Packers 53-Man Roster: Numerous WRs, Drafted Rookie Miss Cut

Packers 2020 Roster Final

Getty Aaron Rodgers #12 of the Green Bay Packers meets with head coach Matt LaFleur during Green Bay Packers Training Camp at Lambeau Field on August 20, 2020 in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

The deadline has officially passed, leaving just 53 players who can still call themselves Green Bay Packers for the 2020 season.

All NFL teams were required to trim down their 80-man training camp rosters prior to Saturday’s deadline at 3 p.m. CT with the Packers waiting until the morning of to begin their cuts. Teams will be allowed to place waiver claims on released players until 11 a.m. CT Sunday with practice-squad signings opening up at noon.

Following roster cuts, here’s how the Packers’ initial 53-man roster looks for the upcoming season along with some injury designations for 2020:


Quarterbacks (3): Aaron Rodgers, Tim Boyle, Jordan Love

Unsurprisingly, the Packers stuck to their word and kept three quarterbacks for their 2020 active roster with the consensus on Love seeming to be that he is still too green to become a true backup for Rodgers. With Boyle, they retain a capable No. 2 who they believe can win football games (if necessary) and will buy them some time to develop their project rookie. Of course, the Packers will have bigger problems if they are forced to consider options other than Rodgers at any point in 2020.

Cut: None.


Running Backs (4): Aaron Jones, Jamaal Williams, AJ Dillon, Tyler Ervin

Jones delivered a breakout season in 2019 and the Packers responded by … drafting a running back in the second round. Clearly, they know the going rate for good running backs in the NFL. The immediate payoff is that the Packers now have a backfield stable that includes both of last year’s leading rushers, a high-value rookie and a versatile return specialist. Get ready for a run-heavy Packers squad.

Cut: Dexter Williams, Damarea Crockett, John Lovett (Fullback)


Wide Receivers (5): Davante Adams, Allen Lazard, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Equanimeous St. Brown, Malik Taylor

The biggest surprise of the day, perhaps, was the Packers’ decision to keep Taylor on their active roster in favor of others such as Kumerow, Shepherd and Begelton. The 24-year-old wideout spent his entire rookie year in 2019 on the Packers practice squad and didn’t appear to make any show-stopping plays during his second camp. Otherwise, the position group looks about as expected with familiar and promising names rounding out the top four with Adams the unquestioned star.

Cut: Jake Kumerow, Darrius Shepherd, Reggie Begelton, Malik Turner


Tight Ends (4): Jace Sternberger, Robert Tonyan, Marcedes Lewis, Josiah Deguara

The tight end was another easy position to predict in terms of personnel with Baylis being the only one lost in the roster reduction. The most important question — who will top the depth chart in Week 1 — remains unanswered for the moment, but don’t be surprised if the starter changes throughout the season with several young options to study for long-term fits. Tonyan and Sternberger are the experienced frontrunners, but Deguara is a third-round pick with some extreme versatility that could earn him early playing time.

Cut: Evan Baylis


Offensive Linemen (9): David Bakhtiari, Elgton Jenkins, Corey Linsley, Billy Turner, Lane Taylor, Rick Wagner, Lucas Patrick, Jon Runyan, Yosh Nijman

An instrumental part of how the Packers’ offensive line came together this season was offseason restructuring of Taylor’s contract. Without it, who knows if the veteran guard would have gotten another chance after an injury cost him his starting spot in 2019. Fortunately, the Packers now have seven reliable linemen — including Patrick — along with two promising backups to continue developing through the season. It was a bit surprising to see Nijman make the cut over Alex Light, but Light was only so-so in a limited capacity last year. The Packers also parted ways with Jake Hanson, their only 2020 draft pick to miss the cut.

Cut: John Leglue, Cody Conway, Zack Johnson, Alex Light, Jake Hanson


Defensive Linemen (5): Kenny Clark, Dean Lowry, Kingsley Keke, Tyler Lancaster, Montravius Adams

The Packers ensured their defensive line will run through Clark for the foreseeable future when they signed him to a massive — and well deserved — contract extension in mid-August. The concerning thing, though, is that nothing has changed with his supporting cast, which struggled to help him out at times throughout last season. The Packers will need big things out of Lowry, Keke and Lancaster especially with Adams (sprained toe) a possible IR candidate.

