gilbert has the track record and has been the better performer in the preseason, but he’s also battling a knee injury. Ramsey has flashed just enough of his burst around the edge to be part of the conversation.

Inside linebacker: Ty Summers or Brady Sheldon or TBA? This group is a mess behind Blake Martinez. While Oren Burks will avoid surgery on his torn pectoral, there’s no guarantee he’ll be back soon or be effective upon his return. Undrafted rookie Curtis Bolton is out indefinitely, as well, with a knee injury. That leaves only special-teams standout James Crawford, seventh-round pick Summers, rangy first-year player Sheldon and waiver-wire pickup Nicholas Grigsby (who still isn’t officially on the roster). Really, beyond Martinez and, perhaps, Crawford, it’s anyone’s guess at this point. Crawford won a job in last year’s preseason finale with a dominant performance on special teams. Could history repeat itself? Summers’ sure-tackling performance vs. Oakland was a step in the right direction.

Defensive back: Chandon Sullivan or Natrell Jamerson or Will Redmond? Let’s say Jaire Alexander, Kevin King, Tramon Williams, Tony Brown, Josh Jackson and sixth-round pick Ka’Dar Hollman make it at cornerback, and Adrian Amos, Darnell Savage and Raven Greene make it at safety. That’s nine defensive backs. Is there room for a versatile 10th?

Sullivan is tied for the NFL preseason lead with five passes defensed but also has yielded two touchdowns. He’s a corner who can play safety. Redmond, a No. 1 on special teams, is a safety who can play corner. The athletic Jamerson is a safety who can play in the slot, though his performance against Oakland is sure to work against him.

“Everything just happened so fast, but with this business, you have to be ready to work as soon as you get here,” said Sullivan, who played 87 defensive snaps as an undrafted free agent for the Eagles last season but was released after this year’s draft. “As soon as I got here, I just tried to learn the playbook as fast as I can. It’s a little different here. I’m not just playing corner here. I’m playing nickel and I’ve been playing safety, too. I’m just trying to learn the defense the best I can.”

Specialists: Mason Crosby or Sam Ficken or TBA? Hunter Bradley or TBA? The safe money is the Packers will head to Chicago with a battery of Crosby as the kicker, JK Scott as the punter/holder and Bradley as the snapper. However, Bradley’s inconsistent accuracy remains an issue. Scott had to grab a low snap on a punt against the Raiders. One especially bad snap against the Chiefs could have the Packers scanning the waiver wire.

“Hunter’s snap locations were an issue in the past as far as where he was being asked to snap to,” special teams coordinator Shawn Mennenga said recently. “We’ve changed that and I think he’s more comfortable with that. His snap location has been a lot better and the operation continues to get better.”

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