Packers 53-Man Roster, Practice Squad Predictions Before Preseason

Entering a big week with three practices and the preseason opener against the New York Jets, here is our second Packers roster projection, with a 53-man roster and 16-man practice squad.

Green Bay Packers safety Omar Brown intercepted three passes at Family Night. Will that be enough to get him on the 53? | Tork Mason / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

GREEN BAY, Wis. – On Aug. 26, the Green Bay Packers will have to cut their roster from 90 players to 53. A day later, they can form their 16-player practice squad.

Obviously, with three preseason games and two joint practices coming up, a lot can happen over the next three weeks. On the other hand, only seven of 16 training camp practices remain, so time is running short.

Here is our second Packers roster projection, with predictions on who will make the roster and practice squad for a 70-player roster.

Quarterbacks (4)

Veterans: Jordan Love, Malik Willis, Sean Clifford.

Rookies/first-year: Taylor Elgersma.

On the 53 (2): Jordan Love, Malik Willis.

Practice squad (1): Elgersma.

What changed: Nothing.

Why: The Packers are in an enviable position with Love as the starter and with Willis having proven he can win games off the bench.

Tough decision: This is Clifford’s third training camp so, obviously, he’d be more game-ready than Elgersma. This position is about the long term, though. At this point, the Packers know everything there is to know about Clifford. Is there some sort of untapped potential? Or can Elgersma eventually be better through patience and coaching?

Running Backs (7)

Veterans: Josh Jacobs, MarShawn Lloyd, Emanuel Wilson, Chris Brooks, Israel Abanikanda.

Rookies/first-year: Amar Johnson, Jalen White.

On the 53 (4): Jacobs, Lloyd, Wilson, Brooks.

Practice squad (1): Johnson.

What changed: Moving Brooks from the practice squad to the 53.

Why: Lloyd, a third-round pick last year, is injured. Again. The Packers have great expectations for the explosive runner but they’d be foolish to put too many eggs into his basket. Thus, a fourth back is practically a necessity. Brooks’ value showed on one of the first plays of Family Night, when he stepped up to take on the blitz to allow Jordan Love to complete a pass. His ability to be a tackle-breaking running back and effective fullback will be valuable.

Tough decision: The practice squad. The preseason and joint practices will determine whether Johnson or White, a pair of undrafted free agents, or Abanikanda, a fifth-round pick by the Jets in 2023, is worthy of a year of development. Maybe Johnson’s speed will give him the edge.

Receivers (12)

Veterans: Romeo Doubs, Christian Watson, Jayden Reed, Dontayvion Wicks, Malik Heath, Mecole Hardman.

Rookies/first-year: Matthew Golden, Savion Williams, Julian Hicks, Cornelius Johnson, Sam Brown, Will Sheppard.

On the 53 (6): Doubs, Reed, Wicks, Golden, Williams, Hardman.

Green Bay Packers wide receiver Mecole Hardman (6) catches a pass during practice on Thursday at training camp. | Tork Mason / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

On PUP: Watson (ACL).

Practice squad (2): Heath, Brown.

What changed: Picking Hardman over Heath.

Why: The No. 6 receiver – perhaps a placeholder until Watson is back – might not be so much about picking the best receiver as much as it’s filling the most important need.

Tough decision: Watson isn’t just a size-speed receiver. He’s also an excellent blocker. Heath could happily fill that role. With Reed, Golden and Hardman, the Packers would be small at receiver. Organizationally, taking Keisean Nixon and Reed off returns makes sense. Hardman has a strong track record as a returner. Perhaps the Packers can re-sign Heath to the practice squad and elevate him to the gameday roster, especially if Williams isn’t quite ready for primetime.

Just like at running back, the young-receiver role for the practice squad will be determined by the preseason games. An ankle injury derailed Brown’s strong start, and Johnson and Sheppard have taken advantage. Sheppard seems comfortable fielding punts, for what it’s worth.

Tight Ends (6)

Veterans: Tucker Kraft, Luke Musgrave, Ben Sims, John FitzPatrick.

