Maggie’s Pre-Game Six Pack – 2024 Preseason Week 3

We are now only two weeks away from the regular season, and only a handful of days away from roster cutdowns. While Matt LaFleur always likes to say his roster really consists of 69 players when you count the 16-man practice squad, there are still some hotly contested battles for the 53 active roster spots. The Packers play their final preseason game on Saturday against the Ravens, Green Bay’s only home preseason game. Here are some things to consider as we head into the final game. 

1. Peddling History

The Packers have been riding bikes to practice since 1958 (roughly, according to team historian Cliff Christl).There’s nothing better than seeing players new and old ride bikes to practice with some of Green Bay’s youngest fans. Whenever a visiting team comes to Green Bay for joint practice, it’s become tradition for them to ride bikes to the field, too. Remember back in 2019 when Wisconsin native J.J. Watt broke a child’s bike on his way to practice?

On Thursday, Ravens players got to experience the ride for themselves on their way to joint practice. It’s always special to see players on other teams take part in one of the many traditions that makes Green Bay so unique. As fans, we’re lucky to root for such a storied franchise. 

2. Tight Contest to the End

There are two roster locks when it comes to the tight end position, Luke Musgrave and Tucker Kraft. Behind them, though, it’s a wide open contest. Maybe Ben Sims is the leader for that third roster spot since he played in all 17 games for the Packers last season and has been one of the biggest special teams contributors all preseason. 

It’s also possible that Tyler Davis gets the nod. He’s been with the team since 2021 and missed all of the 2023 season with a torn ACL. While he’s never scored a touchdown and has less than 100 career receiving yards to his name, he played 81% of special teams snaps for the Packers in 2022, leading the team.

It’s also possible that the Packers end up keeping four tight ends. But even if they do, Davis and Sims aren’t locks quite yet. Joel Wilson and Messiah Swinson round out the room. Wilson is the only tight end who’s had a reception in both preseason games. Swinson has yet to catch a pass. 

For what it’s worth, Henry Pearson is also listed as a tight end on the Packers roster, but he was called a fullback in the roster transaction. Pearson makes sense for Green Bay in a more traditional H-back role, similar to how we saw Josiah Deguara utilized during his time with the team. 

3. Who’s In(Side) and Who’s Out?

In what’s become possibly the most hotly contested camp battle (outside of maybe kicker), the Packers seem to have an abundance of riches at the inside linebacker position. Quay Walker and draft picks Edgerrin Cooper and Ty’Ron Hopper are roster locks. When the starters sat on Sunday against the Broncos, Isaiah McDuffie sat with them, which is notable and should mean he’s a lock, too. Eric Wilson, however, did play. Wilson and Hopper were the starters at linebacker with Walker and McDuffie sitting and Cooper still coming back from his hip injury. 

In his first preseason action, Hopper passed the eye test, leading the team with 11 total tackles. Behind him, though, was Kristian Welch with 6. Welch also played 57% of snaps on special teams and has a fumble recovery and interception in two preseason games. 

Going into the Broncos game, I would have penned in Wilson as a roster lock. He played 72% of special teams snaps last season for Green Bay and by all accounts has had a really nice training camp. But the Packers may not be willing to let Welch test waivers, either. 

It would be surprising for the Packers to carry six linebackers on the 53-man roster, but it’s possible they’d consider it with Cooper still coming back from injury. They also will likely need more bodies inside as they make the switch to a more traditional 4-3 base (yes, I know their real base is more likely to be nickel). This is one position group to watch closely during the final preseason game on Saturday. 

4. Undrafted Steak Ending?

Every training camp the Packers find an undrafted gem who makes the initial 53-man roster. It’s a tale as old as time. Last season, the Packers kept three undrafted players on the initial 53 when receiver Malik Heath, running back Emanuel Wilson, and edge rusher Brenton Cox all made the team. This year, it’s getting harder to determine who could be this year’s undrafted diamond, or if the streak will come to an end. 

Kicker Alex Hale probably has the best shot at the roster, but with the Packers designating him as their player for the International Pathway Program, he wouldn’t count against the 16-man practice squad, so stashing him on the 53 seems unlikely unless he outright wins the job. 

