The preseason for the Green Bay Packers finished on Friday night with a wild win over the Arizona Cardinals at Lambeau Field. Now, over the next day and a half, Brian Gutekunst and Matt LaFleur will determine how to construct the initial 53-man roster before Sunday's final roster cutdown.
Keep in mind, the first 53-man roster won't necessarily look exactly like the 53-man roster the Packers take into Week 1 against the Minnesota Vikings. Consider it fluid, and subject to change. Waiver claims are made Monday, and the Packers have moving parts at a few positions on both sides of the ball, complicating the task of building the first 53.
Here is a final 53-man roster prediction following the preseason finale:
Quarterbacks (2)
Keep: Jordan Love, Tyrod Taylor
Kyle McCord
will make this a nervous decision, but he'll be best spending a year on the practice squad developing. By this time next year, and if all goes to plan, McCord could be the top backup behind Love in 2027.
Running backs (3)
Keep: Josh Jacobs, MarShawn Lloyd, Chris Brooks
The Packers aren't releasing Jacobs, per Matt LaFleur, so they can keep these three going into Week 1 and then hope Pierre Strong Jr. can provide an emergency option on the practice squad.
Wide receivers (7)
Keep: Christian Watson, Jayden Reed, Matthew Golden, Savion Williams, Skyy Moore, Bo Melton, J. Michael Sturdivant
Sturdivant beats out Will Sheppard and Isaiah Neyor for the seventh spot. The rookie has obvious pass-catching potential, and he could play a role on special teams.
Tight ends (2)
Keep: Tucker Kraft, Josh Whyle
The Packers will add veteran Jonnu Smith at some point. The question: Will he be added to the initial 53-man roster on Sunday, or will the Packers wait until after the waiver claim period? Waiting would allow the Packers to keep another player until after claims are done.
Offensive linemen (9)
Keep: Jordan Morgan, Aaron Banks, Sean Rhyan, Jacob Monk, Zach Bako-Bewele, Anthony Belton, Jager Burton, Donovan Jennings, John Williams
The surprise here would be cutting Darian Kinnard, but the veteran wasn't part of the second-team offensive line on Friday night and then struggled deep into the second half. Travis Glover also gets cut in this scenario.
Interior defensive linemen (7)
Keep: Devonte Wyatt, Javon Hargrave, Karl Brooks, Chris McClellan, Warren Brinson, Jonathan Ford, Anthony Campbell
Seven defensive linemen? For a position group that got hit so hard to end last season, keeping these seven is possible because both Ford and Campbell proved they can play this summer. And with Brinson dealing with an injury, keeping an extra one might make sense to start the regular season.
Edge rushers (5)
Keep: Lukas Van Ness, Barryn Sorrell, Dani Dennis Sutton, Brenton Cox, Collin Oliver
Obviously, Micah Parsons is headed for the PUP list. Cutting rookie Nyjalik Kelly, who was excellent in the preseason finale on Friday night, would be a risk. But the Packers aren't ready to give up on Oliver, last year's fifth-round pick, right? The hope will be to continue developing Kelly on the practice squad.
Linebackers (5)
Keep: Edgerrin Cooper, Zaire Franklin, Isaiah McDuffie, Ty’Ron Hopper, Nick Niemann
Nothing ground-breaking here. Rookie TJ Quinn flashed during the preseason and is a good bet to return on the practice squad.
Cornerbacks (5)
Keep: Keisean Nixon, Brandon Cisse, Benjamin St-Juste, Carrington Valentine, Kamal Hadden
Rookie Domani Jackson was hurt to start training camp and then struggled throughout the preseason, and Jaylin Simpson was too up and down during preseason games, so the Packers keep only five.
Safeties (4)
Keep: Xavier McKinney, Evan Williams, Javon Bullard, Kitan Oladapo
Keeping four makes this position thin, especially with Bullard playing mostly in the slot, but the Packers could add a corner/safety type during or after waivers.
Specialists (3)
Keep: Trey Smack, Daniel Whelan, Matt Orzech
Who knows what the Packers will do at long snapper. Orzech remains on the PUP list, but he seems like the favorite once healthy.
Note: This is very much an initial 53-man roster. Expect changes throughout next week.
This article originally appeared on Packers Wire: Final Packers 53-man roster prediction following preseason finale
