GREEN BAY, Wis. — To conclude one of the most spirited summers in quite some time, the Green Bay Packers earned a last-second victory over the Arizona Cardinals Friday night. In doing so, they achieved very little clarity as far as position battles go.
It brings me no pleasure to tell you that this year’s initial 53-man roster in Green Bay is going to be one of the hardest to predict that I can remember. There are competitive battles across the board, with several reserve players making the most of their time in the spotlight during the preseason finale.
Of course, this is called an "initial" 53-man roster for a reason. 31 other teams are going to be releasing players of their own while all 32 monitor the waiver wire for potential pick-ups before the start of the regular season. There's also going to be some roster jumbling with who lands on injured reserve, which would sideline a player for the first four weeks of the year. The team that you see put together on paper this week likely won't be the team the Packers carry into 2026, but it's about as close to final as you can get.
This is my only roster prediction—I know some folks like to publish version one, version two, etc., but I won't be doing that. The preseason is over with, so we all have a better picture of what the Packers will wind up doing than we did three weeks ago. Let’s take a stab at it.
Disclaimer: This is technically a 52-man roster prediction, because I’m assuming Jonnu Smith, who was signed Thursday, will officially join the roster in the coming days. It’s just a matter of whether or not that happens before or after cuts. So if you count the number of players listed below and say, ‘Hey, wait a minute! There’s 52 players here, not 53! I’m being screwed! This idiot doesn’t know how to count!’ That’s why. Anyways…
Quarterback (2): Jordan Love, Tyrod Taylor
Is this what I would do? No. Kyle McCord has more than earned the right to be Jordan Love’s backup, especially after his four-touchdown performance against the Cardinals to cap off a stellar preseason slate. But the Packers—specifically general manager Brian Gutekunst—are big fans of the savvy experience Tyrod Taylor brings to the room. The Packers shouldn’t have a problem sneaking McCord through waivers. A lot of times, whenever we think a player is going to get claimed, that seldom ends up actually happening. McCord will end up back on the practice squad and serve as the emergency No. 3 this season.
Released: Kyle McCord
Running back (3): Josh Jacobs, MarShawn Lloyd, Chris Brooks
Josh Jacobs’ legal situation is still pending, but I can’t imagine he faces punishment this season unless video evidence of the altercation—which does exist—emerges. For the time being, he’s the Packers’ No. 1 running back, and head coach Matt LaFleur confirmed as much Friday night in his press conference. Pierre Strong Jr. made a strong push, but I can’t feasibly see the Packers carrying four running backs on the roster, especially given the flexibility of the practice squad.
Released: Pierre Strong Jr., Damien Martinez, Jaden Nixon
Wide receiver (6): Christian Watson, Jayden Reed, Matthew Golden, Savion Williams, Bo Melton, Skyy Moore
There’s a chance Savion Williams begins the season on injured reserve, which would make carrying J. Michael Sturdivant in that last spot at receiver much more likely, but he was one of the hardest cuts I had to make here. Sturdivant had six catches for 112 yards and a 29-yard touchdown against the Cardinals. On top of that, he’s consistently flashed throughout training camp. It’s not easy denying someone with his ability a roster spot, but anytime we fall in love with a preseason darling, the Packers are never that enamored. Also, as I alluded to at the beginning of this, whenever we think someone won’t clear waivers, they usually do. You need to view the practice squad as more of an extension of the 53-man roster. Will Sheppard made a strong push in the exhibition finale, returning a punt 81 yards for a touchdown while also catching a touchdown pass on offense, but he appears destined for the practice squad.
Released: J. Michael Sturdivant, Will Sheppard, Isaiah Neyor, Kaden Prather, Kisean Johnson, Chris Hilton Jr.
Tight end (3): Tucker Kraft, Josh Whyle, Jonnu Smith
Jonnu Smith is the obvious wild-card here. The Packers signed him to a one-year deal on Thursday, but he still has to arrive in Green Bay and pass his physical, which shouldn’t be a problem. It’s just a matter of whether or not that happens on Sunday or in the ensuing days. Either way, he’ll round out a room of three tight ends with Luke Musgrave likely landing on injured reserve with a mysterious neck injury. Thomas Yassmin, the Australian-born ex-rugby player, will presumably be the Packers’ international exemption and return on the practice squad.
EDIT: Smith was officially signed Saturday, and the Packers released safety Tra Fluellen as the corresponding move.
