Following the Green Bay Packers’ first preseason game against Cincinnati, I have an updated 53-man roster prediction, now accounting for what took place on the field, along with what we’ve seen in practice over the last week.
The preseason can give us some added insights into where things stand. Most notably with how a player performs in a live game, but snap counts — especially on special teams — and what lineups each player is with can give us a glimpse into the depth chart as well.
So even though it has been a week since my last roster projection, with new information, a few things have changed. Here is a look at where I believe things stand heading into a very important week that includes two joint practices and a preseason game with New England.
Quarterback (2)
Keep: Jordan Love and Sean Clifford
Previous prediction (2): Jordan Love and Sean Clifford
If there was any doubt before Friday’s game that Sean Clifford was going to be the backup quarterback — and there really shouldn’t have been — that was put to bed with his performance. More so than in practices, we saw why the Packers wanted to select him. He made several impressive passes, including a few on the run, downfield, and into tight windows. He also seem mostly unfazed when under duress as well.
Running back (3)
Keep: Aaron Jones, AJ Dillon, Patrick Taylor
Previous Prediction (3): Aaron Jones, AJ Dillon, Tyler Goodson
At this point, I’m not even sure the Packers roster three running backs on the initial 53-man roster. If you recall, last year they kept only two running backs and leveraged the practice squad rules early on in the season. However, for now, I’ll go with Patrick Taylor, who was on the field for 31% of the special teams snaps in Cincinnati. As Matt LaFleur and Brian Gutekunst both said, special teams play will be a deciding factor in this positional battle.
Unfortunately, Lew Nichols has missed the last week of practices with a shoulder injury and Tyler Goodson left Friday’s game with a shoulder injury. As of now, we do not know when either will be back on the field. A new name to watch is Emanuel Wilson after a 111-yard, two-touchdown performance. With Goodson and Nichols both dealing with injuries, more opportunities could be coming Wilson’s way to continue building that momentum — although it’s worth mentioning that he didn’t play any special teams snaps in the preseason opener.
Wide Receiver (6)
Keep: Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs, Jayden Reed, Samori Toure, Dontayvion Wicks, Malik Heath
Previous Prediction (5): Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs, Jayden Reed, Samori Toure, Dontayvion Wicks
We know the first five players listed will be on the roster, but I’ve added Malik Heath after the first preseason game. Although not a burner like others at this position, Heath knows how to create space with his route running, allowing him to make plays on the ball, which we saw again. We also saw his physicality as a blocker on display as well, and we know how valuable that is in this offense.
Heath had the more impressive offensive performance compared to Bo Melton, but Melton was on the field for 38% of the special teams snaps, and that aspect is going to play a factor in determining who the sixth the receiver is.
Tight End/Full back (4)
Keep: Tucker Kraft, Luke Musgrave, Josiah Deguara (FB), Henry Pearson (FB)
Previous Prediction (4): Tucker Kraft, Luke Musgrave, Josiah Deguara, Tyler Davis
Losing Tyler Davis for the season leaves the Packers very thin at tight end currently, along with losing their best blocker at the position and a core special teams contributor. So I’ll start by saying that a lot could change at this position. But for now, my guess is that they make another addition soon to help get through the rest of the summer, but we could also see either Josiah Deguara or Henry Pearson take more traditional tight end snaps in-line. Pearson is an undrafted rookie out of Appalachian State, who played tight end there and was utilized often as a blocker. He has performed well this summer as a blocker out of the backfield, but could take on a larger role in-line moving forward.
Offensive line (9)
Keep: David Bakhtiari, Elgton Jenkins, Josh Myers, Jon Runyan, Zach Tom, Yosh Nijman, Rasheed Walker, Caleb Jones, Sean Rhyan
Previous Prediction (10): David Bakhtiari, Elgton Jenkins, Josh Myers, Jon Runyan, Zach Tom, Yosh Nijman, Royce Newman Rasheed Walker, Caleb Jones, Sean Rhyan
The change I made was taking Royce Newman off, who had a very rough performance against Cincinnati. He also struggled during the Packers annual Family Night practice the week prior. As I wrote previously, I thought his experience and versatility would be enough to keep him on the roster, but he is being pushed back far too often as a blocker. Sean Rhyan didn’t appear to have the best game either, but Andy Herman of the Pack-A-Day podcast, had Rhyan with a slightly positive grade overall. Rhyan has also been solid in training camp up to that point.
