Tracking the Green Bay Packers’ Roster Cuts

The Green Bay Packers got down to the 53-man limit by 3 p.m. Tuesday. Among the noteworthy moves: the releases of Jack Heflin, Danny Etling and Tyler Goodson.

GREEN BAY, Wis. – When the dust settled on Tuesday afternoon, two running backs and 10 offensive linemen were part of the Green Bay Packers' initial 53-man roster.

“Roster Cuts” is the headline but the big story on Tuesday was veteran kicker Mason Crosby being activated from the physically unable to perform list following offseason knee surgery. That puts him on track to kick for the Packers in the season-opening game at the Vikings on Sept. 11.

With Crosby on the roster, the Packers cut talented first-year kicker Ramiz Ahmed. The Packers would love to get him onto the practice squad. Last year, they carried J.J. Molson on the practice squad all season.

Crosby has not missed a game since being drafted in 2007. Barring a change on Wednesday, his snapper will be undrafted rookie Jack Coco, who made the 53-man roster, a source said.

If Coco was not the great underdog story of training camp, then it was safety Micah Abernathy. Signed after the position group had been decimated by injuries, Abernathy went from the USFL to emergency fill-in to a member of the 53-man roster.

At offensive tackle, the Packers kept seventh-round draft pick Rasheed Walker but released undrafted free agent Caleb Jones, sources said. The Packers would love to get Jones on the practice squad on Wednesday, but 6-foot-9 players who can play left tackle don't grow on trees so there is a chance he is claimed on waivers.

The Packers also released La’Darius Hamilton and Kobe Jones, members of their talented but unaccomplished outside linebacker room. Jonathan Garvin, Tipa Galeai and rookie Kingsley Enagbare will provide the depth. Behind Rashan Gary and Preston Smith, it was a free-for-all throughout training camp. The only consistent part of the rotation was Garvin as a part of the second unit. Every day, it was a different player rotating in with Garvin with the 2s.

They all had their moments but none consistently had moments.

“We know what’s going on,” Hamilton, an undrafted free agent with Dallas in 2020 who the Packers grabbed off Tampa Bay’s practice squad early last season, said after one of his strong days. “You’ve got Rashan and Preston. Those are the dogs. And then behind that, you’ve got a bunch of guys in pretty much a similar position. We all understand and know that we’ve got to go just slug it out for a spot.”

Hamilton and Jones will be practice squad candidates.

On the offensive line, the Packers released Jones and center/guard Michal Menet. A three-year starting center at Penn State, Menet was drafted in the seventh round last year by Arizona.

In the big surprise of the day, the Packers released Jack Heflin from their loaded defensive line. The Packers also released quarterback Danny Etling along with receiver Juwann Winfree, cornerback Rico Gafford, running back Tyler Goodson and safety Shawn Davis.

The Heflin news was first reported by Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel and confirmed by a source. Heflin made it last year as an undrafted free agent, and he had put himself in a strong position with three high-quality preseason performances even with the additions of veteran Jarran Reed, first-round pick Devonte Wyatt and seventh-round pick Jonathan Ford.

“I got nothing to lose,” Heflin said recently. “I just try to have faith in God and faith in my ability to prepare. Just listen to what the coach is telling you. They don’t ever steer you wrong. They’re going to give you a nugget. It’s on you to take it and use it. It’s going out there, getting the formation, getting the play call. When I’m lined up, I’m just going to go and use my tools to my advantage. That’s why you have all these tools in the toolbox just to compete and get better.”

The Packers also have released Chris Slayton, another productive member of the defensive line, according to a source. He had 13 tackles during the preseason, second on the team and 12 more than the first-rounder Wyatt.

“Chris has done a really nice job,” coach Matt LaFleur said on Monday. “And I think the first thing that stands out is the effort which he plays with and he’s making it really difficult on everybody in terms of what route we’re going to go.”

Gafford was an interesting story, going from cornerback to receiver and back to cornerback. The plan when he signed in January was to play receiver but the addition of three draft picks changed the plan. It was a move he embraced.

“Honestly, I was contemplating doing that, anyway,” he said. “I had a few teams call me before I signed with the Packers to see how I felt about going back to defense. It’s been a long road. I appreciate Jon Gruden for helping me make the transition to wide receiver and all the coaches with the Raiders that helped me along the way. But I’m going into Year 5 and I haven’t really made a splash or anything in the league. So, I’m like, ‘If I go back to corner, I can really showcase what I can do on the field and what I really am and who I really am at heart, and that’s a DB.”

