The end of the preseason is approaching for Matt LaFleur and the Green Bay Packers. After a disappointing defeat to the New York Jets at Lambeau Field and a comeback win over the Indianapolis Colts, the Packers will host the Seattle Seahawks — who were in Green Bay for a joint practice on Thursday — in the preseason finale on Saturday afternoon.
Thursday’s joint practice was a hostile, fight-plagued event. Both the Packers and Seahawks will hope for a cleaner, less chippy performance to finish the preseason on Saturday.
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While Jordan Love won’t play while recovering from thumb surgery, the Packers are planning to play some starters to open the game. And a handful of 53-man roster spots are still on the line just a few days before Tuesday’s roster cutdown.
Here are five final-themed things to watch in the preseason finale:
Finishing touches for Morgan
The true bright spot of the preseason for the Packers has been Jordan Morgan, who looked excellent while playing left tackle in games so far. Rasheed Walker is back, and Aaron Banks is dealing with a lingering back injury, so it’s possible Morgan will move to left guard to open the preseason finale and then slide to left tackle once Walker’s day is done. But Morgan looks the part of a starter, and the Packers clearly see him as the top backup at three different positions and a possible starter at two positions, including left tackle. Can he put the finishing touches on an terrific preseason and make a final push for one of the five starting jobs? Morgan, who played in only six games as a rookie, needs the reps, no matter the position.
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Finalizing the CB depth chart
Arguably no position has more to settle before Tuesday than cornerback, where everything beyond the first three (Nate Hobbs, Keisean Nixon, Carrington Valentine) still needs to be determined. Bo Melton has acclimated to cornerback as well as anyone could have expected, and he’s still a core special teamer — giving him an excellent shot at sticking. Kalen King was getting first-team reps at slot cornerback on Thursday. Micah Robinson, a seventh-round rookie, has looked the part in preseason games. Kamal Hadden missed time to injury and struggled in Indianapolis, possibly hurting his argument for a roster spot. Corey Ballentine has regular season starting experience and legitimate special teams ability. So, who makes the initial roster? Saturday is the last evaluation point for the Packers.
Simmons’ final push
The Packers love the idea of Isaiah Simmons playing multiple roles on special teams, including as a gunner on punt coverage, and it’s clear the team believes he deserves time to learn while in the middle of a position change to full-time linebacker. But the preseason has been rough on the eighth overall pick in the 2020 draft, especially defensively, and his status as a vested veteran — meaning his 2025 salary would become fully guaranteed if he’s on the Week 1 roster — makes the decision to keep him on the initial 53-man roster a multi-layered one. Saturday could be Simmons’ final opportunity to prove he has the right mix of versatility and potential to make the team. At some point, the Packers need to see growth from Simmons as a linebacker.
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The final (ideally) showcase for Willis
In a perfect world for the Packers, Saturday’s preseason finale would be the last time they see Malik Willis play quarterback (save for end-of-game kneel downs) during the 2025 season. Willis helped the Packers win three games last season but the hope is for Jordan Love to be healthy throughout the season. As a backup entering a contract year, Willis has a big opportunity to showcase his developing skill set, especially after an encouraging performance in Thursday’s joint practice and considering some starters will play in the preseason finale. Problems with the backup offensive line and all the missing wide receivers have hurt Willis’ ability to really shine this preseason. Can he put together a strong final performance? He could play the entire first half or more on Saturday.
One final thing: no injuries
Matt LaFleur said the Packers are planning to play some starters in the preseason finale, which has been the plan throughout training camp. The regular season opener against the Detroit Lions is 15 days from Saturday, so while LaFleur wants to make sure his front-line players are physically and mentally ready for the regular season, the biggest thing coming out of the preseason finale will be the health of the team. The Packers are already dealing with several lingering injuries to key players, and LaFleur needs a full deck when the Lions come to Lambeau Field on Sunday, Sept. 7. Everyone from LaFleur on the sideline to Brian Gutekunst in the box will have fingers crossed that no one comes out of Saturday’s contest with an injury that could put in jeopardy their status for Week 1. On the bright side, Jordan Love won’t play, ironically because of an injury suffered during a meaningless preseason game, so one big risk is eliminated.
This article originally appeared on Packers Wire: 5 things to watch during Packers’ preseason finale vs. Seahawks