Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst spent over 20 minutes answering questions regarding his first 53-man roster of the 2023 season on Wednesday.
Here are the highlights from Gutekunst’s post-roster press conference:
— On youth: Wasn’t trying to get young. Wanted to get athletic and fast and competitive during training camp.
— On three running backs, Emanuel Wilson: “He took advantage of his opportunities.” Said he “really progressed” as an all-around back the last few weeks. “He certainly earned it.” The Packers loved his growth and upside as a player.
— On Tarvarius Moore: Dealt with a few injuries (including knee injury) that limited him in camp. Decision to keep Jonathan Owens came down to availability.
— On Daniel Whelan over Pat O’Donnell: “He came in and earned it.” Said Whelan and O’Donnell both had great camps, but Whelan learned a lot from the veteran. “He had a nice camp and earned the job.”
— On Luke Tenuta: Big, smart, tough. Packers love his upside at offensive tackle. “We think he’s a big guy who can play. We’d like to keep developing him.” Said Packers won’t keep 11 offensive linemen, suggesting Tenuta will go on injured reserve.
— On offensive tackles: Said Packers took “calls” on availability of several offensive tackles, but teams can never have enough good tackles.
— On UDFAs in Green Bay: “You’re going to get a real opportunity.” Packers kept undrafted rookies Malik Heath, Brenton Cox Jr and Emanuel Wilson.
— On Malik Heath: He should have been drafted. Packers knew he had the talent to make 53, he put it on display every day. “It was impressive.”
— On Jonathan Taylor: Packers listened, investigated, but he can’t talk about players on other teams and wants to be in every conversation about good players.
— On Aaron Jones: “He’s the heart and soul of this team.”
— On Brenton Cox Jr: Did thorough research on him before signing him. Gave him a clean slate once he got to Green Bay. Resources within the team helped him succeed. Loved the way he attacked the process every day and made plays.
— On expectations for 2023: Youth is no excuse. “These guys were brought in for us to be better than last year.” The expectations don’t change.
— On De’Vondre Campbell and Rashan Gary: “I feel good about both of those guys. They’ve both looked very good for the stages they’re at.” Injury report comes out next week.
— On rookie tight end Ben Sims, who was claimed Wednesday: Had top 30 visit to Green Bay pre-draft. Still needs to pass physical. “Big athlete who can run really fast.” Said he really improved over final three weeks with Vikings.
— On Jayden Reed: “He came in a little more polished than we expected, that was a nice surprise.” Kept making plays, fit in with Jordan Love and the offense right away.
— On Sean Clifford: “Sean did enough good things that we feel confident in (him being the No. 2 quarterback).” Said he earned the job.
— On 16-player practice squad: Allows teams to not get boxed into keeping a certain amount of players at each position. Helps develop players, and gives veterans chances to play.