The Packers would like to continue Gafford’s development by signing him to their practice squad, and Gafford wants to return.

Also released were cornerback Kiondre Thomas, tight ends Alize Mack, Sal Cannella and Nate Becker, and running back Dexter Williams.

Thomas had a strong preseason to put himself in position to make the roster. According to Pro Football Focus, he allowed just 1-of-7 passing in the preseason and provided strong run support. It was a disappointing ending for a player who played in four games for the Chargers last season, though a source said the Packers want him on their practice squad.

“We’ll see,” Thomas said if his hard work had been paying off. “I can’t really tell you right now. If I don’t make the 53, then I don’t think it paid off.”

Williams, a sixth-round pick in 2019, he was re-signed midway through training camp to add to the competition alongside rookie Tyler Goodson and Patrick Taylor. He carried 11 times for 60 yards with a long of 25 in the preseason.

“Oh, it’s very awesome, just being back with the guys I started this with, that I came in with,” Williams said on Aug. 10. “It’s just a great feeling being around this high-level competition, going out and competing with the guys. I miss it here. I called this place home when I was first drafted, so I love it here.”

Mack suffered a hamstring injury, ruining his shot at a roster bid or at least a spot on the practice squad.

Mack, who signed with the Packers in February, was a seventh-round pick by the Saints in 2019 but has not played in a game. He caught 68 passes for 716 yards and four touchdowns at Notre Dame from 2015 through 2018.

Getting a shot to rekindle his career in the USFL, Cannella ranked sixth overall and first among tight ends with 34 receptions, which he turned into 368 yards and two touchdowns. Opportunities were fleeting with the Packers, though he had a nice catch and run vs. the Chiefs on Thursday night.

After a fourth training camp with the team, the Packers have released cornerback Kabion Ento. A receiver at Colorado, he showed his athletic gifts with several highlight-reel deflections during his time in Green Bay but never was consistent enough to get on the field. He will be looking for a new opportunity.

They also have released safety De’Vante Cross. With injuries hammering the safety corps, the Packers signed Cross on Aug. 19. He was a two-year starter at Virginia. He could have an opportunity on the practice squad, according to a source.

Along with Winfree, the Packers also released undrafted rookie receiver Ishmael Hyman and Travis Fulgham. The Packers are interested in bringing Fulgham back to the practice squad.

The Packers are waiving defensive lineman Akial Byers with an injury settlement, according to a source. He had been out with a toe injury. An undrafted free agent from Missouri, he was a high school All-American.

The Packers have not released long snapper Jack Coco and probably will not after a strong training camp and preseason. The Bengals, however, are sticking with former Packers draft pick Clark Harris as their snapper and released Cal Adomitis, the top-ranked snapper in this year’s draft. The Bengals and Texans were the only teams with two snappers on their roster.

All players who are released are subject to waivers. For those who clear waivers, they are eligible to be signed to the 16-man practice squad on Wednesday.

Last year, only 27 players league-wide were claimed – none from the Packers. Green Bay hasn’t lost a player among its final cuts since 2017, when the Saints grabbed quarterback Taysom Hill and the Cowboys snared defensive lineman Brian Price.

Those facts suggest the Packers will likely keep who they want for what general manager Brian Gutekunst has deemed a 69-man roster. Each of those players can be elevated to the gameday roster three times before they must be outright signed to the 53.

“As you go through an NFL season, the amount of players you use and the team you’re playing with at the end of the season compared to the beginning of the season, it can be drastic,” Gutekunst said. “To me, certainly I think you have some minimums at each position that you kind of feel you have to have, but then after that with a 16-man practice squad, you’re trying to keep maybe the best 53 overall to start the season. That doesn’t mean that’s going to be the best 53 for Game 8, Game 12 and into the playoffs.”

For many players, Tuesday’s cuts will be the end of their dreams. For some, it will be the start of a new chapter.

“It just goes into the type of character you are,” tight end Robert Tonyan, released by the Lions at the end of camp in 2017, said. “Allen [Lazard, released by the Jaguars at the end of camp in 2018] is someone who didn’t take ‘no’ for an answer. He got pissed off and used it as fuel. Instead of getting discouraged and sad and ‘why me?’, he used it as fuel to come back and prove those people wrong.”