Receiver Julian Hicks has had a nice preseason and is a strong candidate for the practice squad, but the receiving room is ridiculously competitive, and it’s already unlikely Heath, Grant DuBose, and Bo Melton all make the roster. Hicks eclipsing any of the three for their spot would be hard to imagine. 

Inside linebacker Ralen Goforth falls into a similar camp. Any other year, he’d be a strong contender for that undrafted spot. But as we just talked about in the third point, the linebacking core is loaded. He’s another ideal “next man up” candidate for the practice squad. 

It’s entirely possible that the Packers covet an undrafted player who’s not currently on the roster. We’ve seen General Manager Brian Gutekunst make trades and sign players to the 53 that have spent no time with the Packers in training camp. But by that point, it’s not a true undrafted addition for the Packers since we’re talking about players already on the 90-man roster sticking on the initial 53-man roster on cutdown day.  

5. Draft Pick Prestige 

We’ve talked at length about Gutekunst’s love of his draft picks. If cutdown day decisions are between two players, the team normally gives the nod to the drafted player (at least recently). Let’s look at the 2023 draft class. Lukas Van Ness, Luke Musgrave, Jayden Reed, Tucker Kraft, Colby Wooden, Sean Clifford, Dontayvion Wicks, Karl Brooks, Anders Carlson, Carrington Valentine, and Anthony Johnson Jr. all made the 53-man roster, and Grant DuBose was on the practice squad all year. The only player not still with the team is running back Lew Nichols.

That trend could continue with this year’s class, as a lot of the draft picks are expected to play significant roles right away. Jordan Morgan is penciled in as the starting right guard, assuming he’s healthy for Week 1 in Brazil. Both Cooper and Hopper will see playing time this season. All three safeties, Javon Bullard, Evan Williams, and Kitan Oladapo have shown enough in the preseason to be contributors both on defense and special teams. MarShawn Lloyd is still recovering from his injury, but the third-round pick is certainly not in jeopardy of losing his roster spot. Jacob Monk has put together a nice preseason and has the feel of a roster lock. And Michael Pratt is a developmental quarterback and is someone the Packers might not want to gamble on losing. He’s had some eye-popping throws in training camp and could beat Clifford for the backup QB job. 

That leaves only tackle Travis Glover and cornerback Kalen King as question marks when it comes to their roster status. Glover played 81% of snaps against the Broncos. Tackle depth is a concern for the Packers, but it doesn’t seem like Glover is ready to be the backup swing tackle. He’d stick on the 53 largely as a developmental prospect. 

For King, he enters an incredibly crowded room behind Jaire Alexander, Eric Stokes, Keisean Nixon, and Carrington Valentine. Those are four roster locks. Depending on how many corners the Packers decide to carry, that means King could be competing with Corey Ballentine and Robert Rochell for what’s likely one or two final spots. King played 68% of defensive snaps against Denver and has played some on special teams, too. He’s a high upside player that’s made splashes in camp but also needs time to develop, similar to Glover. We’ll have to see if Gutekunst prioritizes draft status and potential upside or veteran stability when it comes to his final few roster decisions. 

6. Raven About Joint Practice 

I wasn’t lucky enough to attend training camp on Thursday to witness joint practice in person, but I thought I’d comb through the various tweets and reports from camp to let you know who stood out against the Ravens. 

Let’s start with everyone’s favorite, the kicking competition! After an up and down battle all summer, Anders Carlson ended camp in the lead, making 59-of-72 attempts for an 81.9% success rate. Greg Joseph finished 57-of-73 for 78.1%, and Alex Hale ended 14-of-21 for 66.7% (per Andy Herman).

Also notably, Pratt took QB2 reps ahead of Clifford. He may be the leader in the clubhouse for the backup job. In second team reps, Williams led the defense with an interception of Ravens backup quarterback Josh Johnson. It’s Williams’ fifth interception of camp. 

And let’s not forget about the first-team offense. Matt LaFleur was noncommittal when asked if his starters would play on Saturday. He said it would depend on how practice went. Clearly, the starters do not want to play in the finale. Love threw a pick early in practice to Roquan Smith, but the first-team offense ended the day scoring four touchdowns on four drives (per Rob Demovsky).

That’ll do it for training camp! In just two weeks, we’ll be back talking about the regular season. Cheers to an incredible season. Go Pack Go!