Packers’ 53-man roster projection after the first preseason game
Green Bay lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers, but there are several intriguing individual takeaways from that initial game action.
Packers’ 53-man roster projection after the first preseason game
Green Bay lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers, but there are several intriguing individual takeaways from that initial game action.
The Green Bay Packers’ roster has gone through some changes since the last time we made this exercise right after the draft. But more importantly, the team played its first preseason game against the Pittsburgh Steelers last Thursday. So, let’s update our 53-man roster projections.
Note: Players with a single asterisk (*) are 2026 draft picks and players with double asterisks (**) are 2026 undrafted free agents.
Packers’ 53-man roster projection
Quarterback (2)
IN: Jordan Love, Tyrod Taylor
OUT: Kyle McCord, Kyron Drones**
The skinny: Kyle McCord made a case for himself against the Steelers, but he will have to keep that level. Maybe it won’t be enough to surpass Taylor, but to incentivize the Packers to keep three quarterbacks on the 53.
Running back (3)
IN: Josh Jacobs, MarShawn Lloyd, Chris Brooks
OUT: Pierre Strong Jr., Damien Martinez, Jaden Nixon**
The skinny: Pierre Strong should be useful throughout the season, but the Packers can probably keep him on the practice squad and elevate him for gameday when needed.
Wide receiver (6)
IN: Christian Watson, Matthew Golden, Jayden Reed, Savion Williams, Skyy Moore, Bo Melton
OUT: Isaiah Neyor, Will Sheppard, J. Michael Sturdivant**, Chris Hilton Jr.**, Kisean Johnson, Kaden Prather
The skinny: Isaiah Neyor has entered the chat and undrafted rookie J. Michael Sturdivant is competing as well. But Melton’s versatility and special teams importance could matter more.
Tight end (4)
IN: Tucker Kraft, Luke Musgrave, Josh Whyle, McCallan Castles
OUT: Drake Dabney, Messiah Swinson, Thomas Yassmin (IPP)
The skinny: Dabney is ahead of Castles right now. But Castles is a better route-runner, and Dabney is probably too similar to what Whyle already offers.
Offensive line (9)
IN: Jordan Morgan, Aaron Banks, Sean Rhyan, Anthony Belton, Zach Bako-Bewele, Jager Burton*, Jacob Monk, John Williams, Donovan Jennings
OUT: Darian Kinnard, Travis Glover, Brant Banks, Dalton Cooper, Dylan Barrett**, Josh Gesky**, Dillon Wade**
The skinny: It’s surprising that Kinnard hasn’t been a more proeminent part of the depth here after what he did last year, but his training camp has been underwhelming. He’s practiced more at guard.
Defensive line (6)
IN: Devonte Wyatt, Javon Hargrave, Karl Brooks, Chris McClellan*, Warren Brinson, Anthony Campbell
OUT: Nazir Stackhouse, Jonathan Ford, Jaden Crumedy, James Ester
PUP: Jordon Riley
The skinny: Anthony Campbell is one of the training camp darlings, and he reasonably surpassed Stackhouse on the depth chart.
Linebacker (5)
IN: Edgerrin Cooper, Zaire Franklin, Isaiah McDuffie, Ty’Ron Hopper, Nick Niemann
OUT: Kristian Welch, TJ Quinn**
The skinny: This is probably the most logical positional grouping on the roster.
Edge defenders (5)
IN: Lukas Van Ness, Brenton Cox Jr., Barryn Sorrell, Collin Oliver, Dani Dennis-Sutton*
OUT: Arron Mosby, Nyjalik Kelly**
PUP: Micah Parsons
The skinny: There’s a chance Arron Mosby makes the roster too with Parsons on the PUP list, and special teams will likely determine this outcome.
Cornerback (5)
IN: Keisean Nixon, Carrington Valentine, Benjamin St-Juste, Brandon Cisse*, Domani Jackson*
OUT: Jaylin Simpson, Kamal Hadden, Shemar Bartholomew, MJ Devonshire
The skinny: Simpson was probably part of this projection before the Steelers preseason game, but his performance didn’t help.
Safety (5)
IN: Xavier McKinney, Evan Williams, Javon Bullard, Kitan Oladapo, Murvin Kenion**
OUT: Mark Perry, Trey Dean, Tra Fluellen
The skinny: Kenion is probably the biggest surprise on this list, but he had a strong performance and outplayed Oladapo on Thursday.
Specialists (3)
IN: Trey Smack* (K), Daniel Whelan (P), Matthew Orzech (LS)
OUT: Cal Adomitis (LS)
The skinny: Adomitis was signed because of Orzech’s injury. If both are healthy, there might not be time to create a real competition.
Final Word
DBs Johnathan Baldwin and Marlon Jones are on injured reserve, but the Packers will likely reach injury settlements to release them over the next few days. If that doesn’t happen, they would be out for the season anyway.