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View from the Packers' Roster Bubble

Here is a position-by-position look at players on the bubble with roster cuts due on Tuesday.

Quarterbacks

Danny Etling (USA Today Sports Images)

Danny Etling: The Packers wasted no time in going with Etling over last year’s No. 3, Kurt Benkert. Etling finished the preseason with a 123.3 passer rating and 77.3 percent completion rate. Had he thrown enough passes to qualify among the leaders, he would have finished second in rating and first in accuracy. He added a 51-yard touchdown run.

Is he going to make the roster? Probably not. But getting onto Green Bay’s practice squad would allow the 2018 seventh-round pick to continue his development.

“A lot of that is out of my control at this point,” Etling said. “I was really happy with how I played. I think I played well enough to be a part of a team. It’s my belief that I belong in the NFL and will be on a roster in some sense, and it’s my job to continue to be ready. Regardless of what the team decides, I’d love to be here, and obviously I’d love to be No. 3, but that one’s out of my control. So, it’s about continuing my growth as a quarterback and continue getting ready for the season, because you never know when you’re needed, and you want to step up and deliver.”

Running Backs

Tyler Goodson (USA Today Sports Images)

Patrick Taylor and Tyler Goodson: Will the Packers keep one or none? If they believe Kylin Hill will be ready following his four-week stint on PUP, they could release both players, hope to get them onto the practice squad and then elevate them to the gameday roster.

Goodson has the sizzle, which could be important if the Packers are forced to move on from Aaron Jones for financial reasons after this season. He’s been explosive but he was explosive at Iowa, too, and still went undrafted. Taylor has the substance, which could be important if the Packers need someone to protect Aaron Rodgers this season.

“Preseason was a stepping stone for me,” Goodson said on Monday. “I’ve got to keep the momentum going and keep preparing like I’ve been preparing. Hopefully everything goes the way I want it to and I make this team.”

Receivers

Samori Toure (USA Today Sports Images)

Juwann Winfree and Samori Toure: Winfree has Aaron Rodgers in his corner. “I’m a big fan of J.W.,” Rodgers told the Packers TV Network during Thursday’s game. The front office might like Toure, who has youth and upside in his favor.

Toure was the 258th player drafted and the last of 28 receivers selected. Among the drafted rookies, Toure was second with nine receptions and fourth with 125 receiving yards. He caught six passes in the preseason finale against the Chiefs.

“I feel like this is probably going to be hardest part – the hours from right now until tomorrow,” Toure said after practice on Monday. “You can do a lot to distract yourself but it is what it is. It’s part of the game. It’s what comes with it.”

He added: “I just wanted to be the best player I can be, play with good effort, good intensity. I feel like I’ve done that and I’ve improved with every week and every practice. I feel like I can look myself in the mirror and say I did everything. That’s really the most important part.”

Tight Ends

Josiah Deguara (USA Today Sports Images)

None. There isn’t much doubt that Robert Tonyan, Marcedes Lewis, Josiah Deguara and Tyler Davis will be the quartet headed into the season.

Offensive Line

Caleb Jones (72) (USA Today Sports Images)

Caleb Jones and Rasheed Walker. Walker, a seventh-round pick after being a three-year starter at Penn State, missed a bunch of training camp and the first two preseason games due to injury. When he finally got on the field against the Chiefs, he delivered a strong performance. Offensive line coach Luke Butkus is on Walker’s butt constantly at practice. It’s either tough love or nonstop frustration.

With David Bakhtiari, Elgton Jenkins and Walker sidelined, the 6-foot-9 Jones took advantage of extended opportunities. A three-year starter at Indiana, he’s just so long that getting around him requires taking a detour. According to PFF, he allowed one pressure out of 45 pass-protecting snaps.

“Obviously, he’s got rare length and I think he’s one of those guys for as big as he is – everyone wants to talk about his size – he’s a little bit better foot athlete than I think people give him credit for,” general manager Brian Gutekunst said recently. “We liked his play temperament coming out of college. You’ve got to give him a lot of credit. He’s made the most of his opportunities. He’s gotten himself in really good shape, probably the best shape he’s been in since high school. He’s done a really nice job, so I’m excited for him, among others, to get out there Friday and really have an opportunity to see what they can do.”

Defensive Line

Jack Heflin (USA Today Sports Images)

Jack Heflin: Heflin had a terrific preseason to break ahead of rookie Jonathan Ford and journeyman Chris Slayton, who also showed they are NFL-caliber players.

