Paul Bretl | 8/26/2025
GREEN BAY, Wis. — Final roster cuts have been made, and the Packers’ initial 53-man roster for the 2025 season is now set.
“Obviously, a lot of decisions to be made,” LaFleur said after the preseason finale, “and this is always kind of a bittersweet time. You gotta say goodbye to a lot of guys that have busted their butts for months and months and years. I definitely appreciate that locker room. I think we’ve got a great group of guys. We’ll be excited for the guys that make it, and certainly, it’s always disappointing for those that don’t.”
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With that said, while the initial roster is now set, there is still work to be done for GM Brian Gutekunst. Along with building out the practice squad over the next 24-plus hours, he’ll also be monitoring the waiver wire for any potential additions.
However, before we look ahead to what might be coming, let’s take our first look at the Packers’ current 53-man roster.
Quarterback (2): Jordan Love, Malik Willis
While there was a competition between Sean Clifford and Taylor Elgersma that took place this summer, the winner was always going to be on the practice squad. Under LaFleur, the Packers have typically rostered two quarterbacks on the 53-man.
Running back (3): Josh Jacobs, Chris Brooks, Emanuel Wilson
Designated to return from IR: MarShawn Lloyd
Amar Johnson flashed, and the coaching staff liked Israel Abanikanda’s abilities as a return man. However, I don’t believe that either truly challenged Wilson for the final roster spot. Being able to impact the passing from the running back position, not only as a pass-catcher but as a blocker, is very important within this offense. I know Wilson had the pass-pro blunder against the Colts, but Ben Sirmans has raved about how far he has come in that phase of the game.
“The thing about it is he was actually really good last year,” Sirmans said of Wilson in pass protection. “He didn’t give up any sacks and he was going against some pretty big linebackers that were pressuring against him. So he struggled his first year, but last year he did really well.”
Sirmans continued, “His pass protection is, to me, not an issue. It used to be but after you watched him last year, he didn’t give up any sacks or pressures last year.”
Wide receiver (6): Romeo Doubs, Jayden Reed, Donayvion Wicks, Matthew Golden, Savion Williams, Malik Heath
PUP: Christian Watson
Heath or Mecole Hardman? That was the question here. I thought that throughout the summer, Heath was the more consistent of the two, although Hardman seemed to have more splash plays. I also don’t know that Hardman seized control of the return role either on special teams, and that was his path to truly differentiating himself.
“This offseason I was just trying to focus on running more crisper routes,” Heath said. “Being more quarterback-friendly, stuff like that. So I can get more playing time and stuff like that. Just working on my route details, basically.”
Tight end (4): Tucker Kraft, Luke Musgrave, John FitzPatrick, Ben Sims
For me, the question here was whether or not the Packers kept three or four tight ends. Had they gone with three, I felt that Sims would have been the odd man out, given how playing time between he and FitzPatrick unfolded this summer. FitzPatrick also made plays more regularly. But keeping Sims is an ideal scenario for the tight end room. He’s blocking-first player but can help in the passing game if needed.
“Our entire tight end group, we’re just such a competitive bunch,” Kraft said. “But that leaps and bounds that I’ve seen Luke make and just trusting his footwork in the run game, running through the catch, strong hands. It’s going to be a great year for our room.”
Offensive line (9): Rasheed Walker, Jordan Morgan, Aaron Banks, Elgton Jenkins, Sean Rhyan, Zach Tom, Anthony Belton, Darian Kinnard, Donovan Jennings
Designated to return from IR: Jacob Monk
PUP: John Williams
Jennings’ play was up and down at times this summer, especially early on. But through each preseason game, his play did improve, and he also brings interior flexibility, playing both guard spots and even taking some center snaps during practices.
“I feel like I can always improve,” Jennings said after the Seattle game, “but I feel like I’m definitely confident in what I put forth this camp. I felt like I showed the coaches what I’m able to do. I still have a lot to go. I still have a lot to learn. Still have a lot of football ahead of me. I can’t wait for hopefully this opportunity to just keep getting better and keep improving.”
Defensive line (11): Rashan Gary, