The 2018 NFL season is rapidly approaching so it’s time to start predicting the final 53-man roster for the Green Bay Packers.
Some picks are as obvious as can be. We all know who is starting at multiple key positions. Listing them here is almost asinine, but necessary to paint the entire mosaic of the team.
There are also some surprises and key injuries on the books that will impact which younger and undrafted guys have a chance to make the cut.
Many of these choices were hard to pin down, and, in the end, some may not pan out. But taking the reports from camp and the 2017 season into consideration this seems like a legitimately plausible group on the field Week 1 against the Bears.
QUARTERBACKS
Aaron Rodgers, Brett Hundley, DeShone Kizer
Not surprisingly the pessimistic side of Packer Nation used Rodgers’ number of interceptions in the first few days of camp to voice their doubts. Then on Thursday, Evan “Tex” Western said Rodgers did this:
“With just seconds remaining in a two-minute drill period and facing a fourth down from the 26-yard line, Rodgers drew a defensive player offside before unleashing an absurd touchdown pass to Geronimo Allison while still looking to the opposite side of the field. Based on media descriptions of the play, it’s the kind of snap that would be talked about for decades if it happened in a game.”
According to Michael Cohen, Mike McCarthy called the play a “special pass.”
“He spoils you. You don’t have too many practices around here where he doesn’t make a throw or two. … That one there, we’re going to have to start a different library for that throw.”
New veteran tight end Jimmy Graham wasn’t short on praise for Rodgers’ performance in camp either:
“I’ve played with some pretty good quarterbacks and Aaron, he’s just a special arm. Where he puts us on the sideline, where he throws us back shoulder, is pretty unbelievable… Aaron’s in his own category.”
Needless to say, AR12 is making the 53. He is far and away the most obvious lock.
But, putting another two QBs on the roster isn’t so obvious.
Brett Hundley had a lackluster performance filling in for A-Rod last year that needs no recap here. And the Packers traded away former first-round pick Demarious Randall, arguably the best cornerback for the Pack in 2017, for DeShone Kizer. That has some folks thinking it’s pretty obvious Hundley is out and Kizer is in for a total of two.
But neither has been showing much to impress in camp. There’s no clear stand out. Kizer will win the job one day, but to start the season the Packers will likely feel safer having the two options and rotate them if the unspeakable were to happen to Rodgers.
RUNNING BACKS
Ty Montgomery, Jamaal Williams, Aaron Ripkowski
Let’s start this off by saying Aaaron Jones will make the team. But he has a two-game suspension that leaves room on the roster for another somewhere.
Originally it seemed that space would go to Devante Mays for a chance to redeem himself after last year’s small and miserable performance. But Mays is already injured with a hamstring. Given the need for depth at more untested positions it just doesn’t seem realistic to keep such a liability.
Ty Montgomery, who has his own injury issues, has too much promise to pass up. McCarthy had this to say:
“I feel really good about the running back group. I think Ty’s transition has been pretty special. Not only what he’s done from a position change but you look what he’s done to prepare himself — you look at his body and the added muscle that he’s put on.”
McCarthy also said he’s going to take the successful approach to running backs that worked so well for the Patriots and Eagles last year, which is by committee. Key to that plan is Jamaal Williams, who had one of the most successful rookie starts for the position in Packers history.
Williams had a total of 818 yards last year and six touchdowns. On top of that, in more than 178 touches he never fumbled and was one of the most successful pass-protecting backs in the league. That reliability is backfield gold.
The Big Ripkowski is technically a fullback, but the team will only keep one which doesn’t warrant his own category here. He didn’t do much in 2017, but did emerge in 2016 as a crucial part of the offense. Expect him to have a redemption run in 2018 with new OC Joe Philbin’s fresh offensive scheme.
WIDE RECEIVERS
Davante Adams, Randall Cobb, Geronimo Allison, J’mon Moore, Marquez Valdez-Scantling, Equanimeous St. Brown, Jake Kumerow
This is a big year for Adams. He’s an obvious lock. He said on Twitter he expects to catch 20 touchdowns this year. Maybe. But he already leads the league in scores over the last two seasons. With Rodgers back he’s likely to continue that trend into three years.
Cobb gets a lot of perplexing hate. Part of that is due to his big salary. But when he’s targeted his reliability is second to none. And when he does he usually jukes or just straight up runs through the defenders in his way. Cobb is key to this team’s success. With the exit of Jordy Nelson you should expect Cobb’s numbers to go up to hater-silencing levels.
Allison is the apparent number 3 on the team. That’s his position to lose. He has a lot of talent behind him eager to steal that from him, but given Rodgers’ trust in him, that’s not likely to happen Week 1.
