It’s no easy task trying to figure out which of the 90 players currently on the Packers roster will make the 53 man roster. Clearly all 90 are with the team because McCarthy believes they have the ability to contribute. The question then becomes who of these capable players gets 1 of the 10 available practice squad slots and which of the remaining 27 will be cut.
Quarterback:
Available slots: 1-4
Lock: Rodgers, Hundley
Bubble: Hill, Callahan
The battle behind Aaron Rodgers has been a fun one to watch. Brett Hundley for a while was the least impressive of the three but was able to find his rhythm against the Redskins on a beautiful touchdown drive.
Regardless, 5th round pick Brett Hundley is locked in as the backup to Rodgers and the only real questions are, will the Packers keep more, how many, and who. The general consensus is 3 but there is a good argument to be made for just keeping 2 on the active roster. In my opinion, having done a 53, my vote is to keep 2.
In terms of the fight for 3rd place, it’s a neck and neck race but it’s hard not to be in awe of what Taysom Hill has done. Although I love the rugged Brett Favre style play of Callahan, if I had a vote, we would be keeping the 27 year old Hill.
Running Back
Available Slots: 2-4
Lock: Montgomery, Williams
Bubble 1: Jones, Mays
Bubble 2: Phillips, Stanback
There have been some rumblings about whether or not Montgomery will remain the starter or if Williams will overtake him at some point this year. Ultimately that’s irrelevant to the conversation but I want to go on record as saying that Montgomery will remain the starter and will impress a lot of people.
With that out of the way, for me the question is a little more about how many than who. I believe Aaron Jones is the number 3 back and Mays is the number 4. Behind them I tend to think Philips is the number 5 but that’s just based on playing time. Either way I don’t think Phillips or Stanback will make the active roster.
The question for me is really do they keep 3 running backs with Jones or 4 with Jones and Mays. On my 53 I have them keeping 4 running backs but that’s certainly up for debate.
Wide Receiver
Available Slots: 4-8
Lock: Nelson, Adams, Cobb
Bubble 1: Allison, Davis Janis, Yancey, McCaffrey
Bubble 2: Dupre, Clark, Pearson, Crockett
If there is one thing that can cause a fight among an otherwise cordial fanbase it would be to mention your own personal cut list for Packers receivers. It’s the reason I went with 2 tiers and honestly, I could have probably done 5 or 6 tears and still upset some people.
Overall the big three are still the big three. I know some are trying to push Cobb off and others think Allison should be considered a lock (and he probably is), while some have already written Janis off, but I wanted to leave the tent as wide open as possible. Hence the 8 potential receiver slots.
The second tier are largely the people that are talked about regularly as being sure things. It’s unlikely all of them will make the roster but with all of them, it’s hard to argue against them. Personally I would rank them as Allison, Janis, Yancey/Davis, and McCaffrey.
Davis is seen by plenty as a lock but as much talk as there is about Janis being “just a gunner” (false), I rarely hear anyone mention Davis is just a punt returner. If he fumbles another one and loses that job I’m of the opinion he doesn’t make the cut. For that reason I couldn’t decide if I prefer Yancey or Davis.
McCaffrey has been a phenom and everyone including me loves him but something about it feels forced. He’s the kind of guy that makes plays but the Packers decide he isn’t quite ready and stash him. We shall see.
As for tier 3, the injury to Dupre more or less erased his chances for a roster spot this year, although practice squad is a near certainty in my mind. Pearson was a stud in camp prior to his injury and it wouldn’t surprise me if he also was retained. Clark has built up a pretty large fanbase but I’m not sure how I feel about him taking a spot on the practice squad. He has a lot of size but we already have big tight ends that can do what he does. Crockett is a guy I was rooting for. With his alleged 4.25 speed I was really hoping to see more from him. There is still time and it would be great if he got a shot on special teams but at this point he’s likely a cut.
Offensive Line
Available Slots: 6-10
Lock: Bakhtiari, Taylor, Linsley, Evans, Bulaga
Bubble 1: Spriggs, Amichia, Barclay, McCray, Murphy
Bubble 2: Pankey, Evans, Patrick, Gray, Leff
In this instance, bubble 1 and 2 really just help split up the 10 backups. I used the 1st and 2nd string as it appears on the roster. That said, it probably isn’t far off from reality. Spriggs and Amichia were draft picks which will make it hard to cut them, especially Spriggs who the Packers traded up to acquire in the 2nd round. Barclay isn’t a fan favorite but he’s the only somewhat capable veteran on the team, and Murphy received a little praise after week 2 from pro football focus.
Still, at this point it’s completely up in the air. The backups, as best as I can tell, have been terrible and haven’t proven to be able to handle much of anything. As far as how many the Packers will keep, that too is up in the air. Last year the Packers kept 3 backups so I suppose we can roll with that.
Tight End
Available Slots: 3-5
Lock: Bennett, Kendricks, Rodgers
Bubble: Peck, Byrd
Although anything is possible, I’m fairly confident in the fact the the Packers will run with Bennett, Kendricks, and Rodgers. Byrd’s name has come across my phone a few times with highlights but he’s up against some stiff odds. It’s always possible the Packers add more than three but I wouldn’t count on it.
