GREEN BAY — It has been 218 days since general manager Brian Gutekunst publicly challenged his Green Bay Packers players to “ramp up our sense of urgency” and proclaimed that it was “time we started competing for championships.”
When the final whistle blows at the end of the team’s last preseason game Saturday afternoon against the Seattle Seahawks at Lambeau Field, Gutekunst and his personnel staff will set about assembling the 53-man roster and 16-man practice squad that they believe will be capable of winning the Super Bowl LX title.
They will evaluate everything they saw throughout the offseason, in the team’s three preseason games, in 18 practices (including two joint sessions with he Seahawks and the Indianapolis Colts) and anything and everything else that caught their attention.
“I think everything matters,” Gutekunst said. “Even the non-practice stuff — how they’re working in the building. We actually had [retired Packers offensive lineman] Billy Turner in here talking to our group, and he kept talking to these guys about, ‘Doing the bare minimum isn’t going to get you anywhere in this league.’ And I think that’s the thing with young players coming in.
“I think most of the vets can understand this is that you’ve got to take advantage of all the resources that are here to be a good player. And I think for us, that’s part of the evaluation as well: What they’re doing in this building, how they’re handling themselves, studying, taking care of their bodies.
“But for me, it’s always been the preseason games and now the joint practices, where the level of competition is amped up a little bit. Quite frankly, in the preseason games these guys have to make decisions out on the field without breaks in between each snap when they’re tired. So those always weigh a little bit more.”
With that in mind, here’s a look at where the Packers’ roster stands heading into Saturday’s preseason-ending matchup with the Seahawks:
Quarterbacks (2 or 3)
Lock: Jordan Love.
Looking good: Malik Willis.
On the bubble: Sean Clifford, Taylor Elgersma.
Love’s surgery to repair a thumb ligament on his left (non-throwing) hand, an injury that he sustained on his final snap of the Aug. 9 preseason opener against the New York Jets, has sidelined or limited him ever since. But the idea of the surgery was to fix the problem with time to spare for the Sept. 7 regular-season opener against the Detroit Lions, and he is on track for that.
Willis is the clear-cut, no-doubt No. 2, and the only reason he’s not a lead-pipe cinch is the remote possibility that a quarterback-desperate team would call with a trade proposition. Clifford, a 2023 fifth-round pick who spent last season on the practice squad as the No. 3 QB, and Elgersma, a raw-but-promising Canadian import, are battling for that third spot. It’s possible Gutekunst will keep a third quarterback on the 53 because of Love’s thumb situation, but unlikely.
Running backs (3 or 4)
Lock: Josh Jacobs.
Looking good: Emanuel Wilson, Chris Brooks.
On the bubble: Israel Abanikanda, Amar Johnson, Marshawn Lloyd.
Long shot: Tyrion Davis-Price.
It’s easy to forget that Wilson ran for 500 yards behind Jacobs last year and averaged an Aaron Jones-like 4.9 yards per carry. Gutekunst and head coach Matt LaFleur have both spoken at length about how much they trust him and Brooks, and with Lloyd sidelined yet again by injury — this time a hamstring, sustained in last Saturday’s preseason game against the Indianapolis Colts — it’s likely that the 2024 third-round pick will start the season on injured reserve.
That leaves Abanikanda and Johnson to battle for a fourth running back spot that may not even exist on the 53. But both would be worth keeping on the 16-man practice squad, especially with greater flexibility than ever to call guys up on game day. Abanikanda has shown promise not only as a runner but as a kickoff returner and even on special-teams coverage units. Johnson, an undrafted rookie from South Dakota State, has been productive and feels like a longer-term project well worth developing.
Wide receivers (6 or 7)
Locks: Romeo Doubs, Jayden Reed, Dontayvion Wicks, Matthew Golden.
Looking good: Malik Heath.
On the bubble: Savion Williams, Mecole Hardman, Julian Hicks, Cornelius Johnson, Isaiah Neyor.