Here’s Allison on that no-look pass from Rodgers:
“You’ve just got to stay ready and be prepared, because he does stuff like that. Sometimes it’s to test you and make sure you’re tuned into what’s going on… it was a time where he didn’t really say do that, but I kind of was anticipating him doing that. So, initially when he rolled out, I just kind of tried to win my route and just stay in my area.”
That’s exactly what Rodgers wants to see and hear from his receivers. It’s also why J’mon Moore is going to be the number 4. According to Ryan Wood:
“McCarthy says it’s not an accident #Packers rookie J’Mon Moore is already repping with Aaron Rodgers. Each opportunity is earned, he said. Likes how Moore has transitioned to learning multiple WR spots.”
Could Moore take Allison’s spot? It’s certainly possible. According to Sean Greener, Moore even has Fantasy potential:
“J’Mon Moore is one of three rookie WRs on the Packers this year, but he has already received rave reviews from spring practices and training camp. His 6’3” 207 lb frame could be the ideal target for Rodgers to throw jump balls to.”
Behind Moore on the roster is Green Bay’s next pick in the draft, Marquez Valdez-Scantling. At 6’4″ and a 4.37 40 time he’s a clear standout. But he’s also taking the opportunity very seriously. According to Michael Cohen, Valdez-Scantling has already drawn up the entire playbook three time to learn everyone’s role, and even did an offseason training session with Randy Moss. That’s impressive.
Equanimeous St. Brown, the third receiver the Packers took in the draft, will have the number 6 spot. He’s already showing flashes with Rodgers against seasoned veteran defenders. According to Tom Silverstein:
“Rodgers with another one of those plays. Stood in the pocket, looked left and then led Equanimeous St. Brown perfectly down the right sideline over Tramon Williams.”
There’s much debate out there whether the Packers will keep six or seven receivers. Before camp, most would assume a seventh position on the roster would go to Trevor Davis. But considering his questionable choices on and off the field, there’s not a lot to love about Davis.
That leaves the potential seven-spot for the surprise hit of camp Jake Kumerow. The iconic Packers reporter Bob McGinn had this to say about Kumerow:
“Free agent #JakeKumerow, from UW-#Whitewater, might have been the second or third best WR behind Davante Adams on #Packers‘ roster through the first week of practice. Dusted Jaire Alexander deep on double move in one-on-one’s Fri aft. In sync with 12, getting more reps with 1’s.”
That’s not the only high praise for Kumerow. According to Jason Wilde, Rodgers himself said this:
“I think you have to spotlight him. He’s made a ton of plays, did all spring and summer, and now he’s getting reps with me and making a ton of plays. He’s running the right route all the time and making contested catches and putting the ball away.”
What else do you have to hear about Kumerow to make you agree he’s got a solid chance to make the roster?
TIGHT ENDS
Jimmy Graham, Marcedes Lewis, Lance Kendricks
Jimmy Graham is another one of those obvious locks. To cement that, here’s Rodgers giving Graham his due:
“He’s a big target. He catches the ball with his hands. You know, we haven’t had a guy like that around here in a while. Obviously, Jared (Cook) did a lot of those things, but Jimmy, he’s got a great feel for coverages, getting open. He uses his body really well, runs good routes, and he’s a matchup issue. We haven’t had a consistent matchup-issue guy like that for a long time.”
Marcedes Lewis, the monster free agent tight end from Jacksonville, has already been showing he’s going to be invaluable to this team as well. Aaron Nagler from Packersnews.com had this to say on Twitter:
“Marcedes Lewis might be the best blocker the Packers have had at tight end in several decades. The man just moves people.”
Kendricks makes for a solid number 3 at the position. He’s not the catcher Graham is, nor as apt at blocking as Lewis. But he’s a veteran that has been making plays in camp and will certainly be counted on to make catches and score a couple TDs in 2018.
OFFENSIVE LINE
David Bakhtiari, Bryan Bulaga, Layne Taylor, Corey Linsley, Justin McCray, Jason Spriggs, Kyle Murphy, Lucas Patrick, Cole Madison
The most welcome surprise of camp so far is probably that Bryan Bulaga should start Week 1. He ended his season last November with a tear to his right ACL, which most people thought would keep him off the roster a solid 12 months. But according to Michael Cohen on Twitter he’s already back in action:
“McCarthy says Bryan Bulaga just passed his physical and will practice on a limited basis today. He is coming off the PUP list. Big news.”
Yes, this is huge news for the offense. They had only two games last season with their full starting lineup at the position, not including Week 1. 2018 will be a different story.
Bakhtiari is probably the second most important player on the offensive roster behind Rodgers. PFF has him ranked as the number 1 pass blocker tackle in the league in front of four perennial Pro-Bowlers. Yet, despite being voted All-Pro twice, he has yet to make a Pro-Bowl. Given that 2018 is set to be Aaron Rodger’s revenge tour, expect that outrageous trend for Bakhtiari to finally end.