Cut: Delontae Scott, Willington Previlon, Treyvon Hester


Outside Linebackers (5): Za’Darius Smith, Preston Smith, Rashan Gary, Randy Ramsey, Jonathan Garvin

If Gary’s camp performances were any indication, the Packers’ top 2019 draft pick is finally ready to come into his own in his second season. Not only should Gary provide the Smith Bros. with some much-needed relief in terms of reps this season, but he also seriously ramps up the pass-rushing threat in schemes where they are all on the field together. The responsibility of keeping that trio fresh will fall to two youngsters, Ramsey and Garvin, who were both retained in favor of veteran and surprise cut Tim Williams.

Cut: Tim Williams, Tipa Galea’i, Greg Roberts


Inside Linebackers (4): Christian Kirksey, Kamal Martin, Oren Burks, Ty Summers

An unusual first couple of months with the Packers didn’t stop Kirksey from taking control of the defense in training camp, suggesting the new middle linebacker is every bit the steal Green Bay hoped he would be. Now, it’s time to show it when it counts. He’ll have to get his help from Burks, a 2018 third-round pick, now that the rookie Martin is expected to miss six to eight weeks with a torn meniscus. Ty Summers, who played exclusively special teams in 2019, will also be needed to contribute to the rotation.

Cut: Krys Barnes


Cornerbacks (6): Jaire Alexander, Kevin King, Chandon Sullivan, Josh Jackson, Ka’dar Hollman, Kabion Ento

The Packers’ top cornerback spots have been settled for some time with Sullivan set to slide into Tramon Williams’ former role at slot corner, but the back end was where the most competition arose. Jackson, who was a second-round pick behind Alexander in 2018, didn’t exactly put together an inspiring camp, but he retains the most upside among the backups. Hollman might have been pressed to make the roster had it not been for Ento breaking his foot in training camp, but he has been solid at times in the past could make the most of the opportunity.

Cut: Stanford Samuels, DaShaun Amos, Will Sunderland,


Safeties (5): Adrian Amos, Darnell Savage, Raven Greene, Will Redmond, Vernon Scott

A trusted duo of starters in Amos and Savage allowed the Packers to focus most of their camp attention on the backup safety spots, where Redmond had been the primary player in 2019. He’ll still serve in the rotation, but now those reps figure to be split between him and Greene now that the latter is healthy again. Seventh-round rookie Vernon Scott also earned some praise from LaFleur early on in training camp and could compete for reps in 2020.

Cut: Henry Black


Specialists (3): Mason Crosby, JK Scott, Hunter Bradley

Crosby was made the NFL’s third-highest-paid kicker over the offseason after the veteran kicker delivered his most accurate season to date on field-goal attempts (22 of 24). Nothing suggests that won’t continue in 2020, so long as the 36-year-old takes good care of his body. The same type of consistency will be expected of Scott, whose punting game had highs and lows in 2019, and Bradley.

Cut: None


Reserve/PUP List (1): ILB Curtis Bolton

Bolton hasn’t practiced since tearing his ACL during the 2019 preseason, spending all of this summer’s training camp on the PUP list and now beginning the season with the same designation. While players on the PUP list do not count against the 53-man total for the active roster, they must remain inactive for the first six weeks before a five-week window opens for said player to begin practicing again. A player returning from the PUP list must be activated, waived or added to IR within three weeks of their first practice back with the team.


Reserve/Non-Football Injury List (2): OL Simon Stepaniak, RB Patrick Taylor

Another injury list that doesn’t count against the 53-man roster limit houses two more Packers who were expected NFI designations. Stepaniak, a 2020 sixth-round draft pick, was placed on the list at the beginning of training camp as he continued to rehab a torn ACL he suffered in December during his final season at Indiana. Taylor, too, was injured as a senior at Memphis after a massive 2018 season. Both players could become important to the Packers down the line, but health must come first.

Note: The Packers also retained a number of other injured players on their 53-man roster and could move some of them to different injury lists — including IR — in the coming days, freeing up space for further roster additions.

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