GREEN BAY, Wis. — Arguably the most strenuous and nerve-racking time of year—for the players, at least—is here, as the Green Bay Packers will work over the next couple of days to trim their roster.
Along with the rest of the league, the Packers have to be down to the 53-player limit by 5 p.m. CST on Sunday. After the initial waiver period expires, they’ll begin to assemble their 16-player practice squad on Monday. Thanks to the International Player Pathway Program, it’s more of a 17-player practice squad. Assuming Australian-born tight end Thomas Yassmin clears waivers, he’ll likely return to the Packers’ practice squad as their international exemption player.
Every single cut and transaction will be tracked here, up to the very second. The first reported release was actually announced by the Packers on Saturday, who released safety Tra Fluellen to make room for incoming tight end Jonnu Smith. Smith, who spent last season with the Pittsburgh Steelers, arrived in Green Bay and passed his physical.
We here at The Packer Dispatch—and by ‘we,’ I mean me, Zach; I’m the only one working here, this is literally my site—understand that you have many different cut trackers to choose from, and appreciate you landing on us. Or me. Whatever.
S Tra Fluellen
Signed on Aug. 11, Fluellen was on the outside looking in at safety. He was one of two safeties the Packers signed ahead of their Aug. 13 preseason opener, along with Trey Dean III. Fluellen was targeted twice in Friday night’s exhibition finale versus the Arizona Cardinals, surrendering two receptions for 40 yards. It wasn’t the best audition, but Fluellen wasn’t able to maximize his opportunity through three preseason games, even in a thin safety room.
LS Cal Adomitis
The long-snapping battle in Green Bay wasn’t much of a battle at all. Despite doing the job well for all three of the Packers’ preseason games—and contributing to a flawless operation that helped rookie kicker Trey Smack go 9-for-9 on his field goal attempts—Cal Adomitis didn’t win the job. Matt Orzech, who has served as the long snapper for the last three seasons, has missed the entirety of training camp with a calf injury, but the Packers anticipate him being ready to go by the Sept. 13 opener.
TE Messiah Swinson
It’s evident that the Packers’ tight end room will only consist of Tucker Kraft, Jonnu Smith, and Josh Whyle. Luke Musgrave’s status is up in the air as he battles a mysterious neck injury that the team is still gathering more information about. For the second consecutive year, Swinson will fall victim to final roster cuts in Green Bay. He originally signed with the Packers as an undrafted free agent in 2024 before being signed off their practice squad by the Carolina Panthers. They released him a couple of weeks into the season, and not long after, he was back on the Packers’ practice squad, which is where he spent the remainder of 2024.
T Brant Banks
Another former undrafted free agent who has returned to Green Bay multiple times. Unless the Packers have seen enough of Brant Banks over the last two summers, there’s no reason why he shouldn’t be a prime candidate to return to the practice squad. That’s especially true after the encouraging performance he put on tape in Friday’s preseason finale against the Cardinals. In 31 pass-blocking snaps with the No. 3 offense this summer, Banks has surrendered just one sack.
WR Kaden Prather
The Packers are going to have some extremely tough decisions to make at the bottom of the depth chart at wide receiver. Unfortunately, Kaden Prather wasn’t going to be one of them. He had two receptions for 17 yards in Friday night’s win over the Cardinals, but he has consistently been overshadowed by the likes of J. Michael Sturdivant, Will Sheppard, and Isaiah Neyor. Prather was signed at the beginning of training camp on July 30.
RB Damien Martinez
A former seventh-round pick of the Seattle Seahawks, second-year running back Damien Martinez signed with the Packers’ practice squad late last season. He played in all three of the team’s preseason games this summer, rushing 16 times for 60 yards, but Pierre Strong Jr. and Jaden Nixon were more efficient with their workload. Strong and Nixon are both likely to be released, too, but one or two of these cuts could return on the practice squad.
LB TJ Quinn
The Packers’ linebacker room is already full, so undrafted rookie TJ Quinn was already at a numbers disadvantage. Despite playing with his hair on fire in the exhibition finale, it wasn’t enough for the Louisville product to stick. He played a whopping 69 defensive snaps against the Cardinals, finishing with a team-high nine tackles and a forced fumble. There’s a lot to love with Quinn’s game, so expect the Packers to try and get him back on the practice squad.
