Green Bay Packers: 9 Returning Players on the Hot Seat

Whether it be due to performance, possible cap savings, or a combination of the two, every year, NFL teams move on from players who were on the roster just one year earlier. And that rings true for the Green Bay Packers as well.

After an offseason where GM Brian Gutekunst prioritized re-signings over new additions, this is a roster that is quite similar to what it was in 2020 when they went to the NFC Championship Game. However, that doesn’t mean that there won’t be a shake-up or two this summer.

Ultimately we won’t know how things are going to play out until training camp and the preseason takes place, but as we look at the current 90-man roster, I have nine returning players on my radar that could end up being cut and also provide some much-needed cap savings—something that we know the Green Bay Packers are still trying to create.

Green Bay Packers CB: Josh Jackson

Cap Savings: $1.33 million

As a former second-round pick, Josh Jackson has never been able to live up to that selection. He took a majority of his NFL snaps during his rookie season, where, as expected, he took his lumps. The issue is that we really haven’t seen any improvement, and actually, his snap counts have dwindled since then.

An early injury in 2019 would derail Jackson’s sophomore season, which sent him tumbling down the depth chart. And although we saw him a bit more in 2020 when Kevin King was injured, he was still prone to penalties and was picked on by opposing quarterbacks, allowing 15 receptions on 22 targets. Even worse, by the end of the season, he was a healthy scratch.

Perhaps the new Joe Barry defense will revitalize him, but at this point, it feels like we know who he is as a player, and his roster spot is very much in jeopardy.

Green Bay Packers Edge: Randy Ramsey

Cap Savings: $780,000

If the Green Bay Packers choose to keep five edge rushers on the roster once again, then there is likely only one spot available. The Smiths and Rashan Gary will account for three of them and I believe Jonathan Garvin is pretty close to a lock as well given his potential.

Randy Ramsey was on the Packers 53-man roster in 2020 and saw 75 defensive snaps over the course of the season totaling two pressures. In my recent roster prediction article, I put Tipa Galeai on the 53-man over Ramsey because as a smaller edge defender, I believe that he better aligns with what Joe Barry is looking for based on what we saw from Brandon Staley in Los Angeles last year.

Will things play out that way? Only time will tell. But it’s a camp battle that I’ll have my eyes on, and this time around, Ramsey could be left off.

Green Bay Packers CB: Ka’dar Hollman

Cap Savings: $849,999

Another cornerback on the hot-seat is third-year player and former sixth-round pick Ka’dar Hollman. Coming from Toledo, Hollman is well versed in press-man coverage, and I always thought that ability of his could lead to playing time. However, that hasn’t happened, and we don’t know how he will adjust to Joe Barry’s zone-heavy scheme.

Like Jackson, Hollman was a healthy scratch at the end of the season, which says a lot, not only about his contributions to the defense — or lack thereof — but also on special teams.