Packers 53-Man Roster Projection 2.0

Who will make the Green Bay Packers’ 53-man roster? Who will grab a spot on the 16-man practice squad? Here are our projections following the second preseason game.

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The countdown to the cutdown is on for the Green Bay Packers.

There’s one preseason game remaining, at noon Saturday against the Seattle Seahawks at Lambeau Field. There are three practices remaining, including in front of the fans on Tuesday and Wednesday. There are eight days until roster cuts, with teams having to reduce their roster from 90 players to the initial 53 by 3 p.m. Aug. 29. The day after that, teams can form their 16-man practice squad.

Based on the 14 practices that have been open to the reporters, two preseason games and conversations with general manager Brian Gutekunst and the coordinators, here’s our best guess at the opening roster and practice squad, with not all 69 players necessarily being on Green Bay’s roster today.

Quarterbacks

On the 53 (2): Jordan Love, Sean Clifford.

Practice squad (1): TBA.

Love and Clifford are locks of the century. The practice squad spot is anything but a lock. Alex McGough, the reigning USFL MVP, has looked like a fish out of water against NFL competition. Can Gutekunst do better on the waiver wire? Or, is there comfort in having a player who knows the offense, knows the coaches’ expectations and can find the meeting rooms?

Running Backs

On the 53 (2): Aaron Jones, AJ Dillon.

Practice squad (2): Patrick Taylor, Tyler Goodson.

Jones and Dillon are locks of the millennium. Then what? Taylor played in 14 games last year while only spending about half the season on the 53-man roster. So, the Packers could keep a couple running backs on their practice squad and elevate them and/or sign/release them as needed.

Whether it’s a third back on the 53 or spots on the practice squad, it’s a fascinating battle. Emanuel Wilson has been a preseason star. Not that it will matter in the final evaluation, but he leads the NFL in preseason rushing.

“He ran with really good power,” coach Matt LaFleur said after the New England game on Saturday. “Ran through some arm tackles. Ran with low pad level. I thought he had an outstanding day. This is two games in a row. Excited for him. There’s a lot of things he needs to continue to improve upon, and I think like most young backs pass protection is one of those, as well as just getting in better football shape.”

Despite the production, we’ll give the nods to the explosive Goodson – so long as his shoulder injury doesn’t keep him out this week – and Taylor, whose ability to pass protect and play on special teams could give him the edge again. He has been with the No. 1 on special teams, which tends to matter when it comes to picking the roster.

Fullback

On the 53 (1): Josiah Deguara.

Practice squad (1): Henry Pearson.

A third-round pick in 2020, Deguara isn’t going anywhere. If you consider him a tight end, which is his spot on the roster, he’s been a disappointment. If you consider him a fullback, which is his spot on the depth chart and what it’s been in reality, then he’s been a useful role player. Pearson has blocked well and is worthy of a longer look.

Receivers

Malik Heath and Grant DuBose (Photo by Dan Powers/USA Today Sports Images)

On the 53 (6): Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs, Samori Toure, Jayden Reed, Dontayvion Wicks, Malik Heath.

Practice squad (2): Grant DuBose, Bo Melton.

The big battle down the stretch will be the undrafted Heath vs. the seventh-rounder DuBose. In baseball, the tie goes to the runner. In football, the tie – or anything close to it – goes to the draft pick. However, Heath had a huge head-start on DuBose after he missed the entire offseason and the start of training camp with a back injury. He’s coming on strong but so is Heath, who caught all five targets against the Patriots on Saturday. Blocking should get Heath on the field.

Tight Ends

On the 53 (3): Luke Musgrave, Tucker Kraft, TBA.

Practice squad (1): Austin Allen.

The season-ending injury to Tyler Davis was a big one. No, Davis wasn’t a great player, but he was a solid role player and special-teams standout. It was interesting that Gutekunst’s only response to the injury was moving Dre Miller from receiver to tight end, the position he played with the Giants.

“I like our group as it is right now, but that’s certainly something we’ll look at as we get down to the cutdown day and beyond,” Gutekunst said when asked if he needed to add a player. Is the towering Allen worthy of a spot on the 53 based on merit rather than by default? Or will Gutekunst find a young tight end with some experience as a blocker and on special teams?

Offensive Line

On the 53 (9): LT David Bakhtiari, LG Elgton Jenkins, C Josh Myers, RG Jon Runyan, RT Zach Tom, OT Yosh Nijman, G Sean Rhyan, T Rasheed Walker, T Caleb Jones.

Practice squad (3): T Kadeem Telfort, C James Empey, TBA.

