Breaking Down Packers’ Initial 53-Man Roster

Here is a position-by-position look at the Green Bay Packers' roster following the formation of the 53-man roster on Tuesday.

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst picked a 53-man roster on Tuesday. It might not necessarily be the 53 the team takes into Week 1 at New Orleans but it’s the one the team took onto the practice field on Tuesday.

Here’s a look at where things stand, with the potential for some revisions later this week.

Quarterback

Made it: Aaron Rodgers, Jordan Love

Didn’t make it: Kurt Benkert

Analysis: The Packers rolled the dice that Benkert won’t be lost on waivers and instead will join the practice squad. Benkert wasn’t great in the preseason but he does have some tools worth grooming for another four-plus months to see if he’s perhaps worthy of being the backup to Love if Rodgers doesn’t return for 2022. The NFL might not be filled with great backup quarterbacks but Benkert’s not a great backup quarterback, either. So, chances are, Green Bay won’t roll snake-eyes.

“I think he proved that this preseason,” quarterbacks coach Luke Getsy said when asked if Benkert is a legit quarterback. “I don’t remember watching a lot of Kurt before he got here, but I think since he got here, he’s gotten better every single day. I think he handled our offense. The moment’s not too big for him. He handles the communication, he handles the guys really well. So, yeah, I was very pleased with Kurt’s progression throughout the short time he’s been here. I think he’s been really good for us.”

Running back

Made it: Aaron Jones, AJ Dillon, Kylin Hill

Didn’t make it: Dexter Williams, Patrick Taylor

Analysis: At risk of trivializing the decisions that were made on Tuesday, picking the running back group might have taken general manager Brian Gutekunst a good 10 or 15 seconds. Jones, Dillon and Hill were locks; Williams and Taylor didn’t do nearly enough to force the team to keep a fourth. The question wasn’t about the group of running backs the Packers would keep but how they’ll incorporate those running backs into this year’s offense. Hill has shown he’s worthy of touching the ball but how will coach Matt LaFleur accomplish that without limiting Jones and Dillon?

“It all comes down to different choices,” LaFleur said on Sunday. “What do you choose? What do you want to do? And how are you going to get all these guys the ball? That’s something that we weigh each and every week, and I think a lot of times it has a way of naturally kind of working itself out. You’d rather have a lot of playmakers than no playmakers.”

Receiver

Made it: Davante Adams, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Allen Lazard, Randall Cobb, Malik Taylor, Amari Rodgers

Didn’t make it: Reggie Begelton, Equanimeous St. Brown, Juwann Winfree, Damon Hazelton

Analysis: The Packers didn’t need to keep four running backs, so they did not. The Packers also didn’t need to keep six receivers, but they did. Taylor won his spot on the 53-man roster every day on the practice field and throughout the preseason. He led the exhibition slate in receiving yards and receiving first downs. Added together, it’s a group that quarterback Aaron Rodgers is legit excited about.

“When you look at those four receivers that we have at the top of the depth chart, pretty special,” Rodgers said last week. “You got the best guy in the league, you got three incredible role players – and that’s said with utmost amount of respect. All three of them (are) very settled, stable guys mentally off the field, and that allows them to be very focused competitors on the field. I think Allen and Marquez and Randall have had really good camps. They each bring a lot of different things to the table, (and) those guys have been a big part of us kind of gelling on offense.”

Tight ends

Made it: Robert Tonyan, Marcedes Lewis, Josiah Deguara, Dominique Dafney

Didn’t make it: Jace Sternberger (suspension), Bronson Kaufusi

Analysis: This was a no-brainer position group. Moving forward, will the Packers keep Sternberger following his season-opening two-game suspension? Perhaps the injury report following the Week 2 home game against Detroit will make that decision.

The top of the depth chart is strong. Tonyan, in particular, had a spectacular camp, and all four were contributors last season.

“It’s been awesome because you can have those outside-the-box questions for those guys,” tight ends coach Justin Outten said. “It’s been really, really exciting just so they can see the big picture. You start to expand their eyes, and you’re not just looking at your position, you’re looking across the board. You’re testing them. We play the ‘what-if game’ all the time. The ‘what-if game’ is, ‘What if that happens in this play, what is your answer?’ and they’ve got to come up with it right away. It’s taken off now because the younger guys are going, ‘What if?’ and it’ll start a great conversation.”

