The Green Bay Packers not only find themselves transitioning from Aaron Rodgers to Jordan Love but, in general, over the last two seasons, there has been a fair amount of roster turnover. However, despite that being the case, at least on paper anyways, there doesn’t seem to be many roster spots up for grabs this summer.
In the last two drafts alone, the Packers have made 24 selections –13 this year and 11 in 2022. They’ve also parted ways with a number of veteran contributors over that span as well, including Davante Adams, Allen Lazard, Robert Tonyan, Marcedes Lewis, Dean Lowry, Jarran Reed, Za’Darius Smith, and for the time being, Mason Crosby and Adrian Amos.
So with all of that having taken place, one would think that there would be a number of roster spots along with in-game snaps up for grabs during this year’s training camp and the preseason, but again, that isn’t the case. Many of the position groups on this Packers team are made up of either returning veteran contributors or incoming first and second-year players, with both groups of players having a firm grasp on a roster spot.
On offense, the only positional battles that appear up in the air right now are for the backup quarterback role and the third running back spot. At receiver, the Packers have six receivers who have been drafted in the last two seasons, and the others on the roster have no NFL experience. So presumably, it will be those six who make up the receiver room.
At tight end, outside of two practice squad players from a season ago, the core four of Josiah Deguara, Tyler Davis, Luke Musgrave, and Tucker Kraft seems locked in.
Perhaps along the offensive line is where there is more room for discussion, but there is uncertainty at the offensive tackle position in 2024, and the Packers clearly like the upside that Caleb Jones and Rasheed Walker possess as developmental players after rostering them a season ago. Sean Rhyan is probably given another opportunity because he was a third-round pick in 2022, while Royce Newman has ample starting experience. Those four plus the six roster locks already account for 10 spots on this Packers team and most notably leaves Luke Tenuta and Jake Hanson on the outside looking in.
Flipping to the defensive side of the ball, the only real question along the interior defensive line is if the Packers choose to keep five or six players. If they keep five, then this position group is pretty well set between Kenny Clark, Devonte Wyatt, TJ Slaton, Karl Brooks, and Colby Wooden.
At edge rusher, we know that Rashan Gary, Preston Smith, Lukas Van Ness, and JJ Enagbare will be on the team, and Justin Hollins might not be a lock, but he is the front-runner for that fifth roster spot. If Gary begins the season on the PUP list, then there will be some added competition.
Green Bay only has six linebackers on the roster, one of which is an undrafted rookie, so that room is pretty well set. The same thing goes for cornerback. Carrington Valentine, a seventh-round rookie, and Corey Ballentine, a core special teams player, will be competing for the fifth and potentially sixth roster spots with players who have spent much of their careers on the practice squad. Similarly with Gary, if Eric Stokes begins on PUP, there could be added competition that is created, but if that’s how it plays out, my guess is that the Packers keep just five cornerbacks as they did in 2022, with Valentine and Ballentine being the final two on the roster.
Even at safety, where there are a lot of question marks, we know that Darnell Savage, Rudy Ford, Anthony Johnson, and Dallin Leavitt will be on the roster. That’s already four players, not including Tarvarius Moore, who I expect to also make the team as he brings both defensive and special teams experience.
As far as the specialists go, Anders Carlson and Parker White will be competing for the kicker job. And although there are two long-snappers on the roster, Matt Orzech, a Super Bowl Champion who signed a three-year deal, is the clear favorite over rookie Broughton Hatcher.
Now, of course, I’ll add the caveat that this is all conjecture and based on how the roster looks on paper. What takes place on the football field this summer will be the determining factor, and as always, there will be players who seemingly come out of nowhere to push for a roster spot.
However, as of now, the only positions where I can vehemently say there will be a training camp battle are for QB2, RB3, and kicker. Again, others will likely emerge, but the bulk of these roster spots are already seemingly claimed by returning contributors or incoming draft picks. A unique situation given all of the recent turnover.
