The Green Bay Packers are nearly two weeks into training camp and just completed their annual Family Night practice over the weekend. So before we turn our focus to joint practices and the preseason, I thought it would be a good time to reevaluate where the roster stands with a 53-man roster prediction.
Although Matt LaFleur recently said that he doesn’t want the players to be concerned about the depth chart or whether they are playing with the starters, twos, or threes right now, the roster is very much starting to take shape between the roster locks, playing time, and performances I’ve seen so far. There were only a few difficult decisions as I was putting this projection together.
So based on what I’ve seen so far at practice, here is my best guess at how things will play out when the Packers construct their initial roster several weeks from now, with of course, the caveat that a lot can still change.
Quarterback (2)
Keep: Jordan Love and Sean Clifford
I did think that it was possible for the Packers to keep three quarterbacks on the roster, but with the recent release of Danny Etling, one thing that move tells us is the confidence the team has in Sean Clifford to fill that role. Barring another addition, that also means Alex McGough will be on the practice squad.
Running back (3)
Keep: Aaron Jones, AJ Dillon, and Tyler Goodson
If we were just looking at how Tyler Goodson, Patrick Taylor, and Lew Nichols have performed on offense, this decision would have been easier, with Goodson standing out much more in that capacity and seeing more consistent snaps with the ones and twos. But both Brian Gutekunst and Matt LaFleur mentioned earlier this week that pass catching, blocking, and special teams play would be deciding factors, and I think that really gives Taylor a strong chance to make the roster again. It was for these reasons that he was the third running back for much of 2022, and he again continues to see starting special teams snaps in training camp this year.
However, I did still choose Goodson, in part, because he has held up in pass protection and had a really nice blitz pickup during Family Night. Also, in addition to the traditional running back responsibilities, he could fill the gadget role in the offense, and we’ve seen him used often in that capacity. So even though he isn’t going to see many carries with Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon, he could still contribute. That said, I think he needs to find a more defined special teams role.
When it comes to Nichols, he missed Saturday’s practice after taking a big hit on Thursday. And although he’s looked good as a ball carrier, drops have been an issue.
Wide receiver (5)
Keep: Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs, Samori Toure, Jayden Reed, Dontayvion Wicks
These five players are going to be on the roster; the question for me at receiver is if the Packers keep six or not. I went with five, in large part because, based on what we’ve seen in training camp, there are going to be a lot of two running back and two tight end sets this season, which means fewer receivers on the field. Also, with how active the running backs and tight ends are in the passing game, plus also having these five receivers, the role of the sixth receiver on offense is going to be nonexistent or close to it, so I thought I could use that roster spot elsewhere.
Malik Heath and Bo Melton have performed well over the last week, but they will have to carry that momentum into the rest of the summer and also find a way to contribute on special teams.
Tight end (4)
Keep: Luke Musgrave, Josiah Deguara, Tucker Kraft, Tyler Davis
While this unit may have its unknowns with all of the inexperience it has, in terms of putting together the roster, this position group is about as easy as it gets. All four players are going to have specific roles within the offense, and all will contribute to special teams in some capacity as well.
Offensive line (10)
Keep: David Bakhtiari, Elgton Jenkins, Josh Myers, Jon Runyan, Zach Tom, Yosh Nijman, Royce Newman, Caleb Jones, Rasheed Walker, Sean Rhyan
This is the first position group that I decided to go heavy at by keeping 10 offensive linemen. Typically, the Packers have rostered just nine, but at one point last season, they did have 11. Royce Newman brings versatility and experience, two things we know the Packers covet. Also, when Elgton Jenkins hasn’t been on the field, Newman has been called upon to play with the starters.
If things get tight elsewhere, perhaps the Packers won’t feel the need to keep two developmental tackles in Caleb Jones and Rasheed Walker, but this duo has been the right and left tackle options with the second unit all summer, and I also keep looking ahead to 2024 where there could be some turnover at the position. It’s possible that this is David Bakhtiari’s final season with Green Bay while Yosh Nijman is an unrestricted free agent. Jones and Walker could provide competition at that point.