Offensive line

Made it: Elgton Jenkins, Lucas Patrick, Josh Myers, Royce Newman, Billy Turner, Dennis Kelly, Yosh Nijman, Jon Runyan, Jake Hanson

Didn’t make it: David Bakhtiari (PUP), Ben Braden, Cole Van Lanen, Coy Cronk, Jacob Capra

Analysis: The biggest question entering Tuesday was what the Packers would do with Bakhtiari. Turns out, it really wasn’t a decision at all. Bakhtiari is exactly eight months removed from last year’s torn ACL and is not ready for the 53-man roster. And short-term injured reserve wasn’t an option, either. So, he’ll spend at least the first six weeks of the regular season on the physically unable to perform list. That doesn’t necessarily mean Bakhtiari will be back in the lineup for Week 7 against Washington. Instead, he can’t even start practicing until after the Week 6 game at Chicago. That means arguably the best offensive lineman in the NFL will miss half the season, give or take a week.

They’re fortunate to have Jenkins, a Pro Bowl guard who looks like a capable left tackle. And they’re fortunate to have Kelly, a 10-year pro who can provide depth. But Jenkins isn’t as good as Bakhtiari at left tackle, Patrick isn’t as good as Jenkins at left guard, rookie Josh Myers isn’t as good as All-Pro Corey Linsley at center and who knows if Newman will be as good as Patrick last year at right guard.

The big surprise among the cuts was Hanson making the roster over Braden.

Heflin or Lancaster?
Why not both? https://t.co/3776dnctUH

— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) August 31, 2021

Defensive line

Made it: Kenny Clark, Dean Lowry, Kingsley Keke, TJ Slaton, Tyler Lancaster, Jack Heflin

Didn’t make it: Willington Previlon, Carlo Kemp, Abduallah Anderson

Analysis: Instead of Lancaster or Heflin, the Packers are going heavy on the defensive line with Lancaster and Heflin. Lancaster missed the end of training camp and the preseason with an injured elbow, so perhaps that’s why Green Bay kept six instead of five. But Heflin turned in a high-quality camp and preseason. He earned a spot; it was not given to him.

As noted by Packers.com’s Wes Hodkiewicz, Heflin extends the team’s streak to 17 consecutive years in which an undrafted free agent won a spot on the roster coming out of camp. Heflin was aware of that history.

“(Defensive line) coach Montgomery in the pre-draft process, he did a really good job,” Heflin said. “Him and I, we talked. He’s a (Iowa) Hawkeye, too. He played with my D-line coach at Iowa. I just felt really comfortable knowing that I’m going to go play for someone who has the same values as me. We share some of the same experiences in the past. I just know he’s going to coach me hard and that’s what I want. I want to have someone who’s going to coach me hard and develop me, because being an undrafted guy, that’s the key to sticking around is developing. That’s the main reason why I came here.”

Outside linebacker

Made it: Za’Darius Smith, Preston Smith, Rashan Gary, Jonathan Garvin, Chauncey Rivers

Didn’t make it: Tipa Galeai, Delonate Scott

Analysis: With Za’Darius Smith’s availability for Week 1 in at least some doubt, the Packers went with five. Gary and Preston Smith will be the workhorses, and Garvin and Rivers will provide the depth. They’ll also have to be weapons on special teams.

“He’s one guy I’m really impressed with,” position coach Mike Smith said of Garvin, a seventh-round pick last year who barely played as a rookie because of special teams. “Last year, he didn’t play as much – and that’s special teams. He got beat down a lot by people (saying), ‘Oh, he’s not out there because he’s not very good.’ Garvin’s a damn good football player. The one thing I love about him is he knows who he is. He’s not going to go out there and try to be flashy and do all this finesse stuff. It’s his strength. You can ask any of those offensive linemen; they struggle with him. There’s a lot of things that we’ve got to clean up with him, and he’s still learning – a lot like Rashan was his first year – but he’s going to be a damn good football player.”