Full Back
Available Slots: 1-2
Lock: None
Bubble: Ripkowski, Kerridge
This one is tricky. Last year the Packers went with 2 running backs but with the depth at running back in 2017, especially with guys like Mays that are built like rocks, the need to keep 2 full backs has been diminished.
Although Ripkowski seems to be the obvious answer, Kerridge has been the more impressive of the two so far this year. It would be unfortunate to not have Rip on the 53 this year but I wouldn’t rule it out as an option.
Defensive Line
Available Slots: 6-8
Lock: Daniels, Clark, Lowry, Adams
Bubble 1: Francois, Ringo
Bubble 2: Price, Heurtlelou, Lunsford,
Daniels, Clark, and Lowry are locks among locks. Adams being a third round pick isn’t going anywhere. Francois I can’t imagine leaving since he was a free agent acquisition with a decent track record but I’m slightly less than 100% sure he’ll make it so I threw him on a tier with Ringo who I would say is further down the list but still very likely to make the team.
The real question would be, can Price or Lunsford fight overtake a Bubble 1 player and how many lineman will the Packers put on the 53. For my money I would lean toward 6, possibly 7 with Lunsford the odd man out. Last year the Packers went with 7.
Heurtlelou was signed by the Packers to round out the 90 just as I was about to post this. No information on him yet but let’s say he’s a long shot.
Outside Linebacker
Available Slots: 5-7
Lock: Matthews, Perry, Elliot, Biegel
Bubble 1: Fackrell
Bubble 2: Gilbert, Talley, Calvin, Letuligasenoa
I think Matthews, Perry, Elliot, Biegel, and Fackrell is a reasonable assumption. It’s a good number filled with familiar talent and a draft pick. Still there are questions.
First, Fackrell has gotten absolutely hammered since day one about how poor his play has been. Mostly from the Packers media but even the coaches have made a few comments about his lack of aggression and overly cerebral nature. He’ll likely be on the team but at some point he has to win the job.
The guys behind him have a tough road. A lot of competition and somewhere between slim and none roster spots. Outside of Gilbert I haven’t heard much. Hopefully some of these guys step up over the next few weeks because the Packers could use a fresh young talent at OLB.
Inside Linebacker
Available Slots: 2-4
Lock: Ryan, Martinez
Bubble 1: Thomas, Tripp
Bubble 2: Heiman, Mathews
Conventional wisdom tells us the Packers will keep 3 and it will be Ryan, Martinez, and Thomas again. I’d say that’s most likely but isn’t a sure thing. First, I can’t really wrap my head around the Joe Thomas thing. I used to be a big fan but that was mostly because he was such a hard hitter. Unfortunately for him, the Packers have at least 1 safety that is a better inside lineback (Burnett) and might have just drafter a second in Josh Jones.
Overall, with all the overlap at inside lineback with both safeties and outside linebackers able to play the position, the inside linebacker position is, in and of itself, fighting for a spot on the roster. I really don’t see a huge need for more than 2.
In terms of why Tripp is on the bubble 1 spot, he not only is listed as second string, he’s allegedly a fantastic special teams player.
Cornerback
Available Slots: 5-8
Lock: King, Rollins, Randall, House
Bubble 1: Gunter, Hawkins, Pipkins
Bubble 2: Goodson, Brown, Pringle, Holmes
King and Randall are 1st round picks, Rollins has been lights out so far in 2017, and House is a returning free agent signing. I think it’s safe to say, barring injury, all 4 are locked in.
Gunter is thought to be a lock and has actually graded out really well on pro football focus, to my complete shock, but from what I’ve seen, Gunter has been the most consistent poor performer so far this year. Depending which of those two opposites the Packers see will determine his place on the roster.
Hawkins was on the roster last year and has been probably the best corner since the start of preseason. He’s on the verge of being a lock already. Pipkins has also made quite a name for himself.
As for the bottom 4, I haven’t heard very much and wouldn’t expect any to make the 53.
Safety
Available Slots: 4-6
Lock: Clinton-Dix, Burnett, Jones
Bubble 1: Brice, Evans
Bubble 2: Whitehead, Taylor
Last year the Packers played with 6 safeties. I don’t expect them to expand on that. I would, however be surprised if Brice was cut and Evans is nearly a lock at this point. I suppose the question is, if they roll with 4, will it be Brice or Evans. If the Packers bring on 6, will it be Whitehead or Taylor.
Otherwise it’s pretty cut and dried.
Special Teams
Available Slots: 3
Lock: Vogul, Crosby
Bubble 1: Goode
Bubble 2: Hart
This, in the eyes of most, is a done deal. The one outstanding issue is at long snapper. Goode was brought back in after there was an issue on family night with the field goal operations. Things have been smooth ever since. There aren’t a ton of situations where I see hart winning the job but he’s on the team for a reason. We shall see.