10 Questions about Green Bay Packers roster before final cutdowns
By Paul Bretl
Who will be the Green Bay Packers’ fifth edge rusher? And is the fifth edge rusher on the roster?
As they say, never assume, but I’m going to anyways. Based on Kingsley Enagbare’s play and Jonathan Garvin’s low snap count in preseason games, I believe both are roster locks, which leaves one roster spot up for grabs.
The battle for that final spot is between Kobe Jones, Tipa Galeai, and La’Darius Hamilton–and I have no idea what the standings are. Galeai was a “starter” in the first two preseason games but was held out against Kansas City. Meanwhile, Jones leads these three in special teams snaps, which will be important when it comes to earning this roster spot.
All three players have had reps with the second-team defense in practice, and all three have flashed at various points. However, all three have disappeared as well.
This is why I wondered recently if the Packers’ fifth edge rusher was on the roster yet? They could choose to claim someone off waivers when cutdowns take place.
Or perhaps since this competition appears fairly close from the outside looking in, maybe the Packers keep six edge rushers, which is an idea we’ve seen several beat reporters run with in their final mock drafts. But, this also takes away from another position, and I’m not sure this position group has six roster-worthy players.
The edge rusher depth, including Enagbare and Garvin, is going to be one of the biggest concerns on this Packers team entering the season. Regardless of what this group looks like behind Rashan Gary and Preston Smith, the Packers need more of an impact than what they had in 2021.