Heflin had 10 tackles, including a team-high two for losses, and added one forced fumble. He was quite a story to make the 53 last year as an undrafted free agent. Assuming he makes it this year, he might be an even better story by staying on a roster bolstered by free-agent Jarran Reed, first-round pick Devonte Wyatt and seventh-rounder Ford.

“I feel like from Day 1 of camp, I feel like I’ve gotten better every day,” Heflin said. “I just try to do whatever I can do, work hard, try not to make the same mistake twice. That’s all I was trying to do. I feel like I did a good job this camp and this preseason. Of course, there’s always stuff as a competitor you want back, I wish I could take back, but that’s in the past. You can’t change it. I feel like I put together a solid preseason. Try to state my case. I want to be here in Green Bay and help this team get to the final stage and hoist the Lombardi. I want to do whatever I can to help this team win.”

Outside Linebackers

Tipa Galeai (USA Today Sports Images)

Tipa Galeai, La’Darius Hamilton and Kobe Jones. Jonathan Garvin ran with the second unit for most of training camp and Kingsley Enagbare had a productive training camp as a fifth-round pick. Those two should join Rashan Gary and Preston Smith. How many more will the Packers keep?

Day after day after day, position coach Jason Rebrovich tried someone else alongside Garvin with the twos. Nobody seized control, though Galeai, who has been a No. 1 on all four phases of special teams throughout camp, would seem to be one of the front-runners.

“That’s what the motive was ever since I set foot in this building was special teams,” Galeai said this week. “‘We love you. We’d love you to play defense, too, but special teams is what you have to play and that’s what you’re required to play.’ You have to be great at that, as well, in order to make this team. That’s stuck with me ever since I’ve been here and just taking it on and going forward, I always have to be a special teams player, as well, not just defense.”

Jones, an undrafted free agent in 2021, was one of a score of tryout players at rookie camp and the only one to immediately be given a contract.

“I didn’t know how many guys were here trying out,” Jones said on Monday. “In hindsight, after I saw how many guys were actually here, I thought it was a big accomplishment for me. It just goes back to honing in on the idea of taking it one thing at a time and controlling what I can control, because the big picture can get you distracted.”

Inside Linebackers

Krys Barnes (USA Today Sports Images)

None. The Packers have All-Pro De’Vondre Campbell and impressive first-round pick Quay Walker as the starters, and two-year starter Krys Barnes and vastly improved second-year player Isaiah McDuffie in reserve.

Cornerbacks

Rico Gafford (USA Today Sports Images)

Rico Gafford and Kiondre Thomas. With Shemar Jean-Charles and Keisean Nixon as the presumptive backups to an elite starting trio, Green Bay might keep just five cornerbacks. If it wants a sixth, it would be between Thomas, an undrafted free agent last year who got some special-teams snaps with the Chargers as a rookie, and Gafford, who has gone from cornerback to receiver and back to corner.

Thomas has the height the Packers like. Gafford has elite speed. Thomas covered better than Gafford during the preseason – PFF charged him with one completion in seven targets – and has shown up in run support.

Thomas, with his 53-or-bust mentality, said recently. “I feel like I didn’t play the way I needed to my rookie year. In the offseason, I got in the lab and put my head down and got back to work. That’s all I can really do. That’s all I know how to do.”

Safeties

Tariq Carpenter (USA Today Sports Images)

Tariq Carpenter and Micah Abernathy. Dallin Leavitt returned to practice this week following what looked like a major shoulder injury. The Packers could go with Leavitt and Shawn Davis as the primary backups, or they could add a fifth safety – especially if Leavitt is healthy enough to stay on the roster but not quite ready for game action.

Carpenter, the fast-and-physical seventh-round pick, tackled well during his two preseason games. Abernathy took full advantage of his season in the USFL to go from camp body to legit challenger.

Specialists

Jack Coco (USA Today Sports Images)

K Ramiz Ahmed. Mason Crosby presumably will be activated off PUP on Tuesday to resume kicking duties. Last season, the Packers carried J.J. Molson on the practice squad all season. Considering how well Ahmed has kicked since joining the team midway through camp, you’d think the Packers would like to sign him to the practice squad on Wednesday.

At long snapper, Jack Coco hasn’t done anything wrong and only Cincinnati and Houston have two snappers on the roster. At this point, why upset the apple cart?