15 potential waiver claims and practice squad options the Packers could target to strengthen the roster after final cuts

The Green Bay Packers' initial 53-man roster is set but, well, it's just the initial version. Starting on Wednesday and through the entire 2025 regular season, general manager Brian Gutekunst and his front office will still change it up a lot, whether it's due to injuries, emerging needs, or (sorry for that, fans) an unexpected trade for an elite edge defender out of nowhere.

The first step towards making more additions happens on Wednesday. Until 11am CT, teams can make waiver claims on players with less than four accrued NFL seasons who were cut by their teams. After that, teams can build their 17-man practice squads—counting with a player from the International Pathway Program.

So, while we're at it, let's take a look at some players who became available around the NFL and could be useful pieces in Green Bay.

Waiver wire options

T Esa Pole
T Logan Brown
T/G Branson Taylor

The Packers ended up keeping Donovan Jennings on the 53-man roster and placing Jacob Monk on the injured reserve with a designation for return. However, it's feasible that a waiver claim happens at the position, and Jennings gets waived. The three most intriguing names here are all rookies.

Taylor, a sixth-round pick by the Los Angeles Chargers, is an athletic and versatile player. He didn't have a great preseason, allowing six pressures in three games, but he showed positional versatility, playing snaps at left tackle, left guard, right guard, and right tackle.

Esa Pole surprisingly went undrafted, but he played well for the Kansas City Chiefs, especially as a pass blocker. He had 68 snaps at left tackle and didn't allow a single pressure. Logan Brown is a mobile tackle and received big guarantees to sign with the Minnesota Vikings.

CB Damarri Mathis

Cornerback is still a big need for the Packers, as they had to keep Bo Melton, Kamal Hadden, and Micah Robinson on the 53-man roster. Mathis didn't make a Denver Broncos roster full of good secondary players, but he has a decent track record in the NFL and could be a solid depth option.

EDGE Bradyn Swinson
EDGE Isaiah Foskey

The Packers kept five edges and still have Collin Oliver set to return at some point in the season, so this one might be a little harder to pull off. But Bradyn Swinson is probably the most surprising cut in this entire process.

He was a fifth-round pick by the New England Patriots and widely perceived as a steal at that point—The Athletic's Dane Brugler had a third-round grade on him. He had 95 preseason snaps, generating four pressures, and even though his ability against the run is limited due to his size, he is an interesting developmental pass rusher. The Patriots knew that when they took him, so this decision is puzzling.

On the other hand, Isaiah Foskey is the usual Packers-y type. A second-rounder by the New Orleans Saints two years ago, he is 6-5, 270 pounds, and has the ability to move inside. He's not a great pass rusher, but is decent to stop the run and a good tackler.

RB Audric Estime
RB Damien Martinez

With MarShawn Lloyd on IR to start the season, the Packers have only three running backs on the 53-man roster. That may be enough, but considering Lloyd's injury history, Green Bay could consider another addition at the position. Audric Estime is an AJ Dillon-esque player, with power despite not being the most explosive runner. He got waived one year after being a fifth-round pick by the Denver Broncos.

Meanwhile, Damien Martinez was in a crowded Seattle Seahawks backfield and was a seventh-round rookie, but Brugler gave him a fourth-round grade. A patient and physical runner, he has good ability to generate yards after contact.

LB Chad Muma
LB Chris Paul Jr.

The Packers released both Isaiah Simmons and Kristian Welch, keeping only four off-ball linebackers. Chad Muma, cut by the Jacksonville Jaguars, and fifth-round rookie Chris Paul Jr., waived by the Los Angeles Rams, could be options to give the team more depth.

External practice squad options

QB Clayton Tune
RB Dante Miller
WR Malachi Corley
WR Ja'Corey Brooks
G Cole Strange

For the Packers to be able to sign these players to the practice squad, they have to clear waivers first. Regarding quarterback Clayton Tune, there have been rumors floating around Phoenix that the former Arizona Cardinals fifth-rounder could end up in Green Bay overtaking both Taylor Elgersma and Sean Clifford as QB3. The Packers in fact closely scouted Tune back in 2023, but he was taken 10 picks ahead of Clifford at that time.

Malachi Corley and Cole Strange are former high draft picks who didn't pan out on their first teams, and while their contracts are probably too heavy for what they offer, a PS opportunity could appeal. Dante Miller and Ja'Corey Brooks don't fit the 53-man roster, but would be developmental pieces with more upside.