4 Packers Who Will Lose Their Roster Spot to a Rookie in the NFL Draft

Things are looking up in Titletown as the Green Bay Packers exceeded all expectations in their 2023 campaign and established themselves as the team to watch in the NFC going forward. They are young and talented and should be heard from in Super Bowl contention as soon as next year.

However, in order to do that, the Packers need to nail their offseason decisions. This includes both free agency and the NFL draft.

One challenge ahead of them is their lack of cap space. They are effectively $9.6 million below the salary cap, making it difficult for them to make high-level roster additions in free agency.

That is why they have to move on from some overpaid players and replace them with younger, cheaper players. The draft will be the key to doing that. Here are the four likeliest players to lose their role to a rookie next season.

Jonathan Owens, S

Owens was brought in last offseason on a bargain deal and it's hard to argue that he was anything but solid last season. In fact, he was somehow the safety with the most snaps on the roster in the 2023 campaign, basically playing every snap starting in Week 8.

New defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley puts a lot of importance on safeties and will likely prioritize the position in the draft and free agency. Considering that most of the safety rotation in Green Bay is hitting free agency, the defensive backfield could look very different next season.

This includes Owens as well. The 28-year-old was 73rd out of 95 qualified safeties in terms of PFF grades and has a poor 59.6 grade in coverage. It's not like the Packers had a good pass defense last season that would warrant bringing the veteran back.

Re-signing Owens would be a short-sighted, low-ceiling move. His production could easily be replaced by a rookie with a higher upside.