Post-Minicamp Prediction: Packers' 53-Man Roster

It's time for an early prediction of the Packers' 53-man roster post-minicamp.

With minicamp in the books, it's time to make an early prediction of Green Bay's 53-man roster for the 2024 season.

While we are still a couple of months away from the preseason and considering the inevitability of injuries, how could the Packers' 53-man roster shape up?

Let's get to it:

Quarterbacks (2): Jordan Love, Michael Pratt.

The Green Bay Packers have kept just two quarterbacks on their final roster for the past three seasons. Jordan Love is in line for a huge contract extension, which we hope can be finalized prior to training camp in July. Michael Pratt has been having a good offseason, showing flashes of potential in OTAs and minicamp. However, Sean Clifford has struggled considerably, including throwing four interceptions over two practices. If the Packers opt to keep the streak of two QBs on the final roster, I could see Clifford as a practice squad member in the future.

Running Backs (3): Josh Jacobs, MarShawn Lloyd, A.J. Dillon.

Josh Jacobs is making top 5 running back money and is expected to take the Packers' running game to the next level. Lloyd impressed during the early portion of OTAs with his speed and ability to quickly change directions. A.J. Dillon is a solid HB3, bringing veteran leadership and familiarity with Matt LaFleur's system. However, Dillon's cap number is less than 1% of Green Bay's total cap space, and he can be a reliable HB2 on most NFL teams. It would not be surprising if the Packers dealt him prior to the start of the season to address other needs or gain additional assets.

Wide Receivers (6): Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs, Jayden Reed, Dontayvion Wicks, Bo Melton, Malik Heath.

Watson, Doubs, Reed, and Wicks are the core four, and any of them could claim the WR1 status by the end of 2024. Melton will most likely be the WR5, deserving the spot after coming in clutch for Green Bay at the end of 2023. The WR6 spot will probably see a battle between Malik Heath and Samori Toure. Although Toure has been in LaFleur's system longer and contributed on special teams, I'd give a slight edge to Heath due to him being a more reliable weapon for Jordan Love.

Tight Ends (3): Luke Musgrave, Tucker Kraft, Ben Sims.

Luke Musgrave and Tucker Kraft form the dynamic one-two punch. The TE3 spot will largely depend on Tyler Davis' availability, as he continues to recover from a torn ACL suffered in last year's preseason game against the Cincinnati Bengals. It's likely that Davis will start the 2024 season on the Physically Unable to Perform list, with potential for a move to the active roster later in the year.

Offensive Line (10): Zach Tom, Rasheed Walker, Jordan Morgan, Andre Dillard, Elgton Jenkins, Sean Rhyan, Donovan Jennings, Travis Glover, Jacob Monk, Josh Myers.

In the Packers' offensive line for 2024, Tom and Jenkins are the only two players whose positions are set. While LaFleur initially stated Morgan would start his career at left tackle, he may see his first NFL snaps at right guard, leaving the left tackle position open for Rasheed Walker. Myers is expected to be the starting center, though there's a possibility the Packers could move him to guard. Dillard provides solid depth, and Monk, Glover, Jennings, and Rhyan are pieces Green Bay can develop.

Defensive Line (9): Kenny Clark, Karl Brooks, Colby Wooden, Devonte Wyatt, T.J. Slaton, Rashan Gary, Preston Smith, Lukas Van Ness, Kingsley Enagbare.

Kenny Clark leads the defensive line. Devonte Wyatt recorded 45 total pressures in 2023. Karl Brooks ranked top ten among rookies in sacks, hits, hurries, batted passes, and stops, emerging as Green Bay’s top defensive rookie and highest-graded defender in the playoffs against the 49ers. Moreover, Gary, Smith, and Van Ness provide a solid defensive end rotation. Wooden and Slaton will rotate in on short-yardage situations. Green Bay will likely handle Enagbare's return cautiously after his injury in last year's Divisional Round against the 49ers.

Linebackers (6): Quay Walker, Edgerrin Cooper, Isaiah McDuffie, Ty'Ron Hopper, Eric Wilson, Kristian Welch.

The Packers are expected to primarily deploy a 4-2-5 defensive scheme in 2024. Quay Walker and Edgerrin Cooper are likely to start as the mike and will linebackers, respectively. When the Packers switch to a traditional 4-3 alignment, McDuffie, Hopper, and Oladapo (who has yet to appear on the list) will rotate depending on the down and situation. Wilson and Welch are integral contributors on special teams, and I anticipate that will remain their primary role.

Defensive Backs (11): Jaire Alexander, Eric Stokes, Carrington Valentine, Keisean Nixon, Corey Ballentine, Kalen King, Xavier McKinney, Javon Bullard, Anthony Johnson Jr., Evan Williams, Kitan Oladapo.

Jaire Alexander is unquestionably the CB1 in Green Bay. A competitive battle is expected between Stokes and Valentine for the CB2 position. Nixon is likely to play in the nickel package. Corey Ballentine provides solid depth, and I anticipate Green Bay will develop King similarly to how they did with Valentine last year. In the safety positions, McKinney and Bullard are slated to start in the traditional 4-3 defense. However, both could see significant playing time closer to the line of scrimmage in nickel and dime packages. Oladapo is expected to be a hybrid safety, often playing in the box in single high. Williams and Johnson will serve as backups, contributing to a rotation in the secondary.