Interior defensive line (6)
Keep: Kenny Clark, Devonte Wyatt, TJ Slaton, Karl Brooks, Colby Wooden, Jonathan Ford
Previous Prediction (5): Kenny Clark, Devonte Wyatt, TJ Slaton, Karl Brooks, Colby Wooden
The first five players listed are going to be on the team, the question is whether or not Jonathan Ford can push for that sixth interior defensive line spot. I’ve been hesitant to put him there because we really don’t see six man rotations and also, the play of Wooden and Brooks has been very good throughout training camp. However, Ford can provide a backup option at nose tackle to Slaton, LaFleur said that he has “upped his game,” and we saw that against Cincinnati.
Edge Rusher (5)
Keep: Rashan Gary, Preston Smith, JJ Enagbare, Lukas Van Ness, Justin Hollins
Previous Prediction: (5): Rashan Gary, Preston Smith, JJ Enagbare, Lukas Van Ness, Justin Hollins
Brenton Cox had his best performance of the summer against the Bengals, but we also saw Justin Hollins play with the first-team defense and also play just seven total snaps — which is only further evidence that he is going to be on the final roster. From a numbers standpoint, keeping six edge rushers is a lot, and Cox will have to use his performance as a jumping off point after what had been a relatively quiet summer.
Linebacker (5)
Keep: De’Vondre Campbell, Quay Walker, Isaiah McDuffie, Eric Wilson, Tariq Carpenter
Previous Prediction (5): De’Vondre Campbell, Quay Walker, Isaiah McDuffie, Eric Wilson, Tariq Carpenter
For the most part, this position group is pretty straight forward. De’Vondre Campbell and Quay Walker are the defensive starters, while the other three are all core special teams players from 2022, and will be again this season. I will say, however, that undrafted rookie Jimmy Phillips has looked pretty good during the last few practices and against the Bengals, along with coming to the NFL with ample special teams experience from his time at SMU. But I still have him as a practice squad player at this time.
Cornerback (5)
Keep: Jaire Alexander, Rasul Douglas, Keisean Nixon, Carrington Valentine, Corey Ballentine
PUP: Eric Stokes
Previous Prediction (5): Jaire Alexander, Rasul Douglas, Keisean Nixon, Carrington Valentine, Corey Ballentine
When Eric Stokes returns, the Packers could just add him to the current cornerback room and make a cut elsewhere, or if they want to keep just five cornerbacks even with him available, Corey Ballentine is going to be the odd man out. But in the meantime, Ballentine is picking up where he left off last season as a core special teams contributor. He, along with Carrington Valentine, has been the boundary cornerback with the second-team defense all summer.
Safety (5)
Keep: Darnell Savage, Jonathan Owens, Rudy Ford, Tarvarius Moore, Dallin Leavitt
Previous Prediction (5): Darnell Savage, Jonathan Owens, Rudy Ford, Tarvarius Moore, Dallin Leavitt
While playing time still has to be determined, Darnell Savage, Jonathan Owens, Tarvarius Moore, and Rudy Ford are the top four players this position from a playing time perspective. The question at this position group comes with Dallin Leavitt, since he is only a special teams contributor. Anthony Johnson has regularly been with the third-team defense, but is a draft pick and has the skill-set to fill an Adrian Amos-like role in the defense in future years. He also performed well in Cincinnati and played 31% of the special teams snaps. Innis Gaines did not play Friday with a quad injury but as a special teams contributor and backup nickel cornerback option, he could push Leavitt as well.
With all that said, Leavitt has played under Rich Bisaccia his entire career, not to mention that Aaron Rodgers praised him last season for his leadership presence in the locker room. So until I see more of Johnson performing as he did on Friday, I’m going to stick with Leavitt as the fifth safety for the time being.
Specialists (3)
Keep: Anders Carlson, Pat O’Donnell, Matt Orzech
Previous Prediction (3): Anders Carlson, Pat O’Donnell, Matt Orzech
Until there is another kicker added to the roster — which from the sounds of it, still isn’t happening — Anders Carlson is going to be the Packers kicker come Week 1. Matt Orzech is competing with rookie Broughton Hatcher, but he has big-game experience as a former Super Bowl winner with the Rams and was signed to a three year deal this offseason — he is going to be the long-snapper. At punter, Daniel Whelan and his power has caught everyone’s attention, but for now, I will stick with Pat O’Donnell, primarily because relying in both a rookie kicker and a rookie kicker is a risky move, especially with a young offense where points may be at a premium.
