Packers’ Week 18 Depth Chart Is Unrecognizable Compared to Week 9

GREEN BAY, Wis. – There’s no truth to the rumor that, before handing out this week’s game plan, Green Bay Packers coach Matt LaFleur handed out those, “Hello, My Name Is …” stickers.

The Packers have made 17 roster moves this week. With some last-minute tinkering on Saturday before facing the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, that number will surely reach 20.

“Yeah, it’s not the first time this has happened,” LaFleur said on Friday. “I’ve been a part of teams where we’ve kind of taken this approach in the past. Like I tell the guys, nobody cares about the circumstance. All they care about is what you do when you go out there.

“So, it’s really upon each individual to go out there and put their best foot forward and put good stuff on tape, because it takes all 11. We talk about it all the time. I can’t do my job if my buddy’s not doing his job. So, it’s just that focus of going out there, owning your responsibility, knowing the detail in which you’ve got to do it and then going to execute.”

The Packers seem intent to treat this game like a preseason game. But there are limitations. There’s only a 53-man roster and only two players can be elevated from the practice squad. So, there will be some holding of breaths that the young players won’t just be competitive. They can be durable.

In Week 9, the Packers hosted the Carolina Panthers. That team is practically unrecognizable compared to the one that will wrap up the regular season in Minneapolis.

Quarterbacks

Full Depth Chart Before Carolina: Jordan Love, Malik Willis.

Noteworthy for Sunday: Clayton Tune, who spent most of the season on the practice squad, will start. Desmond Ridder, who was signed to the practice squad this week, could be the No. 2 if the team opts to keep valuable backup Malik Willis on the bench to rest his sore right shoulder. Willis is questionable.

Running Backs

Full Depth Chart Before Carolina: Josh Jacobs, Emanuel Wilson, Chris Brooks.

Noteworthy for Sunday: To get Jacobs ready for the playoffs, the Packers will roll with Wilson and Brooks. Pierre Strong is out of practice squad elevations so would have to be signed to the 53-man roster to give the team a third running back. That would necessitate another move to create that roster spot.

Receivers

Full Depth Chart Before Carolina: Romeo Doubs, Christian Watson, Matthew Golden, Dontayvion Wicks, Malik Heath, Savion Williams.

Green Bay Packers wide receiver Matthew Golden (0) runs with the ball against Chicago Bears cornerback Nahshon Wright. | Mike Dinovo-Imagn Images

Noteworthy for Sunday: Golden, the first-round pick, could have his day in the sun as the No. 1 receiver by default. Wicks is in the concussion protocol and is doubtful, Williams didn’t practice the last two days and will miss a second consecutive game and Heath is no longer on the team.

Bo Melton, who had a 100-yard receiving game at Minnesota two years ago, could be a featured player this week. At least one of the rookies on the practice squad, Will Sheppard, Isaiah Neyor and Jakobie Keeney-James, will be elevated from practice squad. It could be Sheppard, who had a brief stint on the 53.

The Packers probably can’t keep Doubs, Watson and Jayden Reed, who was on injured reserve for the Carolina game, all in street clothes unless they elevate two of the rookies, but that would come at the cost of bolstering other positions.

“That’s not really up to me,” Reed said. “My job is just do what's called and do what the coaches tell me to do. I'm here to do whatever help the team win.”

Tight Ends

Full Depth Chart Before Carolina: Tucker Kraft, Luke Musgrave, John FitzPatrick.

Noteworthy for Sunday: With the irreplaceable Kraft suffering a torn ACL against Carolina and with FitzPatrick out with a torn Achilles, Musgrave and Josh Whyle are the last men standing. Whyle was promoted to the 53 when Kraft was injured and has run ahead of Musgrave in some games.

Drake Dabney is on the practice squad and could be elevated again.

Offensive Line

Full Depth Chart Before Carolina: LT Rasheed Walker, LG Aaron Banks, C Elgton Jenkins, RG Jordan Morgan, RT Zach Tom as starters; LT Jordan Morgan, LG Donovan Jennings, C Sean Rhyan, RG Darian Kinnard, RT Anthony Belton, C Jacob Monk as backups.

Noteworthy for Sunday: Since the Carolina game, Jenkins is on injured reserve and Morgan lost the job at right guard. Tom missed the last two games at right tackle and was replaced by Morgan, who clearly is a better tackle than guard.

Morgan could get the start at left tackle, which would serve as an audition in case Walker leaves in free agency this offseason. If Morgan starts at left tackle, Kinnard could start at right tackle. That would eliminate the Kinnard-at-tight-end role and almost ensure that Dabney would be elevated again.

Had Jennings not suffered an injured throat at practice, the smart money might be on a line of Morgan at left tackle, Jennings at left guard, Monk at center, Belton at right tackle and Kinnard at right tackle. Jennings it out for Sunday, though, which could put Lecitus Smith in play to go from the practice squad to the starting lineup.

Defensive Ends

Full Depth Chart Before Carolina: Micah Parsons, Rashan Gary, Kingsley Enagbare, Lukas Van Ness, Barryn Sorrell.

Noteworthy for Sunday: Parsons suffered a torn ACL at Denver. The Packers lost that game as well as games against Chicago and Baltimore for a three-game losing streak. Gary keeps playing, though you’d never know it.

The Packers have a lot of depth here, so they could roll with Enagbare, Van Ness, Brenton Cox, Barryn Sorrell, Collin Oliver and Arron Mosby, with a heavy focus on the young players. This will be Oliver’s debut after he missed the offseason practices, training camp and the first 16 games. Mosby is a top player on special teams.

Green Bay Packers defensive linemen Barryn Sorrell (99) and Nazir Stackhouse celebrate a play against the Arizona Cardinals. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Defensive Tackles

Full Depth Chart Before Carolina: Devonte Wyatt, Colby Wooden, Karl Brooks, Nazir Stackhouse, Warren Brinson.

Noteworthy for Sunday: With Wyatt out for the season, Wooden and Brooks have been the main cogs at the position. Brinson has stepped into a larger role, Stackhouse has been a healthy scratch the last four games and Jonathan Ford was claimed off waivers this week.

Stackhouse and Ford, a seventh-round pick by the Packers in 2022 who didn’t play in a game during his two-and-a-half seasons with the team, almost surely will have key rolea as the Packers limit (or rest) Wooden and Brooks.

Linebackers

Full Depth Chart Before Carolina: Quay Walker, Edgerrin Cooper, Isaiah McDuffie, Ty’Ron Hopper, Nick Niemann.

Noteworthy for Sunday: Isaiah McDuffie and Ty’Ron Hopper are in line to get a lot of snaps. Cooper and/or Walker will have to be active, unless the Packers elevate rookie Jamon Johnson. But, again, only two players can be elevated. Niemann remains on injured reserve and was hoping to be activated for the playoffs.

Cornerbacks

Full Depth Chart Before Carolina: Keisean Nixon, Nate Hobbs, Carrington Valentine, Bo Melton, Kamal Hadden.

Noteworthy for Sunday: This will be an intriguing position. Nixon could get the week off to get ready for the playoffs. With Hobbs and Hadden on injured reserve, Melton finally could get his first snaps on defense and put him in a three-way role with action at receiver and on special teams, as well.

Green Bay Packers cornerback Bo Melton (16) returns a kickoff against the Baltimore Ravens at Lambeau Field. | Kayla Wolf-Imagn Images

The depth chart was replenished by adding Trevon Diggs off waivers from Dallas and signing Jaylin Simpson and Shemar Bartholomew off the practice squad. Along with Valentine, the Packers will cobble together a secondary to contend with Justin Jefferson. It could wind up being some sort of combination of Valentine, Diggs and Melton at corner with Simpson in the slot.

Safeties

Full Depth Chart Before Carolina: Xavier McKinney, Evan Williams, Javon Bullard, Zayne Anderson, Kitan Oladapo.

Noteworthy for Sunday: McKinney and Williams almost certainly will get the day off. McKinney is one of the team’s best players and Williams has been playing through a knee injury. Bullard has been excellent in the slot.

Oladapo probably will make his first career start; he played well in the finale against Chicago last year. With Anderson going on injured reserve this week, the Packers promoted Johnathan Baldwin from the practice squad. He’ll probably have a key role.

Special Teams

Nothing has changed at kicker, punter and long snapper. Everything else, though, could be impacted. As the saying (sort of) says, poop goes downstream. Rich Bisaccia’s units will be impacted by all the moving parts and roster additions.

“Our guys have done a really good job over the past 15, 16 weeks of when they’re on the show team, we’re putting them in position to do what we think they can do if the opportunity comes where they have to come up for whatever the reason,” Bisaccia said.

“I think this week’s practice has really been no different. They’ve gotten work at positions that they could possibly play at if they have to come up and play for us. But I think the challenge for us is to make sure that we can do a good job of whoever is up, play within the system and still make tackles and still protect the punter and still protect the return guys on the back end.”

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