Special Teams (3): Anders Carlson, Peter Bowden, Daniel Whelan.

It's understandable that some Packers' fans haven't moved past Carlson's misses last year, particularly in the Divisional Round in Santa Clara. However, among the three kickers on the roster heading into training camp, he possesses the most leg talent, and refining his accuracy is key. Bowden stands a chance of continuing Green Bay's streak of including at least one undrafted free agent on the final roster for the last 15 years. Meanwhile, Whelan hasn't faced competition for his job this offseason.

 

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Felipe is a Brazilian Packers writer covering the #GoPackGo for CheeseheadTV, Zone Coverage, and Packers Talk. Additionally, he contributes to Cheeseheads Brazil.

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Comments (22)

Fan-Friendly This filter will hide comments which have ratio of 5 to 1 down-vote to up-vote.
GregC's picture

June 18, 2024 at 02:32 pm

I've heard that the new emergency QB rule makes it unlikely that teams will keep a 3rd QB on their roster, but I've read the rule, and I don't see that it makes a difference. If you want to protect your 3rd QB from getting poached, I believe you will need to keep him on the roster. And I'm guessing that Clifford and Pratt will both be good enough to keep.

I would go with only nine OL. That is plenty to work with, as several of them are versatile. I would ditch Andre Dillard in favor of Caleb Jones and put Travis Glover on the practice squad.

Give me Tyler Davis as a fourth TE and Brenton Cox as a tenth defensive lineman, and take away Cory Ballentine and Kalen King. (They only kept four CBs last year, so this is not so outlandish.)

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splitpea1's picture

June 18, 2024 at 03:33 pm

I'm keeping Ballentine for sure, as he was a serviceable option on defense last year (even had a couple of highlights) and a special teams contributor for the past two. Anything less than five CBs makes me a little nervous.

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LLCHESTY's picture

June 18, 2024 at 08:21 pm

They also gave Ballentine a $500K signing bonus so he'd really have to crap the bed to get cut.

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Guam's picture

June 18, 2024 at 05:25 pm

I'd much rather have Ballentine and King than Tyler Davis. CB's are vulnerable to injury and only keeping four would be very risky. I see more playing time for a fifth or sixth CB than a fourth TE.

I think Slaton might be vulnerable as he is not the quick, penetrating D-lineman that Hafley seems to prefer. I could see the Packers keeping Cox over Slaton.

Jones, Tenuta and Telfort are the X-factors on the O-line. The Packers have seen fit to spend a couple of years developing them. Either they shine this summer or they are gone. If one of them shines, I would think Glover or Jennings could be PS material.

Lots of plot lines for training camp.

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GregC's picture

June 18, 2024 at 06:28 pm

I was thinking they could do the same thing with Ballentine that they did at the beginning of last year: promote him to the roster on game days and eventually put him on the roster permanently if that's the best option. There are bound to be openings as injuries occur. Robert Rochelle is another CB they could have on the practice squad and promote on game days. Tyler Davis was probably their best special teams player before his injury, which is why I'm thinking they could keep him on the roster as long as he makes a full comeback.

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LLCHESTY's picture

June 18, 2024 at 08:23 pm

They gave him $2.1 million with a $500K signing bonus. I doubt they take a chance on him getting poached. I think he's better than you thought he was, or at least the Packers think so.

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GregC's picture

June 18, 2024 at 08:31 pm

Thanks, I didn't know about the signing bonus. You're right that they would not be likely to cut him after giving him that. EDIT: So I would keep Ballentine and cut Kristian Welch.

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Lphill's picture

June 19, 2024 at 09:43 am

I don't understand how they miss on Cox he had a good pre season and was a highly rated draft pick at one time.

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HarryHodag's picture

June 18, 2024 at 02:56 pm

Here we go again. The most popular player is always the backup quarterback. At some point it has to register that OTA's and mini-camps are just practice. Practice, nothing more. You don't make the team during May and June. You make the team in July when the pads come on.

I would like to see Pratt hang around. He could develop. But in a league so quarterback driven, has it registered that this guy went late in the 7th round? To put him into the backup role this early is, again, silly. Wait until training camp when he has Van Ness and Gary chasing him around.

The offensive line and the back 7 of the defense will be the key stories going into camp.

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GregC's picture

June 18, 2024 at 03:05 pm

It's common to have a rookie as the backup QB. The Packers did it last year with Clifford. And Clifford vs. Pratt looks like a pretty even matchup.

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Guam's picture

June 18, 2024 at 05:17 pm

I have no idea whether Pratt or Clifford will be the back up QB for the Packers, but I wouldn't minimize Pratt just because he was a 7th round draft choice. San Francisco feels pretty good about their 7th round draft choice QB (Brock Purdy) who started a few games as a rookie and almost got them a Lombardi in his second year.

The Packers have done pretty well with non QB 7th rounders too - Rasheed Walker and Carrington Valentine being two very recent examples. You find players where you find them.