Not many players have improved more than 2022 draft picks Rhyan (third round) and Walker (seventh round). Walker seems to be a lock. The only question at this point is whether he’ll unseat Yosh Nijman for the swing-tackle role. Walker, not Nijman, started vs. New England.

“Rasheed had a really good week of practice and we wanted to see him,” LaFleur said on Sunday. “We had a pretty good indication they were going to play their ones and wanted to see how he’d respond in that situation.” Walker didn’t allow a pressure in 23 pass-protecting snaps, according to PFF.

Green Bay could keep 10 linemen. If it’s only nine, it might come down to Newman vs. Rhyan for the final spot. Both players turned in strong outings vs. New England. Would the Packers choose Newman’s experience (22 starts, 1,535 snaps in his career) over Rhyan’s upside? Could one be on the trade block?

By the depth chart, Hanson should get a spot on the practice squad, but his injury history could work against him. The players on the bottom of the depth chart haven’t risen to the occasion, and injuries to offensive tackles Luke Tenuta and Jones haven’t helped.

Defensive Line

Karl Brooks (Photo by Tork Mason/USA Today Sports Images)

On the 53 (6): Kenny Clark, Devonte Wyatt, TJ Slaton, Jonathan Ford, Colby Wooden, Karl Brooks.

Practice squad (1): Chris Slayton.

Gutekunst did well in drafting Wooden in the fourth round and Brooks in the sixth round. The rise of Ford, a seventh-round pick in 2022 who didn’t get on the field as a rookie, has helped, as well. So, it’s possible the depth could be a strength rather than a weakness, though they’ll have to prove it against the opposition’s starters.

Outside Linebackers

On the 53 (5): Rashan Gary, Preston Smith, Lukas Van Ness, Kingsley Enagbare, Justin Hollins.

Practice squad (2): Brenton Cox, Keshawn Banks.

With the assumption that Gary is on the field for Week 1, this looks like a powerful group. It will be interesting to see how much Van Ness, the first-round pick, plays at the start of the season because Hollins and Enagbare are proven, quality backups. Not that his roster spot was in any jeopardy, but Enagbare was tremendous against the Patriots.

Cox and Banks, a pair of undrafted rookies, have had strong training camps and are worthy of a year of development.

Inside Linebackers

On the 53 (5): De’Vondre Campbell, Quay Walker, Isaiah McDuffie, Eric Wilson, Tariq Carpenter.

Practice squad: None.

There doesn’t seem to be much intrigue at this position. Campbell and Walker are high-quality starters and McDuffie, Wilson and Carpenter will be centerpieces on special teams. Those five should make the 53.

Jimmy Phillips, an undrafted free agent, looks like a quality prospect but there are only so many spots on the practice squad.

Cornerbacks

On the 53 (5): Jaire Alexander, Rasul Douglas, Keisean Nixon, Eric Stokes, Carrington Valentine.

Practice squad (2): Kiondre Thomas, Innis Gaines.

We’re assuming Stokes is going to start practicing soon and will open on the 53-man roster. He is coming back from last year’s foot injury, which required season-ending surgery. If Stokes opens on the PUP list, he’ll be sidelined for the first four games. In that case, Corey Ballentine will stick around and be a key player on special teams.

For the practice squad, Thomas is having his second consecutive strong preseason. Gaines, who is listed on the roster as a safety but has done nothing but play in the slot, brings versatility and a good skill-set for special teams. He’s got to get healthy, though. William Hooper, an undrafted rookie, could be in the mix, too.

Safeties

On the 53 (6): Darnell Savage, Jonathan Owens, Tarvarius Moore, Rudy Ford, Dallin Leavitt, Anthony Johnson.

Practice squad: None.

Safety is one of the weakest positions and yet we’re going heavy here. It might not make a lot of sense, but special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia seemingly has a lot of power over personnel decisions. Leavitt is one of Bisaccia’s all-time favorites; it’s hard to imagine him not making the team. Ford’s a weapon on special teams, too, and played well in a start against New England.

Johnson, a seventh-round pick, spent most of camp working with the third team but is coming on strong and played well in both games. He is one of the big changes since last week's projection.

Owens has run with the starters for most of camp. The Packers wouldn't release him, would they?

Specialists

On the 53 (3): K Anders Carlson, P Pat O’Donnell, LS Matt Orzech.

Practice squad (1): P Daniel Whelan.

The intriguing battle is at punter. O’Donnell is the reliable veteran. His directional punting is excellent and he’s a reliable, proven holder, which seems important with a rookie kicker. Whelan’s leg is elite. He needs to stick around in some capacity.

More Green Bay Packers Training Camp News

The #Packers will have a couple linebackers in for workouts on Monday. @JacobWestendorf has the news.https://t.co/KjRuMcNUV4

— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) August 21, 2023

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