Long shots: Christian Watson, Kawaan Baker, Will Sheppard.
Watson, still recovering from surgery to repair the torn ACL he suffered in his right knee during the Jan. 5 regular-season finale against the Chicago Bears, has spent all of camp on the physically unable to perform list and will start the season there, despite being ahead of the recovery curve. But he’s not the only wideout who has dealt with injury issues this summer.
Reed (foot) and Wicks (calf) have both missed multiple weeks but insist they will be good to go for the Lions — and that their chemistry with Love will be unaffected by the time they missed in camp. Williams, a rookie third-round pick, isn’t in any danger of being cut whatsoever, but after missing so much time in camp with shoulder and hamstring injuries and a concussion, there’s a good chance he starts on IR, too.
There was some Twitterverse buzz during the offseason about Doubs being a trade candidate, but aside from Golden, he has been the most consistently available guy at the position in camp. He’s also looked like his old self after a problematic 2024, and LaFleur made it very clear that Doubs isn’t going anywhere in an interview with Kay Adams earlier in the week.
Hicks, Hardman, Johnson and Neyor have all had their moments in camp and it’s hard to know exactly what the pecking order is there. Hicks and Johnson each spent last season on the practice squad and with Doubs and Watson both in the final years of their contracts, it would be smart to keep developing them both there with an eye on 2026.
Tight ends (3 or 4)
Locks: Luke Musgrave, Tucker Kraft.
Looking good: John FitzPatrick, Ben Sims.
On the bubble: Messiah Swinson.
Long shots: Johnny Lumpkin.
It’s hard to imagine the Packers, who want to do more two tight-end sets this year, going with fewer than four tight ends on the 53. Kraft is trending toward being one of the NFL’s best TEs, and after a fully healthy training camp, Musgrave finally looks like the guy the Packers were envisioning when they picked him in the second round in 2023.
Speaking of that draft, given their history with FitzPatrick and Sims — Gutekunst liked them both so much before the draft that they both came to Green Bay on top-30 pre-draft visits — it seems like the Packers are set with the quartet of Kraft, Musgrave, Sims and FitzPatrick.
Swinson spent last year on the practice squad and while there may not be room for him on the 53, he seems to be worth continuing to develop, too. On another team, Lumpkin surely would have had a better shot at a roster spot.
Offensive linemen (9 or 10)
Locks: Rasheed Walker, Elgton Jenkins, Jordan Morgan, Zach Tom, Sean Rhyan, Aaron Banks, Anthony Belton.
Looking good: Kadeem Telfort.
On the bubble: Jacob Monk, Donovan Jennings, Lecitus Smith.
Longshots: Trey Hill, Tyler Cooper, J.J. Lippe, Brant Banks, John Williams
If there’s any spot on the roster that is likely to have Gutekunst scouring the waiver wire, it’s on the offensive line, where the Walker-versus-Morgan left tackle competition has been a struggle because of injuries but the top seven are clear-cut.
After that, though, it’s hard to know what the backup plan is if the injury bug infects the line at some point. Telfort was a backup on the 53 last year but he struggled almost as much as Travis Glover did in the Packers’ season-ending playoff loss in Philadelphia, and with Glover on season-ending IR after shoulder surgery, he’s probably the next-best backup option.
Monk had a disastrous game against the Jets and now is sidelined with a hamstring injury. Jennings has gotten occasional work with the 1s and for now appears to be the next-man-up at guard. Williams, a seventh-round pick, is on PUP and is expected to start the season there.
Defensive linemen (9)
Locks: Kenny Clark, Lukas Van Ness, Devonte Wyatt, Rashan Gary.
Looking good: Kingsley Enagbare, Karl Brooks.
On the bubble: Brenton Cox, Colby Wooden, Warren Brinson, Nazir Stackhouse, Barryn Sorrell, Aaron Mosby.
Long shots: Deslin Alexandre, James Ester, Devonte O’Malley, Collin Oliver.
