Packers Roster Projection After Family Night

With Family Night in the books, the Green Bay Packers will turn their attention to Saturday night’s preseason opener against the New York Jets at Lambeau Field. It will be the first truly huge milepost on the path to general manager Brian Gutekunst picking the 53-man roster he’ll take into Week 1 against the Lions.  

Training camp has been intense and fierce, and roster battles should only continue to trend that way. With the first big part of camp out of the way, here’s a look at who we believe will be on the 53-man roster.

Quarterbacks

Jordan Love, Malik Willis.

Analysis: This one is straight forward. Love is the starter and Willis, who helped the Packers win three games last year, is the backup.

There could be a wrinkle here if rookie Taylor Elgersma plays well enough in the preseason to get the attention of those around the league. That could cause the Packers to keep Elgersma on the roster rather than risk losing him to waivers.

For now, that doesn’t seem likely, and the third quarterback spot is essentially a waste with the new rules that allow the presence of an emergency quarterback.

Running Backs

Josh Jacobs, Marshawn Lloyd, Chris Brooks.

Analysis: This position group might need an extra body depending on the severity of Marshawn Lloyd’s injury. Coach Matt LaFleur said on Thursday that he did not believe Lloyd’s injury was a long-term situation, but Lloyd has had some rotten injury luck in his brief NFL career.

If Lloyd isn’t healthy, or gets dinged again, Emanuel Wilson would likely make the roster as the fourth running back. Assuming Lloyd is healthy, however, they might be looking for more of a role player who contributes on special teams as the third back. That sounds a lot like Brooks, who is an excellent pass protector and was very present on the kicking units through the first 10 days of camp.

Receivers

Matthew Golden, Romeo Doubs, Jayden Reed, Dontayvion Wicks, Savion Williams, Mecole Hardman.

Analysis: The first five are stone-cold locks. With Christian Watson likely to start the regular season on the physically unable to perform list, the only real battle will be for the sixth and final spot, assuming the Packers keep that many on the depth chart.

Malik Heath has value as a blocker. Hardman has value as a returner. The question for the Packers to answer is which trait they value more. The guess here is Hardman’s return ability will be deemed more important, if for no other reason than to keep Reed and Keisean Nixon from being exposed to too may hits as the returner.

Tight Ends

Tucker Kraft, Luke Musgrave, John FitzPatrick.

Analysis: Kraft and Musgrave look to be big parts of the offense, with Musgrave breaking out of his quiet camp on Thursday afternoon and again on Saturday night. For the No. 3 spot, Fitzpatrick has taken more snaps than Ben Sims. This will come down to special teams, where Fitzpatrick landed ahead of Sims to close the 2024 season.

Offensive Line

Rasheed Walker, Aaron Banks, Elgton Jenkins, Sean Rhyan, Zach Tom, Jordan Morgan, Anthony Belton, Travis Glover, Donovan Jennings, Jacob Monk.

Analysis: The first seven players listed above are locks, with the first five being the projected starters. Morgan and Belton were first- and second-round picks, respectively.

Glover has been ahead of Kadeem Telfort. Monk has had some run with the top group and could be a swing interior offensive lineman. Jennings was a preferred undrafted free agent a season ago who has worked at center and guard this summer. Glover, Monk and Telfort are anything but safe. How they perform in exhibition games will go a long way toward whether or not they stick around on the 53.