The days leading up to the yearly roster cut-down day are busy for every NFL team. Like late Christmas shoppers, general managers take what they can get to appease their dependents. Brian Gutekunst can sleep better on the eve of the NFL season with 3 new players to check off the list of Packers’ roster holes.

Jonnu Smith

Luke Musgrave, a former 2nd round pick, is dealing with a neck injury that currently has him benched indefinitely. Despite having one of the best players at the position in football, in Tucker Kraft, tight end was one of the Packers’ roster holes. The Packers chose 31 year old Jonnu Smith to fill the role, and gave him the opportunity to be one of the most impactful of any August addition in the NFL.

Smith is coming off of a down year of playing with former Packer quarterback Aaron Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers. He dropped from a Pro Bowl season in 2024 with almost 900 yards receiving and 8 touchdowns, to less than 250 yards and 2 touchdowns.

With age and recent history against him, why is there hope for Smith to bounce back in 2026?

The answer is Packers’ head coach, Matt Lafleur.

Smith’s best season in 2024 was as a member of Mike McDaniel’s Miami offense, which, while somewhat different, does resemble the Packers offense. McDaniel and Lafleur were fellow coaches for a total of 5 years with the Washington Commanders and Atlanta Falcons.

Smith’s ability to run downfield and open the middle of the defense as well as get plenty of yards after catch is exactly what the Packers have needed from Musgrave. Even when healthy, Musgrave hasn’t shown the ability to impact the offense; Smith has.

Kaleb Johnson

The status of Josh Jacobs has been a looming threat to the Packers season ever since his arrest for a domestic violence incident in May. His status is no longer in question, as he was placed on the commissioner’s exempt list and could remain there until his November court date or beyond. Answered questions about his availability consequently equal Packers’ roster holes.

Gutekeunst’s answer to Jacobs absence, like Smith, also had a disappointing 2025 season with the Steelers. Kaleb Johnson was projected to fill the shoes of Najee Harris when he was drafted in the 3rd round of the draft. Instead, he only carried the ball 28 times during his whole rookie season.

One season may be early to consider a player to be a draft bust, but the Steelers were willing to do so after Johnson’s rookie season. An embarrassing special teams mistake, the addition of Rico Dowdle, and the inability to get more time on the field than Jaylen Warren dropped Johnson’s value to the Steelers to a 7th round pick

A highly drafted player like Johnson has to play very poorly to be moved so quickly for so little, so why did the Packers choose him?

Necessity and age were likely the key traits the Packers saw in Johnson.

Without Jacobs, the Packers main running back is Marshawn Lloyd who only has played in one NFL game due to an unfortunate run of injuries. Although he stayed healthy through training camp and 2 preseason games, his injury history is not promising. Even if Johnson is only functional, he can help manage the wear on Lloyd as he finally finds his step in the NFL.

And there’s no reason to think Johnson couldn’t be better than a functional player. He is only 23 years old and in his second NFL season, there should be plenty of room for growth. Additionally, preseason film and offensive line selection may indicate that the Packers are shifting away from the inside running of Jacobs to an outside run scheme. That was the running scheme used by Iowa when Johnson ran for 1500 yards and 21 touchdowns to become a 3rd round pick.

Mark Redman

Los Angeles is a trend setter in more than football. Sean McVay’s offensive system that frequently includes 2 or 3 tight ends of the field has taken hold of the NFL. Instead of drafting more players at the position, the Packers chose to trade for one of the six tight ends on the Rams roster.

Mark Redman likely isn’t in Green Bay to put his hands on the football, but on opposing defenders. His use will come as a blocker in the run or screen game. He showed a strong ability to do just that in the Rams preseason games.

With Smith and Redman, the tight end room went from one of the Packers’ roster holes to a full room with versatility. Kraft will be the every down player, Smith will be the motion and pass catching player, Redman will be a blocker, and Josh Whyle can back up any of these positions.