3 Packers who were lucky to make final 53-man roster
The Green Bay Packers made a few surprising moves on their path to building their 53-man roster and 16-man practice squad.
Among the most prominent themes was general manager Brian Gutekunst’s preference to keep his draft picks over other players as all 11 guys from the 2022 NFL Draft class made it on the roster. That’s not atypical compared to other franchises, but it was striking to see it play out at a few positions. On the other side of the coin, it was mostly fringe roster decisions we saw this happen for and Green Bay was able to get the guys they cut back onto the practice squad so it might not play a role at all.
Still, some players were lucky to make the roster while others suffered a more ill-suited fate.
These three members of the Green Bay Packers were fortunate enough to make the final 53-man roster after the dust settled.
Rasheed Walker
Rasheed Walker was a seventh-round pick in the 2022 draft and didn’t show up on fans’ radar until the third preseason game. His action was very limited to that point, but he showed he has the chance to develop into a decent swing tackle. That potential probably earned him a spot on the roster, but seeing the Packers cut Caleb Jones in Walker’s favor was striking. Jones has very intriguing size and showed more on the tape than Walker did.
Jonathan Ford
Here’s another prime example of how draft pick status saved someone’s job. Jack Heflin clearly earned a spot on the roster and was probably even the fifth-best defensive lineman the Packers had this preseason. However, the Packers certainly weren’t going to demote/cut a first-round pick, nonetheless, a seventh rounder. Again, the Packers were fortunate to land Heflin onto their practice squad.
Next. 4 conclusions about Packers roster and practice squad. dark
Dallin Leavitt
Green Bay’s new focus on special teams landed Dallin Leavitt on the team earlier this summer. He has experience in and knowledge of special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia’s unit and his trust as well. However, the Packers signed Rudy Ford after roster cutdowns, a better special teams version of Leavitt. Neither guy can play a lick of defense at safety, so they are duplications at this point. Since Ford is the more talented special teamer, Leavitt is lucky to have a roster spot still.