Rhyan, meanwhile, had a really rough rookie season between the PED suspension and being a healthy scratch on gamedays before that, but he has been very good this summer, remaining undefeated in one-on-one drills and playing guard with the second-team offense.
Interior defensive line (5)
Keep: Kenny Clark, TJ Slaton, Devonte Wyatt, Colby Wooden, Karl Brooks
We know that these five players will be on the team, but what was difficult in constructing this position group was leaving off Jonathan Ford, who LaFleur went out of his way to mention as someone who has “upped his game” this summer. Ford could be a backup option to TJ Slaton at nose tackle and has had a nice start to training camp, but it’s also not often you see a six-man rotation either–his role would likely still be limited. Also, the play of Colby Wooden and Karl Brooks right now played a factor in this decision as well. If Ford continues to play at his current level deeper into the summer, I might have to do some rearranging on my roster projection, but for now, I have him just on the outside looking in.
Edge rusher (5)
Keep: Rashan Gary, Preston Smith, Justin Hollins, Lukas Van Ness, JJ Enagbare
Rashan Gary is still on the PUP list, and if he is still there when rosters are being put together, he would not count towards the 53-man. But for this exercise, I’ll include him. The only real question here is if the Packers want to go heavy at another position, perhaps they look to move on from Justin Hollins, who has an easy contract to get out of with very little dead cap, but up to this point, he has taken a lot of snaps with the starting defense. You may also notice I don’t have Brenton Cox listed either. He has been playing with the third-team defense this summer and has been somewhat quiet. From a numbers standpoint, I just couldn’t find a way to put him on the final roster.
Linebacker (5)
Keep: De’Vondre Campbell, Quay Walker, Isaiah McDuffie, Eric Wilson, Tariq Carpenter
Isaiah McDuffie has emerged as the third linebacker in this defense. Next to him with the second unit has been Eric Wilson — both of whom are also core special teams players. Tariq Carpenter is making a position change and had two interceptions during Family Night, along with being a starter on several of the Packers’ special teams units. Last season, McDuffie, Wilson, and Carpenter were the top three on the team in special teams tackles.
Cornerback (6)
Keep: Jaire Alexander, Rasul Douglas, Keisean Nixon, Eric Stokes, Carrington Valentine, Corey Ballentine
Similarly to Gary, I’ll assume for now that Eric Stokes is off PUP and eligible to be on the Week 1 roster. Carrington Valentine and Corey Ballentine have separated themselves when it comes to the back end of the cornerback position. Both have regularly been the boundary cornerbacks with the second defense since training camp began. Without Stokes right now, Valentine could be as high as No. 4 on the depth chart, while Ballentine continues to start on special teams after carving out a role in that phase of the game during the second half of last season.
Safety (5)
Keep: Darnell Savage, Rudy Ford, Jonathan Owens, Tarvarius Moore, Dallin Leavitt
There are still a lot of unknowns with this position, but what this room may look like in Week 1 has begun to take shape. There is still a lot of rotating taking place with the starting defense, but Darnell Savage, Rudy Ford, Jonathan Owens, and Tarvarius Moore have seen pretty much all of the snaps with either the first or second-team defenses. When it comes to Dallin Leavitt, as I’ve said before, I have a hard time seeing him not on the final roster. He’s played his entire career under Rich Bisaccia, was a core special teams player in 2022, and has a strong locker-room presence. Rookie Anthony Johnson has regularly been with the third-team defense and is only in his second season playing the safety position. I see 2023 being a developmental year for him.
Special Teams (3)
Keep: Anders Carlson, Matt Orzech, and Pat O’Donnell
Matt Orzech is a Super Bowl-winning long-snapper with the Los Angeles Rams and was signed to a three-year deal this offseason. He is going to be on the team over rookie Broughton Hatcher. The punter battle is quite interesting. Daniel Whelan and his power very much seem to be pushing Pat O’Donnell. And, at least from my vantage point, it looks like Whelan has held his own as a holder as well. However, I need a larger sample size before I take O’Donnell off my roster prediction. O’Donnell has been a very reliable holder throughout his career, and relying on a rookie kicker and rookie punter to hold those snaps comes with a lot of risk. If the Packers release O’Donnell, they do save $1.5 million in cap space.