Released: Drake Dabney, McCallan Castles, Messiah Swinson, Thomas Yassmin
PUP: Luke Musgrave
Offensive line (9): Jordan Morgan, Aaron Banks, Sean Rhyan, Jacob Monk, Zach Bako-Bewele, John Williams, Jager Burton, Donovan Jennings, Anthony Belton
Darian Kinnard, last year’s swing tackle and, at times, No. 3 tight end, is on the chopping block. He played deep into the third quarter with the rest of the Packers’ reserves Friday night and was flagged for a penalty, as well as surrendered a sack on the same drive. He’s been losing ground throughout training camp, even while the Packers have flipped him between both right guard and tackle. John Williams, a seventh-round pick last spring who essentially redshirted his rookie season, has been consistently playing with the Packers’ No. 2 offense as Jordan Morgan’s primary backup at left tackle.
Released: Darian Kinnard, Travis Glover, Dalton Cooper, Brant Banks, Dillon Wade, Josh Gesky, Dylan Barrett
Defensive tackle (6): Devonte Wyatt, Javon Hargrave, Chris McClellan, Karl Brooks, Jonathan Ford, Anthony Campbell
The way LaFleur talked about Warren Brinson’s latest injury didn’t instill me with much confidence that he’ll be available to begin the season, so I could see him being placed on injured reserve. Jonathan Ford, Anthony Campbell, and Nazir Stackhouse were all competing for one of the final spots at the position, but Campbell and Ford have both been better players. It’s unfortunate, because I think Stackhouse offers serious upside and I’m a major proponent of rostering extremely large humans.
Released: Nazir Stackhouse, Jaden Crumedy
PUP: Jordon Riley
Injured reserve: Warren Brinson
EDGE (6): Lukas Van Ness, Barryn Sorrell, Dani Dennis-Sutton, Collin Oliver, Brenton Cox Jr., 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. He might be the one that gets released by the time Micah Parsons is ready to be activated to the roster, but for now, it’ll be hard to imagine the Packers cutting a 6’5”, 250-pound pass rusher with the kind of bend Kelly has. I also think it’s a lot more of a challenge sneaking a player at a premium position to the practice squad. We don’t know the extent of Oliver’s injury, but it could cost him some time and create even more of an opportunity for Kelly to stick on the roster.
Released: Arden Walker, Arron Mosby
PUP: Micah Parsons
Linebacker (5): Edgerrin Cooper, Zaire Franklin, Isaiah McDuffie, Ty’Ron Hopper, Nick Niemann
Nick Niemann signed a one-year extension with the Packers this past offseason, and he’s going to continue being a major part of their special teams unit. He was one of the most productive players for Rich Bisaccia last year, and you can expect more of the same under his successor, Cam Achord.
Released: Kristian Welch, TJ Quinn
Cornerback (6): Keisean Nixon, Brandon Cisse, Benjamin St-Juste, Carrington Valentine, Kamal Hadden, Domani Jackson
It’s incredibly rare when Gutekunst cuts a rookie draft pick. I mean, really rare. It’s happened eight times since he took over in 2018. Domani Jackson will come dangerously close, and that’s not entirely his fault. He missed a chunk of his rookie training camp while recovering from an offseason core-muscle injury. Jackson played just 10 defensive snaps against the Denver Broncos on Aug. 21, but when he was on the field for 19 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, but I just have a gut feeling that they’ll keep him on the roster. He could be the first to go in favor of one of the injured players later on, though.
Released: Jaylin Simpson, MJ Devonshire Jr., Shemar Bartholomew
Safety (4): Xavier McKinney, Evan Williams, Javon Bullard, Kitan Oladapo
Javon Bullard and Kitan Oladapo provide depth at safety, but both are essentially nickelbacks. Bullard will be weaponized more often in three-safety penny looks under defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon, while Oladapo has been trained in the slot this summer. He was the starting nickelback against the Cardinals for a couple of series before Kamal Hadden took the reins the rest of the way. Mark Perry and Murvin Kenion III had their moments in the preseason, but neither did enough to earn a spot. The Packers could look to fortify the position through waivers.
Released: Mark Perry, Murvin Kenion III, Tra Fluellen, Trey Dean III
Specialists (3): Trey Smack, Daniel Whelan, Cal Adomitis
Matt Orzech signed a three-year extension with the Packers just last summer, but I don’t think that will sway their decision much, nor should it. Newcomer Cal Adomitis has been the snapper through all three of the Packers’ preseason games, and the operation appears to look clean, even though it matters more who’s holding the ball. Still, I don’t think the Packers try to fix something that isn’t broken. Trey Smack, meanwhile, is 9-of-9 on field goals this preseason, so, yeah, the Packers found their kicker.
PUP: Matt Orzech