Not much news from camp about Taylor, Linsley, or McCray, but they are the clear choices to round out the roster at offensive line. Spriggs, Murphy, and Patrick will be the backups, and when Madison hopefully does report to camp he will be the ninth man on the depth chart. As a whole it’s not the flashiest O-line in the league, but it may prove to be the best.
DEFENSIVE LINE
Mike Daniels, Kenny Clark, Muhammad Wilkerson, Dean Lowry, Montravius Adams
Onto the defense. Clearly the most stout and impressive position on the roster is the defensive line. Even Matt Williamson of the Locked on NFL Podcast, who usually has nothing good to say about the Packers besides the backhanded caveat “but, they have Aaron Rodgers” called this part of the roster “really good.”
This is crucial to new defensive coordinator Mike Pettine’s scheme. When asked about the questionable depth of ability at the edge, Pettine had this to say, according to Zach Kruse:
“That’s where it starts. It starts up front. People talk about the exterior pass rush, I think the interior pass rush is as important or maybe potentially more important. If you can be dominant inside, I think that has a ripple effect throughout your defense.”
Daniels is the Alpha of the group. He’s been a leader on this team for a couple years now, but 2018 will be the year he gets the league-wide recognition he truly deserves.
One of the best and youngest guys on the team is Clark. This will be his third season and he too will be recognized by his colleagues in the league as the unstoppable force that he is.
Rounding out the starting three is Wilkerson. He’s on a 1-year prove it deal after taking a massive pay cut to come to Green Bay from the Jets. So far, he’s proving he can still play like he did when he earned the big pay contract he was let go from. Reports are he deflected down a pass from Rodgers and gave him the Dikembe Mutombo finger wag. You just have to love that swagger.
Rounding out the group are Lowry and Adams. Lowry has been a reliable stand-in guy on passing downs, and even earned Defensive Player of the Week last season for picking up a fumble and running it into the end zone. Adams is ultimately unproven at this point since he was out with an injury most of last season, but reports so far are positive.
OUTSIDE LINEBACKERS
Clay Matthews, Nick Perry, Kyler Fackrell, Vince Biegel, Reggie Gilbert
With the return of Bulaga fortifying the O-Line, and the high draft picks and free agent acquisitions in the cornerback group, the biggest question left for the team is at the Edge position.
Matthews and Perry are two of the highest paid guys on the team, and when healthy are good at their jobs. When healthy. That means the other three guys are going to have to step up this year.
Fackrell has taken a lot of heat for doing anything but step up the last couple of years, and he knows it. That’s why he’s set to take a leap this year. So far at camp he even outmaneuvered Bakhtiari, no small feat. That’s a promising sign of things to come.
Biegel, like Montravius Adams, missed crucial play time last season due to an injury. But he was a proven talent at Wisconsin and has put on a lot of muscle this off season. He should be a fine rotational guy as well as have the opportunity to prove he was worth a 4th-round draft pick when Matthews or Perry are inevitably injured.
Not much news on Gilbert. But he did flash late last season after being on the practice squad for two years. He has the ability to make an impact at the position in 2018.
INSIDE LINEBACKERS
Blake Martinez, Oren Burks, Ahmad Thomas
This is probably the hardest position on the team to pin down. There are three reasons for that.
One reason is there’s not a lot of depth there at camp to begin with, and Jake Ryan’s season-ending injury doesn’t help that at all.
Compounding that problem is the role of the “safety-backer,” or “nitro” position as former defensive Coordinator Dom Capers liked to call it. This basically means that safeties and corners will come in as nickel and dime linebackers on certain downs which makes it harder to gauge how many true linebackers are necessary.
The third is Pettine’s proclivity to switch between 3-4 and 4-3 schemes means he could move Matthews inside at times. Matthews was very good there when needed in previous seasons and depending how much the team does a 4-3 throws into question how much depth they’ll need at the position.
That all said, there is some certainty at the position. Martinez is the clear number 1 guy. It’s his third year, and considering his massive second year jump where he became one of the leading tacklers in the league there’s no reason to think he can’t be even better in 2018.
Burks is a rookie with a lot of upside. He will likely will be slower coming out of the gate, but his ability will come to the forefront as the season goes on. And since he was a third-round pick he’s going to make the roster.
Thomas is the wild-card of the group, and it’s possible he gets beat by Greer Martini. But so far the praise from McCarthy has been high:
“I think he’s done a lot of good things. He definitely has the coverage ability, particularly at that Will spot, that we’re looking for. I’d really like to see what he does on the special teams, too, but he’s off to a very good start.”