After the four starters and Enagbare and Brooks, it’ll be interesting to see how the personnel staff will decide on the remaining roster spots.
Complicating matters is the knee injury Sorrell suffered in Indianapolis, which could land him on IR to start the year. A fourth-round pick, he has a bright future but his short-term future is in limbo.
Cox seems very likely to make the 53 given the time the team has invested in developing him and how hard it is to find good edge rushers. Wooden has faced interior competition from Brinson and Stackhouse, who were teammates at Georgia and have each shown their run-stuffing ability in camp. Both are worth developing, even though Brinson was a draft pick (sixth round) and Stackhouse was an undrafted free-agent signee.
Mosby earned a roster spot with a breakout performance in last year’s preseason finale and might need another game like that against the Seahawks. Olliver will start the season on the PUP list after missing all of camp because of a hamstring injury.
Linebackers (5 or 6)
Locks: Quay Walker, Isaiah McDuffie, Edgerrin Cooper, Ty’Ron Hopper.
On the bubble: Isaiah Simmons, Kristian Welch.
Longshots: Jamon Johnson, Jared Bartlett.
Hopper has made a huge leap after a nondescript rookie year as a third-round pick last season. He’s likely the next-man-up at this point even though he’s worked primarily as Walker’s backup at the Mike linebacker spot.
Welch, who was cut at the end of camp last year despite Gutekunst publicly saying he deserved to make the team, is now locked in a battle with Simmons, whose immense athleticism is obvious but whose play has been uneven. If the Packers opt for potential over productivity and only keep five linebackers, Welch could be on the outside looking in yet again.
Cornerbacks (6 or 7)
Locks: Keisean Nixon, Carrington Valentine, Nate Hobbs.
Looking good: Bo Melton, Kalen King, Micah Robinson.
On the bubble: Corey Ballentine, Johnathan Baldwin.
Long shots: Kamal Hadden, Tyron Herring.
Hobbs, sidelined for nearly a month after tearing the meniscus in his right knee in practice and needing surgery to trim out the damaged portion, is supposed to be ready for the opener against the Lions but nothing is guaranteed. If he’s not ready, Nixon and Valentine are the clear-cut outside starters.
Melton is a core special-teams player and isn’t going anywhere, but his work at cornerback has been impressive after moving from wide receiver in June. King, after a year on the practice squad, has put himself in position to not only be on the 53 but be active on game days. Robinson, a seventh-round pick, has shown promise.
After that, Ballentine’s return midway through camp after spending the offseason and the start of camp with the Colts gave the Packers a guy who has played in the defense and is a special-teams contributor. Baldwin got an unusually large undrafted rookie free-agent signing bonus but has not popped very often in camp.
Safeties (5)
Locks: Xavier McKinney, Javon Bullard, Evan Williams.
Looking good: Kitan Oladapo.
On the bubble: Zayne Anderson, Omar Brown.
Long shots: Jaylin Simpson.
There may not be a team in the league with a better top 3 at safety than the Packers, and Oladapo had a solid camp and looks like the clear-cut No. 4. After that, though, injuries are a factor.
Anderson, a valuable special-teams guy and backup at safety, is working his way back from a knee injury suffered against the Jets and might not be ready for the opener. Brown, the darling of “Family Night” with three interceptions, suffered a lung injury against the Colts and was kept at an Indianapolis-area hospital for multiple days afterward as a precaution. The seriousness of the injury probably derailed his quest for a roster spot.
Specialists (3)
Locks: Brandon McManus, Daniel Whelan, Matt Orzech.
Long shot: Mark McNamee.
Unlike past summers, where there seemingly was a competition for at least one of the specialist gigs each year, the McManus-Whelan-Orzech trio was set before the first practice. All three are at the top of their games. McNamee, an International Player Pathway program player who would get a practice-squad roster exemption with his IPP status, figures to spend the year there after transitioning from Gaelic football in Ireland to the NFL.
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