GREEN BAY, Wisc. — More than 72,000 fans packed Lambeau Field Saturday afternoon for the preseason finale to watch the Packers beat the Baltimore Ravens 30-7 while 38 players didn’t dress for Green Bay.
No starters on either side of the ball played, which gave general manager Brian Gutekunst and his staff one last in-game look at fringe roster guys ahead of Tuesday’s 3 p.m. CT roster cutdown deadline.
With all preseason games complete, here’s a final 53-man roster projection based on what we’ve seen and heard out of 1265 Lombardi Ave. over the last month.
Offense
Quarterback (2): Jordan Love, Sean Clifford
Does coach Matt LaFleur think one of his backup quarterbacks can win a game in the regular season if need be?
“We’ll see,” he said on Saturday afternoon when asked. “Certainly, again, I think it’s similar to the kicking competition in terms of, there were some really good moments and then there were some things we absolutely have to do better. And then we’ll evaluate everything that’s out there for us.”
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That’s not the most ringing endorsement, and perhaps a quarterback hits the waiver wire that piques Gutekunst’s interest enough that whoever makes the initial 53-man roster as Love’s backup then gets released on Wednesday. For now, though, I’ll go with Clifford over Michael Pratt since there doesn’t appear to be much separation either way and Clifford is more experienced in the offense. He rebounded from what LaFleur called a “little rough” start Saturday and threw a nice touchdown pass to wide receiver Malik Heath in the third quarter, but little Clifford has done this preseason makes you think he can win a game in the regular season.
Pratt has shown flashes, like his well-executed fade to wideout Bo Melton for an 18-yard touchdown in the second quarter, but then he throws a terrible interception later in the game and gets the wind knocked out of him going after the guy who picked him off. Does Pratt have more upside? Perhaps. But neither of them is likely to get claimed and the Packers might want to play it safe with whoever helps them more in the immediate future. I’ll go with the guy who was the No. 2 quarterback as of Saturday.
Released: Pratt
Clifford to Heath for the score!#BALvsGB pic.twitter.com/KMtEhUQGzc
— Green Bay Packers (@packers) August 24, 2024
Running back (3): Josh Jacobs, AJ Dillon, MarShawn Lloyd
This might be the toughest group to forecast since we’re relatively in the dark about Dillon’s stinger and Lloyd’s hamstring injury. Dillon has missed a week with his injury and Lloyd two weeks with his. LaFleur was asked Saturday if he has any idea whether either his No. 2 or No. 3 running back will be ready by Week 1 and said, “TBD.” The new injured reserve option is available for both. In the past, anyone placed on injured reserve before cutdown day had to miss the entire season. Now, teams can designate two players who are placed on IR before cutdown day to return during the season, though they’ll count toward the limit of eight guys eligible to return from IR during the season. Stingers can obviously differ in severity, but Dillon missed three games late last season with one. If he misses at least Week 1, for example, Emanuel Wilson would make the initial 53.
Ellis Merriweather (4.6 yards per carry on 16 rushes), Nate McCrary (5.8 yards per carry on 11 rushes) and Wilson (4.7 yards per carry on 11 rushes) all impressed on Saturday.
“I felt like we ran the ball great,” Wilson said. “Me and Ellis, we always talked. He just said, ‘Take it personal.’ So we all took it personal. We went out there and did what we had to do, execute plays. Last week, it was a tough loss. When we went to practice, we went in with a different mindset, locked in and we got the job done.”
Released: Wilson, Merriweather, McCrary, Henry Pearson (fullback)
Wide receiver (6): Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs, Jayden Reed, Dontayvion Wicks, Bo Melton, Grant DuBose
I think Melton has been a lock all camp based on what he did late last season, but he added a grown-man catch for emphasis for the Packers’ first touchdown of the afternoon when Pratt lobbed one up for him in the end zone. Heath led the Packers with four catches for 39 yards and a touchdown, but DuBose has flashed this summer as a pass catcher, blocker and special-teamer. Heath likely won’t get claimed, so he and DuBose can be interchangeable in the regular season if need be.
Released: Heath, Samori Toure, Jalen Wayne, Julian Hicks, Dimitri Stanley
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Tight end (4): Luke Musgrave, Tucker Kraft, Tyler Davis, Ben Sims
Sims has been a two-minute menace recently. There’s not much to see here, as the four likely to make the initial 53 seem cut and dry.
Released: Joel Wilson, Messiah Swinson
Offensive line (9): Rasheed Walker, Elgton Jenkins, Josh Myers, Sean Rhyan, Zach Tom, Jordan Morgan, Andre Dillard, Jacob Monk, Travis Glover
Dillard didn’t allow a pressure in 29 pass-blocking snaps against the Cleveland Browns and Denver Broncos, per Pro Football Focus, before not suiting up on Saturday while dealing with a shoulder injury. With Morgan missing the last two and a half weeks of 11-on-11 work because of a shoulder injury, will he have enough ramp-up time to start Week 1 at right guard like the Packers seemingly wanted him to pre-injury? In his place, Rhyan has looked “outstanding,” according to LaFleur.