The inside linebacker position might be the most interesting to keep an eye on this season. There’s going to be a lot of hybrid players thrown into the mix and someone is likely to step up as indispensable alongside Martinez.
SAFETIES
Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, Josh Jones, Kentrell Brice, Marwin Evans, Jermaine Whitehead
Safety is about as complicated as inside backer. Everyone thought the departure of Morgan Burnett was in the cards so 2nd-round pick Jones could step in. But when camp started this season it was Brice who was starting at strong-safety alongside Clinton-Dix.
Then Brice got injured. Luckily it was not as severe as Jake Ryan’s. Brice is expected to return shortly. But for the time being the strong-safety position is anything but certain.
Frankly, things have not looked too good for Jones. He has repeatedly gotten tangled up with Jimmy Graham in coverage, one resulting in a fight and another a face mask penalty. He also missed two TD plays in a row that basically went over his head. That’s pretty much the only news so far regarding Jones, despite most people’s expectations that he would make a major second-year jump. It still could happen, but so far that’s yet to manifest itself.
Evans is one of the few remaining key special teams players left on the roster. He’s crucial if for no other reason than that. But he has had flashes at safety, including this from Tom Silverstein:
“Safety Marwin Evans had the big hit in goal-line, stopping Devante Mays in his tracks. Defense went crazy.”
Whitehead really hasn’t shown much in camp. But he can play on special teams, and without him the team is too thin at Safety. He pretty much has to make the roster out of necessity. Hopefully the rest of the position can stay healthy enough to not warrant that.
CORNERBACKS
Tramon Williams, Kevin King, Jaire Alexander, Josh Jackson, Davon House, Lenzy Pipkins, Quinten Rollins
For the first time in forever the Packers might actually be stacked at cornerback.
Williams is a guarantee starter. He knows Pettine’s defense, he’s a proven veteran, and he brings expertise to a roster position pulsating with untested youth.
King, it turns out, was playing most if not all of last year with a busted shoulder. But all reports are that he’s healthy and making life difficult for Davante Adams which says a lot about the second-year man.
Alexander was this year’s 1st-round pick and has been showing Rodgers exactly why, who had this to say:
“I’ve said this many times, but you put guys like Tramon (Williams) out there, Davon House, and young [Alexander], whose had a great camp so far, that changes everything. Changes how much pass rush you need, how much pressure you try and put on the quarterback, because they’re covering up guys really well.”
Reports are that Jackson has been struggling so far. They’ve even tried him in the slot, which is unexpected given his size and ability. That demonstrates that the team hasn’t yet figured out what to do with him yet. But he was a 2nd-round pick this year, so he makes the roster.
House returns again to provide somewhat stable ability and more veteran know-how. Most predictions are that the season will start with him and Williams on the outside and Alexander in the slot. Hopefully House can be durable long enough for players like Jackson to get more acclimated to playing in the NFL.
Pipkins was an undrafted rookie last year, but has shown more than enough promise. Michael Cohen had this to say regarding Pipkins and the myriad of other young guys trying to make the roster:
“Pipkins might have the most upside of the bunch, especially after his strong finish to the 2017 season and his ability to play multiple positions. Could he have the best chance at making the 53?”
Last (and probably least) is Rollins. Rollins has had lots of struggles as a Packer. He’s been plagued by injuries and when healthy has flashed, at best. But he is a 2nd-round pick and does have athletic ability. There’s a chance he doesn’t actually make it as corner, but they’ve been trying him at safety and linebacker, with a murky degree of success. It just seems the coaches have a lot of hope they can figure out what to do with him before Week 1.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Mason Crosby, J.K. Scott, Hunter Bradley
Crosby is the most obvious of the three. He’s been reliable and steady, as long as he has a competent long snapper.
Bradley was taken in the draft as a long snapper, much to Packer Nation’s chagrin. Reports from camp are that he has not been 100% consistent, but there’s still time to iron that out. It’s highly doubtful he does not make the roster.
Scott is the true standout of the bunch. He, too, was drafted this year, making many a fan cry foul at the “wasted” pick. But the word on the street is that he’s a once-in-a-generation talent at the position. And so far reports from camp only confirm this notion:
“Rookie punter J.K. Scott put on another dazzling display. With a breeze blowing across Ray Nitschke Field, Scott punted eight times in full-squad reps. He averaged a whopping 53.0 yards per punt with 4.52 seconds of hang time. His “worst” punts – a relative term – were directional kicks in which he was directed to kick to a specific spot. His best kick was his next-to-last attempt, a 60-yard bomb with 4.83 seconds of hang time.”
There’s a lot to like about Scott’s potential to tilt the field for the Packers in 2018. If he lives up to that, then he rounds out what might be the best full roster the team has had since 2011.