Rookies/first-year: Messiah Swinson, Johnny Lumpkin.

On the 53 (3): Kraft, Musgrave, FitzPatrick.

Green Bay Packers tight end Tucker Kraft slaps hands with young fans as he rides a bicycle to practice on Thursday. | Tork Mason / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Practice squad (1): Sims.

What changed: FitzPatrick over Sims on the 53; Sims over Swinson on the practice squad.

Why: FitzPatrick’s size screams physical blocker. That he made a couple of impressive catches on offense this week shows he can be more than just an extra offensive tackle.

Tough decision: If the choice does wind up being FitzPatrick, there’s probably not much reason to bring back Swinson, who had a brief stay on Carolina’s 53 last year before returning to Green Bay’s practice squad. Sims is a quality prospect who should be an asset on special teams. If the Packers need him to play, he’ll be ready.

Offensive Line (16)

Veterans: LT Rasheed Walker, LG Aaron Banks, C Elgton Jenkins, RG Sean Rhyan, RT Zach Tom, T/G Jordan Morgan, T/G Kadeem Telfort, T/G Travis Glover, C/G Jacob Monk, C Trey Hill.

Rookies/first-year: T Anthony Belton, G/T John Williams, G/C Donovan Jennings, T Brant Banks, G Tyler Cooper, G J.J. Lippe.

On the 53 (9): Walker, Banks, Jenkins, Rhyan, Tom, Morgan, Belton, Monk, Glover.

Practice squad (4): Williams, Jennings, Cooper, Banks.

What changed: Glover to the 53; releasing Telfort and Williams.

Why: Glover, who bombed when thrown into the fire against the Eagles in the playoffs, took a bunch of first-team reps at the start of training camp when injuries forced Sean Rhyan to play center. So, the Packers haven’t given up on him. He was off to a strong start – certainly much stronger than Telfort. Williams (back) still hasn’t practiced.

Tough decision: Releasing Williams. In 2022, Walker was a seventh-round pick. He missed most of his rookie training camp, returned late and snuck onto the 53. That was a great decision by general manager Brian Gutekunst, whose foresight was rewarded with a starting left tackle. So, maybe it’s not too late for Williams.

Based on nine practices and with the preseason coming up, here's a look at the #Packers' depth charts. ⬇️https://t.co/fp0alZ1qcQ

— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) August 4, 2025

Defensive Ends (8)

Veterans: Rashan Gary, Lukas Van Ness, Kingsley Enagbare, Brenton Cox, Arron Mosby.

Rookies/first-year: Barryn Sorrell, Collin Oliver, Deslin Alexandre.

On the 53 (6): Gary, Van Ness, Enagbare, Cox, Sorrell, Oliver.

Practice squad (1): Mosby.

What changed: Nothing.

Why: Oliver, a fifth-round pick this year, missed most of his final season at Oklahoma State and still hasn’t practiced with the Packers. Still, he’s a fifth-round draft pick. It’d be unusual for Gutekunst to give up on a player so quickly, especially a prospect who could impact the pass rush.

Tough decision: None, though Mosby proved to be a reliable role player last year.

Defensive Tackles (8)

Veterans: Kenny Clark, Devonte Wyatt, Karl Brooks, Colby Wooden.

Rookies/first-year: Warren Brinson, Nazir Stackhouse, James Ester, Keith Randolph.

On the 53 (5): Clark, Wyatt, Brooks, Brinson, Stackhouse

Green Bay Packers defensive tackle Devonte Wyatt (95) celebrates his sack Tennessee Titans Will Levis (8) last season. | Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

Practice squad (1): Randolph.

What changed: Replacing Wooden with Stackhouse.

Why: It’s impossible to ignore what happened last week at practice, with Stackhouse taking second-team reps with Brooks. Stackhouse’s size, obviously, could help replace TJ Slaton, who was one of the big cogs in last year’s high-quality run defense.