Released: Kadeem Telfort, Caleb Jones, Royce Newman, Luke Tenuta, Donovan Jennings, Lecitus Smith
Defense
Defensive tackle (5): Kenny Clark, Devonte Wyatt, T.J. Slaton, Karl Brooks, Colby Wooden
Along with the tight end position, this group seems easy to predict.
Released: Jonathan Ford, James Ester, Spencer Waege, Keonte Schad
Defensive end (5): Rashan Gary, Preston Smith, Lukas Van Ness, Kingsley Enagbare, Brenton Cox Jr.
Arron Mosby was the star of Saturday’s game to cap a strong camp. The third-year pro forced a fumble on quarterback Devin Leary that safety Anthony Johnson Jr. returned for a touchdown and intercepted Leary while dropping into coverage. I’m not sure there’s a spot for him on the roster, though, since Cox will make the initial 53. Taking six defensive ends seems unlikely.
“I treated this game just like every game, like it was roster cuts,” Mosby said. “When I came in my rookie year, it used to be after every preseason game there was someone getting cut. I know they changed the rule to you keep a 90-man (roster) to the last preseason game, but I went into this game … you might not be able to play again or you never know. Just treat it like it’s my last day, and it paid off great.”
Released: Mosby, Keshawn Banks, Deslin Alexandre, Brevin Allen, Zach Morton
SCOOP. SCORE. LEAP.#BALvsGB pic.twitter.com/6c4SakL4qc
— Green Bay Packers (@packers) August 24, 2024
Linebacker (5): Quay Walker, Isaiah McDuffie, Eric Wilson, Edgerrin Cooper, Ty’Ron Hopper
Kristian Welch is in a similar boat as Mosby. He’s had an impressive preseason on defense, but defense isn’t what the Packers will need from him in the regular season. Welch’s proficiency on special teams helps his case for a spot on the 53 — his fumble recovery and two interceptions in the last three exhibitions don’t hurt — but Wilson didn’t dress because he’s already on the team and a pair of rookie Day 2 draft picks are locks, too. Keeping six linebackers seems even more unlikely than keeping six defensive ends.
“I love Green Bay,” Welch said. “I have the utmost respect for the staff and the organization here. Obviously, I want to make this team. That’s been my focus. All the work’s really been done now, so the ball’s in their court.”
Released: Welch, Christian Young, Ralen Goforth, Chris Russell
Cornerback (6): Jaire Alexander, Eric Stokes, Carrington Valentine, Keisean Nixon, Corey Ballentine, Kalen King
The Packers could keep five cornerbacks to make room for Welch or Telfort, but Ballentine was an important depth piece last year and should be again this year, while King has shown at times this summer why he might be a seventh-round steal (he forced a fumble inside the Ravens’ 35-yard line that the Packers recovered). Robert Rochell has had a nice camp and didn’t dress Saturday, but that was because of a hip injury and not his status as a roster lock.
Released: Rochell, LJ Davis, Gemon Green
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Safety (5): Xavier McKinney, Javon Bullard, Evan Williams, Anthony Johnson Jr., Kitan Oladapo
Oladapo is getting his feet wet after missing time in camp with the toe injury he suffered at the combine, but Gutekunst won’t cut a rookie fifth-round pick.
Released: Zayne Anderson, Benny Sapp III
Special teams
Kicker (1): Anders Carlson
I’m putting Carlson on the initial 53, but I’m not entirely confident he’ll be Green Bay’s kicker on Wednesday after other teams make cuts, especially after LaFleur’s postgame news conference. Carlson went 61-of-75 on field goals this summer (81.3 percent), including a 32-yard miss on Saturday. Greg Joseph went 58-of-74 (78.4 percent).
“That’s not even a question for me, to be honest with you,” LaFleur said when asked if he thinks his Week 1 kicker is on the team. “We’ve got a really good sample size, and then we’ll see what happens just around the league. Certainly, there were some really good moments. Both those guys went in there, hit a 54-yarder and a 55-yarder, and then there’s a poor moment there where we missed a chip shot. You know, again, lotta good. Some we know we can be better at, and we’ll wait and see.”
Released: Joseph
Punter (1): Daniel Whelan
Whelan survived camp without any competition.
Released: None
Long snapper (1): Matt Orzech
Orzech ended camp uncontested, so the Packers will at least keep intact the snapping and holding part of their field goal operation.
Released: None
Note: The Packers have a roster exemption for Australian kicker Alex Hale since they designated him as the International Player Pathway program player. He’ll be the 17th player on the practice squad.
(Photo of Anders Carlson: Tork Mason / USA Today)