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Leatherhead's picture

June 18, 2024 at 06:43 pm

I think this is a pretty good "educated guess" at what we would like to start the season with. We'll probably lose a couple to IR and others will miss some games, so this is some pretty good depth, IMO.

I don't like the 24/26 split, but I can't really make a good argument for another offensive guy, other than maybe some TE/HB/FB/Special Teams guy. In fact, I was assuming we'd only carry 9 offensive linemen on the 53.

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MainePackFan's picture

June 18, 2024 at 07:01 pm

Pratt would have to completely outplay Clifford to be the backup. We seem to forget the Packers thought enough of Clifford to draft him in the 5th round. I've seen nothing out of him that suggests he isn't up for the job. It's fun entertaining ourselves with these discussions, but we all know it's just a way of killing time and staying in touch until the real decision-makers make their voices heard .

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LLCHESTY's picture

June 18, 2024 at 08:26 pm

They thought enough to reach for him in the 5th round, consensus was he was a 7th rounder. Meanwhile most thought Pratt would go in the 4th or 5th. He's the younger, better QB IMO.

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MainePackFan's picture

June 18, 2024 at 07:17 pm

I know I'm a 65-year-old white guy living in Central Maine who doesn't have his finger on the cultural pulse of our beloved USA, but between Jordan (Alfalfa) and Romeo (Buckwheat), I'm getting strange 'Little Rascals" vibes : )

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LLCHESTY's picture

June 18, 2024 at 08:31 pm

Sounds like the D staff was impressed with Brenton Cox this spring so I could see them keep 10 D lineman and 5 LBs. They're only playing 3 LBs 30% of the time anyway so unless a guy is a STs demon keeping 6 is pretty pointless. If Oladapo could play SS and nickel LB that would also save a spot but with his foot surgery it's probably asking to much of him this year.

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dobber's picture

June 18, 2024 at 10:07 pm

"I anticipate Green Bay will develop King similarly to how they did with Valentine last year."

I hope not: it would mean the CB position was ravaged by injury again.

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Leatherhead's picture

June 19, 2024 at 06:09 pm

Valentine started the 3rd week. He ended up starting 12 games for us, and both playoff games.

We traded Douglas away, and we didn't draft a really good CB in the first round, like many of us wanted to. Maybe the coaches actually think this guy is a player.

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Bitternotsour's picture

June 19, 2024 at 08:20 pm

kinda tracks that way, right?

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WD's picture

June 19, 2024 at 01:18 pm

If Caleb Jones is finally healthy he definitely should make the roster. Try him inside at guard or a sixth lineman on 4th and short or goal. I think the real tossup is Heath vs Toure. If Toure is healthy (unlike last year) I think he has the edge. This reminds me of when the Packers left Bo Melton off the roster last year. Overall this looks like a good preliminary assessment. The roster is really looking good in my view.

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greengold's picture

June 22, 2024 at 02:43 pm

I think Josh Myers will be a roster cut or that he will be traded by the deadline. Demovsky said on Wilde and Tausch in April that he was "told by a couple people within the organization they think Zach Tom is a Pro Bowl right tackle, and All-Pro guard and a potential Hall of Fame center."

I trust Demovsky and his sources, further stating it was a "direct quote" from someone in the building. The answer was in response to whether or not he believed Josh Myers will be on the team in 2025. He then answered "No."

Gutekust and his staff have been making changes all across this roster. I know I'm not alone in having seen AJ Dillon with nowhere to go on plays up the middle, for years. The Packers cannot afford to continue making the same mistake by keeping him as our starting C, and his contract is up after this season. Maybe they keep him around as a backup, and give him a shot at challenging Sean Rhyan for the RG position.

C Jacob Monk, our #163 Pick from Duke should provide quality backup if they do decide to release Myers and move Zach Tom to C full time. I would not mind that at all. Monk brings solid credentials as a 5 years starter and 2 year Team Captain at Duke, offering his wide body profile, great athleticism (9.76 RAS), foot speed, powerful hands and his high football IQ. He's a super fast processor, and is able to redirect and wash defenders readily. He's an effective puller in the run game and an equally effective pass blocker. Well versed in zone blocking, where Duke ran the football nearly 60% of the time... Monk doesn't have length, but neither did Scott Wells.

I don't think for one second Gutekunst spent big on Josh Jacosbs and used an R3 to draft Marshawn Lloyd without a rock solid plan between he and LaFleur for improved blocking from the C position. Myers poor run blocking has stuck out like a sore thumb for the entire 3 years that he's been here.

Gutekunst's previous comments raving about Zach Tom's ability to play C, unprompted, has me thinking we will see that change happen this year.

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Johnblood27's picture

June 22, 2024 at 11:45 pm

I have seen enough of Meyers.

He is inconsistent and just plain not very good.

I am all for giving Monk a real shot at earning the position and getting Tom some reps there in case Monk isn't quite ready for a full time NFL C gig.

If Tom, Monk and Meyers are all equal, just live with Meyers until an upgrade is available (probably next years draft or a Monk improvement as the year progresses) but if there is an improvement now, lets do it! Like the article says, it is apparent that Meyers is NOT the answer!

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