Earlier this week the Packers reduced their roster to just 53 players as part of the NFL’s mandated roster reduction. Here’s a look at some of the key takeaways of the newly established 53-man roster.
Quarterback (2)
It seems the Packers were not satisfied with the inconsistent performances from former 2023 fifth rounder, Sean Clifford, and recent 7th round pick Michael Pratt. Both Clifford and Pratt were released, but Clifford has since been signed to the practice squad.
Prior to releasing both Clifford and Pratt, the Packers made a surprising move and sent a 7th round pick to the Tennesse Titans in exchange for backup quarterback Malik Willis. Willis lost the starting quarterback battle to Will Levis in Tennessee.
Willis stated “I didn’t wake up thinking I was gonna be traded, no sir, so it definitely caught me by surprise…” The former Liberty quarterback is now QB2 behind Jordan Love.
Running Back (3)
The running back room will not consist of AJ Dillon this year. Dillon suffered yet another stinger injury that landed him on injured reserve. Dillon did not receive a return designation, meaning that his 2024 season is officially over. The Packers decided to roll with Josh Jacobs, Emmanual Wilson and rookie Marshawn Lloyd.
Wide Receiver (6)
It was already established that the wide receiver room would likely consist of Romeo Doubs, Christian Watson, Jayden Reed, and Dontayvion Wicks. The remaining spots up for grabs were rewarded to Malik Heath, and Bo Melton.
This is Bo Melton’s first time making the 53-man roster. The former Rutgers wide receiver was originally selected by Seattle in the seventh round of the 2022 draft.
Defensive End (6)
The Packers will roll with a rotation of Preston Smith, Rashan Gary, Kingsley Enagbare, Lukas Van Ness and Brenton Cox Jr. In addition, the Packers elected to keep Arron Mosby. Mosby shined in the preseason against Baltimore as he snagged an interception and even caused a strip sack that led to a touchdown.
Linebacker (6)
Green Bay’s linebacker room will not consist of preseason standout Kristian Welch. Welch had an outstanding preseason but with a crowded linebacker room, there was simply no place for him. Brian Gutekunst stated “Kristian, along with a few others, absolutely did everything and deserved to make this football team. We had more than 53, in my opinion, that deserved to make this football team.”
This leaves Quay Walker, Isaiah McDuffie, Eric Wilson, Edgerrin Cooper (rookie) and Ty’Ron Hopper (rookie) to command the linebacker room.
Safety (5)
The Packers elected not to keep Anthony Johnson Jr. as a part of their safety room. The Packers will rely on new addition Xavier McKinney to lead the room that consists of Javon Bullard (rookie), Evan Williams (rookie), Kitan Oladapo (rookie) and Zayne Anderson.
Special (3)
The Packers will use Daniel Whelan as their punter and Matt Orzech as their long snapper. The kicking competition, however, resulted in neither Anders Carlson nor Greg Joseph as the guy. Joseph and Carlson put up wildly inconsistent numbers in camp and in preseason resulting in their release from the team.
The Packers have since picked up Brayden Narveson off waivers. Narveson was kicking for the Tennessee Titans in preseason. He attended NC State and went undrafted this year. During his preseason he went 6/7 on field goals with his only miss coming from 58 yards out. The rookie nailed a 59 yarder in the preseason against the Seattle Seahawks.
