The Green Bay Packers trimmed their roster to 53 players on Sunday, creating the team's initial roster. Of course, the roster is subject to change, and it could be altered as soon as Monday, when claims are made around the league. But after three preseason games and a full training camp, we now have the first roster of 2026 in Green Bay.
Here are the big things to know from the Packers' first 53-man roster:
-- The Packers made three trades on roster cutdown day, sending quarterback Kyle McCord to Miami and acquiring running back Kaleb Johnson from Pittsburgh and tight end Mark Redman from Los Angeles. Brian Gutekunst was aggressive on the fringes of his roster coming out of training camp.
-- Two positions stick out: running back and edge rusher.
The Packers don't have Josh Jacobs, who is now on the Commissioner's Exempt List while navigating a concerning legal issue, so MarShawn Lloyd, Chris Brooks and newcomer Kaleb Johnson (acquired via trade with Steelers) are the three running backs. Lloyd has played in one career game, Brooks has never been a featured player and Johnson, a 2025 third-round pick, was shipped out of Pittsburgh after a disappointing rookie season. At edge rusher, the Packers kept only four, with Micah Parsons on PUP and Collin Oliver placed on IR-designated to return. Lukas Van Ness, Barryn Sorrell, Brenton Cox Jr. and rookie Dani Dennis-Sutton are the four edge rushers to start 2026.
-- Look at the tight end position! The Packers rebuilt half of it, signing veteran pass-catcher Jonnu Smith and trading with the Rams for Mark Redman, a typical "Y" type. Josh Whyle made the 53, while Luke Musgrave is starting the season on the PUP list because of a neck injury. In Tucker Kraft, Smith, Redman and Whyle, the Packers now have a capable and versatile group at tight end, which looked like one of the weaker positions on the roster a few days ago.
-- Two players were placed on injured reserve with a designation to return: receiver Savion Williams (ankle) and edge rusher Collin Oliver (calf). Both were injured in Denver. They will miss the first four games of the regular season. Williams going on injured reserve likely helped undrafted rookie J. Michael Sturdivant stick at receiver.
-- A few notables along the line of scrimmage: Out is veteran offensive lineman Darian Kinnard, a top backup in 2025 who plummeted down the depth chart this summer, while young defensive tackles Anthony Campbell and Jonathan Ford -- two of the summer standouts -- made the team. The Packers kept 10 offensive linemen but Kinnard, who returned this offseason with a $1,000,000 signing bonus, was not one of them. Campbell and Ford made themselves very tough to cut after playing so well during camp and the preseason; the Packers ended up keeping seven defensive tackles on the first 53. They kept the big guys who they think can play.
-- The Packers cut a draft pick from a six-player draft class: sixth-round cornerback Domani Jackson. The Alabama product was hurt to start camp and did not play well enough in the preseason to make the 53. The Packers will hope he gets back to the practice squad. Kamal Hadden ended up as the fifth corner.
-- At long snapper, the Packers activated Matt Orzech from the PUP list and released Cal Adomitis. Orzech did not participate in training camp or any of the three preseason games while recovering from a calf injury.
-- The Packers have five players over age 30: Tyrod Taylor (37), Javon Hargrave (33), Jonnu Smith (31), Matt Orzech (31) and Zaire Franklin (30).
This article originally appeared on Packers Wire: Big things to know from Packers' initial 53-man roster of 2026