WR Kisean Johnson
Another member of a crowded receiving room, Johnson won’t make the cut. He’s a familiar face who spent time on the Packers’ practice squad last season before returning on Aug. 9. He was one of the heroes of Friday night’s last-second victory over the Cardinals after catching four passes for 52 yards and a pair of touchdowns—all of which came in the fourth quarter. His second touchdown came with 20 seconds left in the game.
S Mark Perry
A former undrafted free agent who originally signed with the Carolina Panthers, Mark Perry had a realistic shot of sticking on the Packers’ 53-man roster after an impressive preseason. He finished with nine total tackles, and even had an interception in the Aug. 21 win over the Denver Broncos. The Packers have certainly seen enough of him—he played 125 defensive snaps across three games—to determine whether or not they’ll keep him on the practice squad, assuming he passes through waivers unclaimed.
CB Jaylin Simpson
For the second year in a row, Jaylin Simpson will be released on cut-down day. He spent last season on the Packers’ practice squad, and the team hopes that’ll be the case in 2026, too. Simpson played 171 defensive snaps for the Packers through three preseason games, and even opened the Aug. 28 finale against the Cardinals as a starter on the boundary opposite sixth-round rookie Domani Jackson. He’s had his fair share of struggles, surrendering 11 receptions for 167 yards and a touchdown, but the Packers are high on his versatility.
LB Kristian Welch
Much like Quinn, Kristian Welch is a victim of the Packers’ numbers game at linebacker. This is the third year in a row that Welch has been released by the Packers during roster cut-downs in August, so this shouldn’t be much of a surprise. Welch’s specialty is, well, special teams, and you can only roster so many players at one position for that department. Nick Niemann, who will likely earn a 53-man roster spot, handles those duties well.
RB Jaden Nixon
Martinez and now Jaden Nixon bring the Packers’ running back room down to four players: Josh Jacobs, MarShawn Lloyd, Chris Brooks, and Pierre Strong Jr. Excluding the primary tailbacks atop the depth chart, Strong has arguably been the most impressive rusher of the preseason, but Nixon wasn’t far behind. He carried nine times for 44 yards against the Cardinals, and had a rushing touchdown versus the Broncos the week prior. He’s a likely practice squad candidate.
CB Domani Jackson
The rookie sixth-round pick never had much of an opportunity to make his mark this summer. An offseason core-muscle injury kept him shelved for most of training camp, and he played just 10 snaps against the Broncos. When he was on the field for 19 snaps against the Cardinals, he was picked on—badly. He gave up five catches on seven targets into his coverage for 97 yards and a touchdown. A redshirt season on the practice squad may be the best route for him.
WR Isaiah Neyor
Isaiah Neyor’s chances of making the 53-man roster were already fairly slim, even after an intriguing training camp. But after dropping what would’ve been a 52-yard touchdown reception Friday against the Cardinals, that was the nail in the coffin. He’s still a talented receiver that the Packers could look to retain on the practice squad for the second consecutive season.
WR Will Sheppard
Thrusting himself onto the Packers’ radar in Friday night’s exhibition finale, Will Sheppard made his case for a roster spot with an exclamation point. Not only was he on the receiving end of a touchdown pass, but he also returned a punt 81 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter against the Cardinals. Sheppard, Neyor, and Johnson have all been released, leaving J. Michael Sturdivant in pole position for the seventh spot at wide receiver.
S Murvin Kenion III
In 64 coverage snaps this preseason, Murvin Kenion III was targeted just once. It was a 20-yard reception Friday night against the Cardinals. Otherwise, it’s been a relatively quiet summer for first-year undrafted safety from Nevada. He had six tackles in the Aug. 13 opener against the Steelers, showcasing the kind of fearlessness the Packers desperately need in their secondary.
CB M.J. Devonshire Jr.
One of the Packers’ free-agent signings this past spring, M.J. Devonshire struggled in the preseason. He was targeted seven times, surrendering five receptions for 47 yards and a pair of touchdowns. It’s hard to imagine the Packers will want to retain him on the practice squad, but it isn’t impossible.
