Packers Roster: 7 players should make their Green Bay debuts in Week 18

The Green Bay Packers have made 21 roster moves in Week 18, including practice squad elevations to the gameday roster. Due to the numerous changes, several Packers will be making their Green Bay debuts

in Week 18 against the Minnesota Vikings.

We’re going to break down every new player that you might see for the first time on Sunday, but first, here’s a recap of the 21 roster moves.

On the gameday roster

• QB Clayton Tune (practice squad promotion to 53)
• WR Jakobie Keeney-James (practice squad promotion to 53)
• TE Drake Dabney (practice squad gameday elevation)
• OL Lecitus Smith (practice squad promotion to 53)
• DT Jonathan Ford (waiver claim)
• LB Jamon Johnson (practice squad gameday elevation)
• CB Trevon Diggs (waiver claim)
• CB Shemar Bartholomew (practice squad promotion to 53)
• CB/S Jaylin Simpson (practice squad promotion to 53)
• S Johnathan Baldwin (practice squad promotion to 53)

No longer on the 53-man roster

• WR Savon Williams (IR)
• OL Donovan Jennings (IR)
• DT Jordon Riley (IR)
• DT Quinton Bohanna (waived)
• CB Nate Hobbs (IR)
• CB Kamal Hadden (IR)
• S Zayne Anderson (IR)

Signed to the practice squad

• QB Desmond Ridder
• RB Damien Martinez
• OL Karsen Barnhart
• CB Tyron Herring

As it stands today, the Packers have two vacancies on their practice squad going into next week. Look for at least two more moves to be made on the horizon.

Below is the position-by-position breakdown of the Packers’ 55 players who are eligible to make up the team’s 48-man gameday roster on Sunday:

Quarterback

• Jordan Love
• Malik Willis (questionable – shoulder/hamstring)
• Clayton Tune

Running Back

• Josh Jacobs
• Emanuel Wilson
• Chris Brooks

Receiver

• Romeo Doubs
• Christian Watson
• Jayden Reed
• Dontayvion Wicks (doubtful – concussion)
• Matthew Golden
• Jakobie Keeney-James

Tight End

• Luke Musgrave
• Josh Whyle
• Drake Dabney

Offensive Line

• Rasheed Walker
• Aaron Banks
• Sean Rhyan
• Anthony Belton
• Zach Tom (questionable – back/knee)
• Jordan Morgan
• Darian Kinnard
• Jacob Monk
• Lecitus Smith

Defensive End

• Rashan Gary
• Kingsley Enagbare
• Lukas Van Ness
• Brenton Cox Jr.
• Barryn Sorrell
• Arron Mosby
• Collin Oliver

Defensive Tackle

• Colby Wooden
• Karl Brooks
• Warren Brinson
• Nazir Stackhouse
• Jonathan Ford

Linebacker

• Quay Walker
• Edgerrin Cooper
• Isaiah McDuffie
• Ty’Ron Hopper
• Jamon Johnson

Cornerback

• Keisean Nixon
• Carrington Valentine
• Trevon Diggs
• Bo Melton
• Jaylin Simpson
• Shemar Bartholomew

Safety

• Xavier McKinney
• Evan Williams
• Javon Bullard
• Kitan Oladapo
• Jonathan Baldwin

Kicker

• Brandon McManus

Punter

• Daniel Whelan

Long Snapper

• Matt Orzech

–

Now that we’ve painted a picture of where the team’s roster stands, let’s talk about the seven Packers who should end up making their Green Bay debuts this weekend.

WR Jakobie Keeney-James (#84)

It’s interesting that the Packers chose to bring up receiver Jakobie Keeney-James from the practice squad this week, because Will Sheppard was the receiver that the team brought up to the 53-man roster in Week 13 against the Detroit Lions, when Green Bay had a short turnaround to play on Thanksgiving with a banged-up roster. Apparently, sometime over the last month or so, the momentum has shifted from Sheppard, who was active in Week 13 but didn’t see a snap, and Keeney-James.

Keeney-James is an undrafted rookie who got his start with the Lions post-draft. He was waived by Detroit in August, but resurfaced with the Packers when he signed with Green Bay’s practice squad in Week 4. Because he wasn’t a member of the team in training camp or the preseason, this is truly the first look that we’ll get of Keeney-James in green and gold.

DE Collin Oliver (#99)

Head coach Matt LaFleur already stated that he “anticipates” that fifth-round rookie Collin Oliver will end up playing in Week 18. Oliver was placed on the physically unable to perform list at the start of training camp, for what the team believed was going to be a short-term hamstring injury. Instead, Oliver required surgery for the injury and wasn’t activated to the 53-man roster until Week 17.

So, this will actually be our first look at Oliver in a Packers uniform and pads, including the preseason. Last week, Oliver and fellow rookie Barryn Sorrell (fourth-round pick) were healthy scratches while Kingsley Enagbare, Lukas Van Ness, Rashan Gary, Breton Cox Jr. and Arron Mosby were active at defensive end on the 48-man gameday roster.

