Gutekunst Lacking Information, Time to Pick Roster

Instead of watching his third preseason game at the Giants on Saturday, GM Brian Gutekunst watched only his 11th practice of training camp.

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Time is running out for Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst to gather the intel necessary to cut his roster to 53 players.

Rosters must be trimmed from 80 to 53 by 3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 5. At this point in most training camps, Gutekunst would have a pretty good feel for his roster. Instead, he lost four weeks of practices in the spring due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Then, training camp started late and the preseason was eliminated.

So, instead of watching his third preseason game at the Giants on Saturday, he watched his 11th practice of training camp at Ray Nitschke Field. Those 11 practices are all he’s seen of his players.

“It’s certainly been more difficult,” he said. “I think you’re running on faith a little bit. Certainly, we’ve got a lot of guys on this team that have gone out there in regular season and proven things, so I feel very comfortable in that. With the young players, without that foundation of spring to build off of coming into training camp, I think it’s been tough. But, at the same time, those guys are going to be counted on as we go forward. You don’t have as much proof as maybe you would’ve had in other years.”

The bad news is the pandemic hurt the chances for some players to make a run at a roster spot. The good news is the pandemic meant the league expanded practice squads from 12 players to 16. That means at least 69 players will have a place in the locker room by the time practice squads are set on Sept. 7. So, in essence, only 11 players will be out of work – and perhaps less with injured lists.

Every summer, there’s a player or two who is released that the team fears it could lose through waivers. Last year, for instance, it was receiver Allen Lazard. It should be easier this year. While Gutekunst lost preseason games to evaluate his players, the same is true across the league. That means, to make up an example, if the Packers were to release sixth-round center Jake Hanson, a team in need of a center will have only its college evaluation of Hanson and not four games worth of professional video.

Those practice-squad players figure to have important roles. Because of COVID, it’s no longer as simple for a team to sign a player on a Tuesday and have him on the practice field on Wednesday. That process is delayed to make sure any addition is free of the virus. Thus, if there’s an immediate need, it’s simply easier logistically to promote a player from within than it would be to add from the outside.

“I do think this year more than any, our roster size with the practice squad will be 69 and I think it’s going to take all 69 through the season because with the rules as they are now, the ability to bring street free agents in and do some different things, it’s more cumbersome,” Gutekunst said. “The guys on your practice squad, at some point during the year, I would expect those guys to be on the field helping you.”

There were three key changes to practice squads in response to the pandemic. One, every Monday, teams can protect four players on their practice squad to prevent the type of poaching that happened late in 2018, when Green Bay plucked Lazard out of Jacksonville. Two, on game days, teams can elevate two practice-squad players to have a 55-man roster. Three, while practice squads used to be formed out of developmental players, this year teams can keep up to six veterans.

Some key dates (all times Central)

Sept. 5: 3 p.m. deadline to cut rosters to 53 players.

Sept. 6: Waiver period after cuts ends at 11 a.m.

Sept. 6: Teams can begin adding players to their practice squad at noon.