CB Shemar Bartholomew
Shemar Bartholomew’s play in the preseason wasn’t much better, either. He was targeted six times for five receptions and 63 yards. He was also penalized against the Steelers. The Packers appear content with a cornerback room of Keisean Nixon, Brandon Cisse, Benjamin St-Juste, Carrington Valentine, and Kamal Hadden, who has been taking reps at safety and serving as the Packers’ nickelback in the preseason.
TE Thomas Yassmin
The Australian-born ex-rugby player was signed by the Packers at the start of training camp to alleviate some of the woes in the tight end room at the time. The Packers were hindered by an onslaught of injuries, but even so, Yassmin is just too raw of a player to stick around at the moment. He missed a full week of practice, as well as the preseason finale with a knee injury, landing him on injured reserve.
DT Jaden Crumedy
Defensive tackle was one of the most competitive position groups on the team in Green Bay this summer, with Jaden Crumedy standing out. It’s hard to imagine the Packers won’t attempt to bring him back on the practice squad. Crumedy totaled a pair of tackles against the Cardinals, as well as a hit on quarterback Kedon Slovis. It was one of Crumedy’s pressures on Slovis that led to an errant pass and an interception for edge rusher Nyjalik Kelly.
QB Kyle McCord
After his four-touchdown performance against the Cardinals, McCord wasn’t released—he was traded. The Miami Dolphins sent the Packers a 2028 sixth-round pick for McCord, who will now serve as Malik Willis’ backup. McCord did more than enough to earn the No. 2 job in Green Bay, but the Packers opted for Tyrod Taylor’s veteran experience instead.
OT Dalton Cooper
The second-year undrafted free agent hasn’t seen much work outside of the Packers’ No. 3 offense in the preseason. He played 40 pass-blocking snaps and surrendered two sacks while working exclusively at left tackle. He was essentially the third-string player at the position behind starter Jordan Morgan and his backup, John Williams. Even so, Cooper’s size at 6’7” and 315 pounds is intriguing enough for the Packers to want to develop.
C Dylan Barrett
After a strong preseason, the Packers still decided to release Dylan Barrett. A collegiate guard at Iowa State, the Packers have repped Barrett at center throughout training camp. That’s where he played 62 snaps across their three preseason games with the No. 3 offense. He didn’t surrender a single pressure.
RB Pierre Strong Jr.
The writing was on the wall for Pierre Strong Jr. after the Packers decided to trade for Kaleb Johnson, a former third-round pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers. That’s to no fault of his own, however. Strong ran well for the Packers in the preseason, galloping 15 times for 58 yards; he was in the driver’s seat for the No. 4 running back job, if they chose to keep that many. It turns out that they will, but Strong won’t be in those plans. For now, Jacobs, MarShawn Lloyd, Chris Brooks, and the newcomer Johnson will make up the stable.
EDGE Nyjalik Kelly
The Packers gave Nyjalik Kelly, an undrafted rookie, $262,500 in guaranteed money. That wasn’t out of the ordinary in the league this year, but it at least paints somewhat of a picture that tells you what they thought about him. He certainly validated their belief with how well he played against the Cardinals. He finished the preseason with eight pressures, four of which came Friday night. He also finished the game with a sack and an interception. Cutting a 6’5”, 250-pound player at a premium position is certainly a risk, but the Packers are presumably hoping he clears waivers to bring him back on the practice squad.
TE Drake Dabney
A longshot to make the Packers’ tight end room, Drake Dabney—not Dominique Dafney—simply didn’t do enough to capture anyone’s attention. He caught just one pass in each of the Packers’ three preseason games, but he was falling out of favor on a thin depth chart even before they acquired a pair of tight ends over the last few days. Jonnu Smith was signed, and the Packers also acquired Mark Redman in a trade with the Los Angeles Rams.
G Josh Gesky
One of the best rookie linemen in the league this preseason, Josh Gesky didn’t make the cut in Green Bay. That isn’t to say he won’t return on the practice squad, though. The undrafted free agent from Illinois played 43 snaps in pass protection at right guard through the Packers’ three games and only surrendered a single pressure.