Making The Cut

The preseason is mercifully over, which means all teams have until Tuesday at 4 ET to get down to the 53-player limit. Here’s my one and only attempt at predicting the Packers’ final roster:




QUARTERBACK (2) – Aaron Rodgers and Jordan Love

Aside from suddenly morphing into Johnny Unitas, there was really nothing 28-year-old Danny Etling could’ve done to find his way onto the 53-man roster. Like Kurt Benkert did a year ago, he’ll be available on the practice squad in case of emergency. The former Clemson star, who’s been with seven teams since ’18, enjoyed a better-than-expected training camp.

RUNNING BACK (2) – Aaron Jones and A.J. Dillon

Undrafted rookie Tyler Goodson had the better training camp and has more long-term potential, but Patrick Taylor has experience on special teams, and that could be the difference if GM Brian Gutekunst decides to keep three backs. He could just as easily go with two and send Goodson and Taylor to the practice squad. It’s very unlikely either would get claimed off of waivers, which hasn’t happened to a Packer released on cutdown day since quarterback Taysom Hill in 2017.

TIGHT END (4) – Robert Tonyan, Marcedes Lewis, Josiah Deguara, and Tyler Davis

If Tonyan isn’t ready to play in Week 1, the Packers will begin the season with the sorriest collection of tight ends in the league, and nobody was sorrier than Davis this summer. The second-year pro really struggled as both a blocker and a receiver. Still, it would be a surprise to see him released since the coach and GM hyped him all spring, and none of the other tight ends stepped up. Of course, that doesn’t mean a better player won’t become available after final cuts on Tuesday.

WIDE RECEIVER (7) – Allen Lazard, Randall Cobb, Sammy Watkins, Romeo Doubs, Christian Watson, Amari Rodgers, and Juwann Winfree

This is tricky. There’s really no need to keep a seventh wide receiver unless that player can contribute in a big way on special teams or Gutekunst is legitimately afraid of another team putting in a waiver claim. The latter is highly unlikely to happen to either Winfree or seventh-round pick Samori Toure, so the projection here has Winfree sneaking onto the 53. Toure can spend the year on the practice squad and then push for more than just the last spot on the depth chart in 2023.

OFFENSIVE LINE (10) – David Bakhtiari, Elgton Jenkins, Josh Myers, Jon Runyan, Yosh Nijman, Royce Newman, Jake Hanson, Zach Tom, Sean Rhyan, and Caleb Jones

I’ll stick to what I’ve been saying for the past few weeks – releasing Jones is a risk not worth taking. While the massive undrafted rookie is not ready to play, he showed too much potential to allow another team to snatch him away. Plus, Gutekunst retained Yosh Nijman on the 53 in 2020, and he wasn’t as impressive in his second camp. Ten O-linemen is an awful lot, but it’s not like there’s a fifth inside linebacker or sixth cornerback who’s forced their way onto the final roster.




DEFENSIVE LINE (6) – Kenny Clark, Jarran Reed, Dean Lowry, T.J. Slaton, Devonte Wyatt, and Jack Heflin

If the goal is to truly keep the best 53 players, there’s no way Heflin won’t be on the 53-man roster. A similar argument could be made for keeping Chris Slayton, but seven defensive linemen are just too many. The former Giant, Bill, Falcon, Steeler, and 49er will go to the practice squad – unless some smart GM has been paying close attention. Massive rookie Jonathan Ford might’ve survived the final cut in another summer, but he picked the wrong year to be drafted by Green Bay.

OUTSIDE LINEBACKER (5) – Rashan Gary, Preston Smith, Jonathan Garvin, Kinglsey Enagbare, and La’Darius Hamilton

I thought Gutekunst could keep as many as six players at this position, but finding a fifth worthwhile candidate won’t be easy. Give Hamilton a slight edge over Tipa Galeai, who has recently been dealing with a minor leg injury. Neither did enough on special teams to secure a place on the 53. Would it be a surprise if unheralded Kobe Jones or a player from another team steals away the fifth spot? Absolutely not. Depth remains a big concern heading into the regular season.

INSIDE LINEBACKER (4) – De’Vondre Campbell, Quay Walker, Krys Barnes, and Isaiah McDuffie

There’s room for a fifth player at this position, but neither Ray Wilborn nor Ty Summers did much this month. Of the two, Wilborn is younger, more athletic, and did at least show some improvement late in training camp. It won’t be a shock if he sneaks onto the 53. Summers has plenty of experience on special teams, but he didn’t distinguish himself during the preseason and was released on Sunday. It was time for Gutekunst to cut the cord with the former seventh-round pick.

CORNERBACK (5) – Jaire Alexander, Eric Stokes, Rasul Douglas, Keisean Nixon, and Shemar Jean-Charles

I had Rico Gafford as part of the 53 for most of the summer, but he struggled down the stretch. Still, his blazing speed and potential as a gunner on punt coverage could persuade Gutekunst to keep an extra corner. And don’t completely discount Kiondre Thomas, who came on late, or Kabion Ento, who made the final roster a couple of years ago. But at the end of the day, it’s difficult to justify bumping someone like Caleb Jones, Winfree, or Heflin to keep any of these players.

SAFETY (5) – Adrian Amos, Darnell Savage, Shawn Davis, Dallin Leavitt, and Tariq Carpenter

Leavitt returned to practice on Sunday, which is good news for the depth at this position and even better news for a special teams unit that struggled throughout the preseason. If Gutekunst keeps a fifth safety, seventh-round pick Carpenter, who showed some exciting potential covering kicks and punts last Friday night, probably holds a slight advantage over former USFLer Micah Abernathy. This is another position that a veteran addition could bolster after final cuts.

SPECIALISTS (3) – Mason Crosby, Pat O’Connell, and Jack Coco

If for some reason, Crosby isn’t ready for Week 1, Ramiz Ahmed showed enough late in camp to step in for the 15-year veteran. I’ll place Coco on the 53, but there’s definitely a chance he’ll be replaced by a more experienced player. It also won’t be a shock to see Gutekunst go without a long snapper on the initial final roster, allowing him to keep a young player at another position until Coco’s replacement is acquired. That player could be a running back, linebacker, or corner.

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