Tough decision: If it works out this way, the Packers would have three veterans and two rookies on the 53. That might not be ideal. In this scenario, Wooden would be an obvious practice-squad target, but maybe he’d prefer another opportunity.

Linebackers (8)

Veterans: Quay Walker, Isaiah McDuffie, Edgerrin Cooper, Ty’Ron Hopper, Kristian Welch, Isaiah Simmons.

Rookies/first-year: Jamon Johnson, Jared Bartlett.

On the 53 (5): Cooper, Walker, McDuffie, Hopper, Simmons.

Practice squad (1): Johnson.

What changed: Nothing.

Why: The Packers appear to have plans for Simmons, who has worked all summer with the starters as Walker works his way back from offseason ankle surgery. Frequently, Simmons aligns as a linebacker before moving to the line of scrimmage. The eighth pick of the 2020 draft has obvious talent that defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley seems eager to use.

Tough decision: The Packers are loaded at linebacker. Welch is a proven player on special teams. Johnson, an undrafted free agent, has been solid throughout training camp and made a couple impact run stops on Family Night. Even Bartlett, who was signed last week, has shown a nose for the ball. It wouldn’t be a surprise if all eight players on this depth chart wind up playing this year – whether it’s with the Packers or another team.

Cornerbacks (11)

Green Bay Packers cornerback Carrington Valentine (24) high-fives fans on his way to practice at training camp. | Jovanny Hernandez / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Veterans: Keisean Nixon, Carrington Valentine, Nate Hobbs, Bo Melton, Isaiah Dunn, Corey Ballentine.

Rookies/first year: Kamal Hadden, Kalen King, Micah Robinson, Tyron Herring, Garnett Hollis.

On the 53 (5): Nixon, Valentine, Hobbs, Melton, King.

Practice squad (2): Ballentine, Robinson.

What changed: Acknowledging the Melton experiment and swapping King for Hadden.

Why: Melton continues to be one of the stories of training camp. Sure, the lack of proven depth at cornerback is a reason, but he continues to take No. 2 reps. In a sink-or-swim move from receiver, Melton is swimming. It’s possible he’s succeeding because he’s making a bunch of educated guesses based on his knowledge of Green Bay’s offense. The preseason games and joint practices will determine whether the Packers can trust him to play meaningful snaps against Joe Burrow or Jared Goff.

Tough decision: King over Hadden and Robinson in the late-round battle royale for a last spot on the roster. The Packers love versatile players; King can play inside and outside. He is a much better player compared to last year. Hafley would be smart to give those guys some reps against the starters in joint practices against the Colts and Seahawks.

Safeties (7)

Veterans: Xavier McKinney, Evan Williams, Javon Bullard, Zayne Anderson, Omar Brown.

Rookies/first-year: Omar Brown, Johnathan Baldwin.

On the 53 (5): McKinney, Williams, Bullard, Anderson, Brown.

Practice squad (2): Oladapo, Baldwin.

What changed: Brown over Oladapo on the 53.

Why: How can you ignore Brown’s three interceptions on Family Night? Or his team-high five interceptions during training camp. If his strong play continues into the preseason, he’ll be almost impossible to keep off the 53.

Tough decision: Oladapo was a fifth-round pick last year and he’s spent most of training camp paired with Anderson with the No. 2 defense. He’s still big and fast. He still should be a weapon on special teams – but that hasn’t happened yet. Baldwin is one of this year’s big-money undrafted rookies. Listed as a corner, he’s been anchored at safety but there’s some safety-slot ability worth exploring.

Specialists (4)

Veterans: K Brandon McManus, P Daniel Whelan, LS Matt Orzech.

Rookie: K Mark McNamee.

On the 53 (3): McManus, Whelan, Orzech.

On the practice squad (1): McNamee.

Tough decision: None.

What changed: Nothing.

Why: McManus is having an incredible training camp, Whelan is a weapon and Orzech has been money on his snaps. McNamee is the Packers’ International Player Pathway player, meaning he’s eligible for a season-long roster exemption on the practice squad.