Oliver is an undersized pass-rusher who missed most of his season at Oklahoma State with a foot issue. In 2023, his junior year, he split time on the edge and at linebacker. Outside of that season, he was mostly an edge rusher for the Cowboys.

DT Jonathan Ford (#64)

The Packers haven’t ever really been able to backfill for the loss of Kenny Clark in the trade for Micah Parsons. Colby Wooden, who is much larger than the 273 pounds that he weighed in at during the 2023 combine, ended up stepping up as the team’s starting nose tackle this year, but Green Bay had to rely on the combination of Warren Brinson (sixth-round rookie), Nazir Stackhouse (undrafted rookie), Jordon Riley (practice squad poach) and Quinton Bohanna (waiver claim) for backup snaps at the positiont his year.

Generally, it seems like the Packers want Stackhouse to take a redshirt year, as he’s been on the 53-man roster throughout the year but has been displaced by the other backup nose tackles at various points this season. With Riley going on the IR and Bohanna being released this week, Green Bay brought in a familiar face: Jonathan Ford.

The 2022 seventh-round pick was taken by the Packers in the draft, but he never played for Green Bay in his two years with the team. In Week 15 of 2024, the Chicago Bears poached Ford off the Packers’ practice squad. Since then, Ford has played 12 games for the Bears and recorded 173 defensive snaps. When he was made available on waivers this week, Green Bay pounced on the opportunity to bring him back.

CB Trevon Diggs (#28)

I don’t have very high expectations for Trevon Diggs’ time in Green Bay, but I’d love to be proven wrong. The former All-Pro has generally been around an average to above-average cornerback when you look at his adjusted yards allowed per coverage snap, but that has fallen off a cliff in 2025. Maybe he needs the right home to bounce back, but I’m not sold that a depleted Packers’ defensive line will accommodate that.

Green Bay claimed Diggs off waivers this week when the Dallas Cowboys released him for staying back in his hometown of Washington, D.C., for Christmas. Personally, I think the team brought him in for emergency depth, as both Nate Hobbs and Kamal Hadden were placed on the injured reserve this week. This meant that coming into the week, the only backup cornerback the Packers had on their roster was Bo Melton, who has still only played offense and special teams in Green Bay, never defense.

Defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley said that his hope is that Diggs will play for the Packers in Week 18, but that he was uncertain if the team would be able to get him up to speed in time. This year, especially compared to last season, Green Bay has played a pretty basic defensive system that features pretty stock pass-rushing plans, stock coverages and few blitzes. Can the team continue to do that in the playoffs, though, with Micah Parsons out and Rashan Gary playing so poorly?

The defensive line situation should probably push the Packers’ defense to play a more complicated system in the postseason, but all of the new faces in the secondary could prevent them from feeling confident enough in their ability to execute that plan.

CB Shemar Bartholomew (#34)

Speaking of new faces in the secondary, the Packers brought up three defensive backs from the practice squad this week before the addition of Diggs. The first one we’ll be talking about is Shemar Bartholomew.

As an undrafted rookie, Bartholomew played five games, 17 defensive snaps and 34 special teams snaps with the Carolina Panthers in 2024. He was a member of both the Panthers’ and Minnesota Vikings’ practice squads this season, before being signed by the Packers’ practice squad on December 2nd.

Bartholomew originally worked out with Green Bay in early November, just before he was signed by the Vikings, so the Packers have had their eyes on him for a while.

CB/S Jaylin Simpson (#38)

In 2024, Jaylin Simpson was picked in the fifth round by the Indianapolis Colts, who tried to keep him on their practice squad until the New York Jets poached him in December of his rookie season. When the Jets waived him in August of this year, he ended up in Green Bay, where he spent the last week or so on the team’s offseason roster during training camp before cutdowns. While he didn’t make the 53-man roster, he was immediately re-signed by the Packers’ practice squad, where he has been until his promotion to the active roster this week.

Simpson was promoted to the gameday roster in Week 13, Green Bay’s matchup on Thanksgiving against the Detroit Lions, but he didn’t see action in that game. So Sunday will be an opportunity to see Simpson on the field for the first time in the regular season.

Simpson has played both safety and cornerback for teams in the NFL. Because we haven’t seen him on the field, it’s anyone’s guess whether the team actually plays him at safety or cornerback. Officially, he’s listed as a cornerback on the roster.

S Johnathan Baldwin (#37)

Unlike the other players on this list, Johnathan Baldwin had a full training camp with the 2025 Green Bay Packers. He’s played the safety spot, despite Baldwin playing the nickel (635 snaps) more than safety (161) in his final year with the UNLV Rebels.

Baldwin received the second-most guarantees of a Packers undrafted free agent this draft cycle, tying linebacker Jamon Johnson with a $15,000 signing bonus and $100,000 in guaranteed salary. The only player to receive more is nose tackle Nazir Stackhouse, who got the $15,000 signing bonus and $150,000 in guaranteed salary.

Baldwin was brought up from Green Bay’s practice squad this week to replace Zayne Anderson, who went on IR. Before Week 18, he had never been activated to the gameday roster.