Packers' final 53-man roster prediction for the 2023 season
The Green Bay Packers' preseason ended with a thrilling 19-15 win over the Seattle Seahawks. Overall, it was a fun preseason filled with plenty of entertaining moments. "That was one of the more entertaining preseason games I feel like I've ever been a part of," Packers head coach Matt LaFleur told reporters after the game. […]
The Green Bay Packers' preseason ended with a thrilling 19-15 win over the Seattle Seahawks. Overall, it was a fun preseason filled with plenty of entertaining moments.
"That was one of the more entertaining preseason games I feel like I've ever been a part of," Packers head coach Matt LaFleur told reporters after the game. "The energy in the stadium, our fans were [great] – you could feel it. would love to refrain from doing the wave on when we're on offense but feels like that's tradition. All in all it was really good. It was great. I was really excited for our team at the end of it…
"… I think it's just kind of an indication of how close this team has come together and so I feel really good about the guys that we have in the locker room. Obviously it's a tough time of the year when we have to make some really tough decisions, but that's a credit to the effort and the type of locker room that we have."
But now, it's time to turn our attention to the regular season and Week 1's matchup against the Chicago Bears.
With that being said, let's dive into our final 53-man roster prediction. Note: Players with a single asterisk (*) are 2023 draft picks and players with double asterisks (**) are 2023 undrafted free agents.
Quarterback (2)
IN: Jordan Love, Sean Clifford*
OUT: Alex McGough
The skinny: McGough certainly made the most of his playing time against the Seattle Seahawks, but it won't be enough to land him a spot on the 53-man roster.
The NFL's third QB rule is really overblown and there shouldn't be many teams, if any, that carry three QBs in 2023 unless they have a roster that's in tip-top shape. I mean, the San Francisco 49ers have one of the best rosters in the NFL and they just traded Trey Lance because they don't want to carry three QBs.
The Packers have an exciting, promising duo in Love and Clifford. It'll be fun to see how these two develop over the season.
Running back (3)
IN: Aaron Jones, A.J. Dillon, Patrick Taylor
OUT: Lew Nichols III,*, Emanuel Wilson**, Tyler Goodson, Nate McCrary, Henry Pearson** (FB)
The skinny: Taylor isn't the most explosive guy around, but he's steady and he does exactly what the Packers expect and need from a third running back. Tyler Goodson and Lew Nichols III are still injured, so they aren't contenders for a roster spot.
Taylor looked good running the ball, gaining 24-yards on six carries and he added an eight-yard reception to bring his totals to 32-yards on seven touches. The key with Taylor, however, is he smoked all other running backs with eight snaps on special teams. Second place belongs to Emanuel Wilson, who played a grand total of one snap on teams.
The only obstacle Taylor needs to come is whether or not the Packers decide to carry more than two running backs. It's something that's completely out of his control, but he's certainly made the case to be the team's RB3.
Wide receiver (6)
IN: Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs, Jayden Reed*, Samori Toure, Dontayvion Wicks*, Malik Heath**
OUT: Grant DuBose*, Deuce Watts**, Bo Melton, Dre Miller, Cody Chrest**, Jadakis Bonds**
The skinny: This one is tough. Heath was OK against the Seahawks and only logged one special teams snap after Packers head coach Matt LaFleur said earlier in the week that they want him on teams more often. Heath played a total of one ST snap on Saturday.
His main competitor, Grant DuBose, didn't do much against the 'Hawks, either, and only logged two teams snaps, himself. Overall, Heath's body of work is better and deeper than DuBose's, which should give him the edge, at the end of the day.
Tight end (4)
IN: Luke Musgrave*, Tucker Kraft*, Josiah Deguara, Austin Allen
OUT: N/A
The skinny: It won't be a surprise if Allen gets cut, but the Packers like to use Deguara as an H-back. That leads me to think they'll carry Allen so he can contribute on special teams, at minimum.
Offensive line (9)
IN: David Bakhtiari, Elgton Jenkins, Josh Myers, Jon Runyan Jr., Zach Tom, Rasheed Walker, Sean Rhyan, Yosh Nijman, Caleb Jones
OUT: Jean Delance, James Empey, Cole Schneider, Kadeem Telfort, Luke Tenuta
The skinny: The Packers' offensive line has really rounded into shape over the last few weeks. If Josh Myers can get over his issues snapping the ball, the unit has a chance to be one of the NFL's best.