Inside linebacker

Made it: Krys Barnes, De’Vondre Campbell, Oren Burks, Ty Summers, Isaiah McDuffie

Didn’t make it: Ray Wilborn, De’Jon Harris

Analysis: A sixth-round pick this year, McDuffie missed the first half of training camp with a hamstring injury, then came on like a freight train to win a roster spot. He was excellent in the preseason finale at Buffalo to force his way onto the team as the fifth inside linebacker.

“Feels great,” he said after collecting nine tackles vs. the Bills. “It’s a lot of just staying-in-it mentally. So, when I got back, I was able to hit it full steam ahead. I feel like that was a big factor, taking it one day at a time. Just anticipating when I get back being able to do what I have to do.”

It will be interesting to see if Barnes or Campbell will be the every-down linebacker or if they’ll rotate in that role based on personnel packages and matchups.

Cornerback

Made it: Jaire Alexander, Kevin King, Eric Stokes, Chandon Sullivan, Isaac Yiadom, Shemar Jean-Charles

Didn’t make it: Kabion Ento, Stephen Denmark, Rojesterman Farris

Analysis: In the battle of Yiadom vs. Ento, the Packers went with special teams. A receiver-turned-cornerback, Ento was the better player in coverage, had the higher overall ceiling and the lower price tag. But Yiadom is the better tackler and that, at the end of the day, is what the sixth cornerback will be tasked with doing – tackling people on special teams.

A third-round pick in 2018 who was acquired from the Giants in a trade involving Josh Jackson, this is Yiadom’s third team in four seasons.

“I’ve got some good people around me and there’s always positivity around me,” he said. “Good friends, good family, so when you’ve got good people around you, they try to keep your mental up. At the end of the day, you’ve got to think of it as, it’s just football. You’ve just got to have fun. Like, when we were young, we made it this far because we played it for fun. In college, it was fun. The fun is in winning. In the NFL, you’re getting paid. That’s the only difference. But it’s still fun. And if you’re not having fun, you’re not going to make it. You’ve just got to find the fun in football.”

Safety

Made it: Adrian Amos, Darnell Savage, Henry Black, Vernon Scott

Didn’t make it: Innis Gaines, Christian Uphoff

Analysis: On the defensive line, the outside viewpoint was that it was Lancaster vs. Heflin for the final spot. Ultimately, it was both. It was the opposite story at safety. The outside viewpoint was that it was Gaines vs. Uphoff for the final spot. Ultimately, it was neither. So, the Packers will go with two members of the Class of 2020: Black, an undrafted free agent, had an understatedly solid training camp as the No. 3 safety and No. 6 defensive back. Scott, a seventh-round pick, was off to a good start before a hamstring injury shut him down for the second half of camp.

“I think he’s ready,” said Summers, a teammate of Scott at TCU. “We both went through the same thing at TCU under coach Gary Patterson. We’re ready for anything. I feel like over there, you create this blue-collar mind-set of, ‘I’m going to find a way to get it done.’ Perfection is what needs to happen at all times. That’s the only thing that matters. The reality is perfection going to happen all the time? No. But, absolutely, if something happened and he needed to go in there, I think he would be do exactly what it takes to help us win ballgames.”

Specialists

Once upon a time, "The Minister of Defense," Reggie White, changed the #Packers' defense.
Maybe their new minister can change the special teams.https://t.co/sWcaRcgVBF

— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) August 31, 2021

Made it: K Mason Crosby, P Corey Bojorquez, LS Hunter Bradley

Didn’t make it: P JK Scott

Analysis: The trade isn’t official but the Packers acquired Bojorquez from the Los Angeles Rams. Bojorquez is a proven punter with three years of cold-weather experience with the Buffalo Bills. Despite a strong preseason, the Rams opted to keep veteran Johnny Hekker, so the Packers sent a 2023 sixth-round pick to Los Angeles for Bojorquez and a 2023 seventh-rounder. Now, the question is whether they’ll have an entirely new battery. Scott might not have been a great punter but he was a great holder for scattershot snapper Bradley.

“Hunter’s done a good job,” LaFleur said on Sunday. “There’s moments of inconsistency. But he’s got a lot of experience and I think he’s gotten better and better, so we do feel pretty confident with him in terms of we know what we’re going to get. It’s just challenging him to be consistent on a daily basis.”