Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst answered questions from the media for roughly 18 minutes following roster cuts and the formation of his initial 53-man roster on Wednesday.
Here are the important things to know:
— On adding Malik Willis at quarterback: “Some underwhelming performances from (Sean Clifford and Michael Pratt)” this summer. He thinks Willis showed “a lot of progression” playing under Titans coach Brian Callahan this preseason, particularly playing from the pocket. There’s some carryover between Callahan’s offense and Matt LaFleur’s.
— Gutekunst believes Willis will be ready to be the No. 2 quarterback by Week 1.
— On Brayden Narveson: “Brayden was a kid we liked coming out, and then he had an excellent preseason there in Tennessee.” Believes he’s a “really good young kicker.”
— Gutekunst said Narveson will be on the 53-man roster and Alex Hale on the practice squad. No other kickers.
— On Arron Mosby: Mosby “took off” once he could play 4-3 defensive end in the new scheme. Packers also believe he can be a core special teamer.
— Gutekunst admitted he’s probably not patient enough with specialists. “I probably need to be a little bit more patient.” Said he’s “very confident” in the 2024 Packers and didn’t want to risk it with an under-performing kicker.
— On A.J. Dillon’s injury: The team won’t risk heads, necks or hearts. “Something we weren’t comfortable with at the moment.” Said he won’t be with the Packers this year. Dillon is on injured reserve.
— Gutekunst said Carlson’s 32-yard miss in the preseason finale wasn’t the deciding factor.
— Gutekunst was confident he had more than 53 players who earned a spot on the roster. Made for tough, difficult decisions on players like Grant DuBose, Anthony Johnson Jr. and Kristian Welch.
— Next step is going through and evaluating the guys released following claims.
— The Packers have a few agreements on other practice squad signings. Sounds like a couple will be outside signings.
— On Michael Pratt: “It could have worked here in Green Bay.” Said bringing in Malik Willis made it tough to keep Pratt. Didn’t want to keep four quarterbacks. “I think Michael has a bright future in this league.”
— on Malik Willis: “He’s always shown the traits. Really good athlete. Can make all the throws.” Compared his path to the NFL to Jordan Love’s. Packers think he appeared to take a big step forward in the preseason this year.
LIVE: GM Brian Gutekunst meets with the media. 🎙️ https://t.co/3NcAUhmT7S
— Green Bay Packers (@packers) August 28, 2024