Jake Hanson's injury opens up the door for Jones to make the team. It's best to carry at least nine offensive linemen because of the NFL's rule that enables teams to activate two more players on Sundays if eight offensive lineman are active. If a team carries just eight on the roster and one gets hurt, then they're just going to have call someone up from the practice squad or sign someone, anyway.
Defensive line (5)
IN: Kenny Clark, T.J. Slaton, Devonte Wyatt, Karl Brooks*, Colby Wooden*
OUT: Jonathan Ford, Antonio Moultrie**, Chris Slayton, Jason Lewan**
The skinny: Brenton Cox Jr. will force Ford off the roster. That's OK, though, he'll likely pass through waivers and end up on the practice squad. The Packers can then call him up on game days and see how/where he fits in and go from there.
Outside linebacker (6)
IN: Preston Smith, Rashan Gary, Lukas Van Ness*, JJ Enagbare, Justin Hollins, Brenton Cox Jr.**
OUT: Arron Mosby**, Keshawn Banks**, Kenneth Odumegwu
The skinny: The idea of carrying six OLBs on the roster feels counterintuitive because it's going to be tough finding ways to get everyone the field. But Cox Jr. has flashed way too much during the preseason. He's earned a spot and the Packers will find a way to make room for him.
Inside linebacker (5)
IN: De'Vondre Campbell, Quay Walker, Eric Wilson, Isaiah McDuffie, Tariq Carpenter
OUT: Marvin Pierre**, Jimmy Phillips Jr.**
The skinny: Considering the fact that Campbell and Walker are three-down linebackers, it doesn't make much sense to carry five ILBs on the surface.
But Carpenter's special teams prowess earns him a spot on the 53 as he continues to learn the position.
Cornerback (4)
IN: Jaire Alexander, Rasul Douglas, Keisean Nixon, Carrington Valentine*
OUT: Innis Gaines, Kiondre Thomas, Shemar Jean-Charles, William Hooper**, Corey Ballentine, Tyrell Ford, Elijah Hamilton
The skinny: It really seems like Eric Stokes is going to start the season on PUP, therefore, he's not included, here. He won't count toward the 53-man roster, but he'll have to miss the first four games of the season, at minimum, if he's on the PUP list come Tuesday.
Gaines doesn't make the team initially, but only by a slim margin. He got beat pretty badly on a Seahawks touchdown, even if it was mostly because of good play design. That makes him the sacrificial lamb for a situation I'll dive into here in a bit.
Safety (6)
IN: Darnell Savage, Tarvarius Moore, Jonathan Owens, Rudy Ford, Dallin Leavitt, Anthony Johnson Jr.*
OUT: Benny Sapp III**
The skinny: Leavitt was one of the Packers captains on the field for the coin toss on Saturday. The special teams ace is a lock to make the roster.
The only reason Moore makes the initial roster is because I think the Packers will place him on IR as soon as they can. That'll open the door to bring Gaines back onto the roster.
Moore will have to miss the first four games of the season, at minimum, but Johnson Jr. can help on special teams and Gaines can slide into the safety position if/when needed.
Special Teams (3)
IN: Anders Carlson (K), Pat O'Donnell (P), Matt Orzech (LS)
OUT: Broughton Hatcher**, Daniel Whelan
The skinny: O'Donnell's net average against the Seahawks was a wild 49.5 yards per punt. That's pretty incredible and it towered over Whelan's solid 42.0 net average.
Whelan has a bigger leg, but O'Donnell's leg is good enough and he's better at directional punts, which includes dropping them inside the 20 and 10. Whelan is an up-and-comer, but O'Donnell will hold onto his job for one more year.
Keep in mind that tight end Tyler Davis (ACL) is on IR along with Hanson. Both players will miss the entire season since they were placed on IR before final cuts. They won't count toward the roster.
In all, the Packers were able to find answers to a lot of their questions. Now, it's about seeing what everyone can do when it matters most.
And, fortunately, we'll have answers to those questions very soon.
Make sure to check out how this final prediction stacked up against our previous roster projection that came out earlier in the week.
Featured image via Tork Mason/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin
