The Green Bay Packers finalized their initial 53-man roster on Tuesday. As always, there have been a couple of surprising moves — especially after the team acquired quarterback Malik Willis from the Tennessee Titans on Monday.

Let's discuss the most surprising decisions made by general manager Brian Gutekunst on roster cuts day.

Anders Carlson

If you look at the big picture, it's not exactly a surprise, but it seemed like Carlson had a higher chance of making the team than veteran Greg Joseph. After all, Gutekunst has a track record of giving more chances to formerly drafted players, and their numbers were relatively similar throughout training camp and preseason.

However, it seems like the Packers got tired of Anders Carlson's inconsistency. The full experience of the kicker happened in the preseason finale against the Baltimore Ravens, when he converted a 55-yarder and missed a 32-yarder late in the game. The Packers want more consistency, and there isn't such a thing as a developmental kicker in the league.

Put these pieces together and you understand why the Packers gave up on the former sixth-rounder before he made it to his second NFL season.

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Michael Pratt

The decision to waive Pratt was not wild or shocking. There was a chance Gutekunst would want to keep him around, but now Malik Willis is the developmental quarterback. The most surprising factor is that Bill Huber, from Sports Illustrated, reported that Pratt is not even expected to be back on the practice squad. Green Bay will prioritize keeping Sean Clifford around, because the former fifth-round pick is more experienced within the system and will be elevated for gameday while Willis is learning the offense.

Michael Pratt didn't play at an absurd level, but he was clearly better and more talented than Clifford throughout the preseason. The thing is that the Packers don't actually need another developmental quarterback with Willis on the roster. What they need on the PS is a capable backup who could play in an emergency early in the season, which is what they expect from Clifford.

So for Pratt to be back, an unlikely scenario of Clifford being claimed off waivers by another team would have to happen.

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Kristian Welch

Welch was one of the Packers best players in preseason, but it wasn't enough for him to make the roster because the team has too much depth at the position. They have two day 2 picks in Edgerrin Cooper and Ty'Ron Hopper, and veteran Eric Wilson is too similar to what Welch could offer.

He is a vested veteran, so Welch doesn't need to go through waivers. If he doesn't sign elsewhere, Welch could certainly be back in Green Bay, at least on the practice squad — or even on the active roster if Green Bay decides to move a player to the injured reserve later this week.

Kalen King

It's hard to be completely sure about a seventh-round rookie making the team, but Kalen King was close to it. He had a strong preseason, solid (if imperfect) in coverage and a willing tackler in the slot to stop the run. However, the Packers decided to keep only five cornerbacks, the King was the odd man out. The decision was based on the team's desire to keep six defensive ends, with Arron Mosby and Brenton Cox both making the 53.

Anthony Johnson Jr.

The most surprising last-minute call was the Packers' decision to waive Anthony Johnson to keep special teamer Zayne Anderson. Johnson started the offseason program starting at safety alongside Xavier McKinney, and even though he lost the starting job to Javon Bullard and Evan Williams, he was still a promising depth piece. A strong performance against the Baltimore Ravens in the preseason finale could have secured him a job, but it didn't. With so many young players at the position, the Packers decided to keep a special teamer instead of a better defensive player.

Here is the Green Bay Packers’ 2024 initial 53-man roster

General manager Brian Gutekunst has made all the necessary moves