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We’re only one day away from the Green Bay Packers’ preseason opener against the New York Jets, so there’s no better time to go through the Packers’ roster with a fine-tooth comb. Based on everything I’ve seen, read and heard from Green Bay this year, I’m comfortable claiming that there are currently 41 roster locks on the team and 21 players who are, to varying degrees, on the roster bubble as we go into the preseason.
I apologize to the 25 healthy players who I don’t think have a chance of making the 53-man roster. You can yell at me about it in the comment section.
As we go through this position-by-position breakdown, remember that the Packers can only keep 12 of the 21 players on the roster bubble — depending on who returns from injury lists — while holding the line at 53 players. About half of those guys are going to have to go at some point, be it at the roster deadline or after waiver pickups.
Here’s how the roster is shaping up this summer.
Quarterback
There’s no big drama here. Last offseason, the Packers made the trade for quarterback Malik Willis at the cutdown deadline. Willis ended up leading Green Bay to a 2-0 record in his starts, while Sean Clifford went from a 53-man roster player in 2023 to a practice squad player in 2024. At this point, there hasn’t been a shake-up in the quarterback room, with Canadian rookie Taylor Elgersma being the team’s fourth quarterback.
Running Back
If I were to bet today, I think Green Bay keeps four backs on its 53-man roster. With that being said, there’s still an opportunity for the team to only keep three backs, but it’s hard to imagine what that would look like. Last season, third-round rookie MarShawn Lloyd was injured four times — if you want to call appendicitis an injury. This summer, he’s been dealing with a groin injury. He’s going to make this team, but can you trust Lloyd to stay on the field? That’s the question the Packers are going to have to answer if they only keep three backs.
In 2024, Emanuel Wilson was the RB2 behind Josh Jacobs. Chris Brooks plays a pretty interesting role as a blocking back, both in split back looks and in obvious passing downs, as well as contributing on special teams in roles that are typically filled by tight ends. So if they need someone to run the ball besides Jacobs and Lloyd, it’ll probably be Wilson. If they want someone to bring a different aspect to their backfield and contribute in other facets of the game, it’ll be Brooks.
Until Lloyd can prove that he can...
