Packers 53 Man Roster Prediction 2023

Who I believe will make the cut

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The Packers will finalize their 53 man roster on tuesday. Here’s who I think will make the cut. 

Offense:

QB (2): Jordan Love, Sean Clifford

• Matt LaFleur stated recently Clifford won the backup job. Not shocking considering the Packers invested a 5th round pick in him. Sorry Alex McGough. 

RB (3): Aaron Jones, AJ Dillon, Lew Nichols III

• We all know Jones and Dillon are RB 1 and 2. The battle has been for the 3rd RB spot seemingly between Patrick Taylor and Emmanuel Wilson. Lew Nichols III has missed most of training camp with a shoulder injury. But here me out. 

• Last year the Packers kept all four of their 7th round draft picks on the roster. Nichols was a 7th round draft pick this year. The thing is I don’t know how serious his injury is. If it’s super serious maybe the Packers put him on the PUP list. If he’s almost ready to go I can see this happening.

• The Packers didn’t even put a 3rd RB on the 53 man roster to start last year, so I see this as a move to ensure no other team signs Nichols. The Packers can always elevate Patrick Taylor from the practice squad if they need him. 

WR (7): Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs, Jayden Reed, Samori Toure, Dontayvion Wicks, Malik Heath, Grant Dubose

• The first 5 listed were locks before camp started. Heath has absolutely dominated both as a pass catcher and blocker. Dubose has missed some time with injury but he was also a 7th round pick. I believe the Packers like his potential and want to keep him around. 

TE (3): Luke Musgrave, Tucker Kraft, Josiah Deguara

• With Tyler Davis’ ACL tear, keeping four tight ends is no longer a sure bet. In a press conference the other day Matt LaFleur said they didn’t necessarily need to keep 4. 

OL (9): David Bakhtiari, Elgton Jenkins, Josh Myers, Jon Runyan Jr., Zach Tom, Rasheed Walker, Yosh Nijman, Sean Rhyan, Royce Newman

• The first 7 are locks. I was debating adding Caleb Jones to make it 10 OL, but considering the Packers already have Rasheed Walker and Yosh Nijman as tackle depth I see them adding Caleb Jones to the practice squad. 

Defense: 

DL(6): Kenny Clark, Devonte Wyatt, TJ Slaton, Karl Brooks, Colby Wooden, Jonathan Ford

• The first 5 are locks. Wooden and Brooks were 4th and 6th round draft picks and have played well in camp. Ford is the guy I’m not for sure on, but considering the Packers rostered him last season I’m going to say he makes the cut. 

Edge (5): Rashan Gary, Preston Smith, Kingsley (JJ) Enagbare, Lukas Van Ness, Justin Hollins

• First 4 are locks. At the beginning of camp Hollins spent lots of time with the 1s next to Preston Smith. I believe he finishes out the room. 

ILB (5): De’Vondre Campbell, Quay Walker, Isaiah McDuffie, Eric Wilson, Tariq Carpenter

• Eric Wilson and Tariq Carpenter were big special teams pieces for the Packers last season and I believe the Packers will use them in that way once again. Campbell has yet to return from injury, but Brian Gutekunst seemed to think he’d be ready week 1. 

CB (5): Jaire Alexander, Rasul Douglas, Keisean Nixon, Carrington Valentine, Innis Gaines

• The first 3 are starters and Valentine was a 7th round draft pick who has played well this camp. Innis Gaines has the versatility to also play safety and special teams which is why I added him here. 

S (5): Darnell Savage, Rudy Ford, Tarvarius Moore, Anthony Johnson Jr ,Dallin Leavit

• So I decided to leave Jonathan Owens off the roster. He has not played well this pre-season and has the worst PFF grade of 43.7 of the safety group. The Packers only invested 1 million so I don’t see cutting him being a problem. Johnson Jr. was a 7th round draft pick and has shown that he can make plays. Leavit was huge on the Packers special teams last year and I don’t think Rich Bisaccia wants to see him go. 

Special Teams

K (1): Anders Carlson

• Only kicker on the roster. No way the Packers cut him. 

P (1): Daniel Whelan 

• I’m going with the young guy beating out the veteran in Pat O’Donnell. If he pans out this year the Packers have a guy they can rely on for years and years to come. 

LS (1): Matt Orzech

• The Packers signed Orzech to a 3 year deal this off-season. He is the long snapper. 

That’s my prediction. We’ll see how this plays out on Tuesday when the final 53 man roster will be announced.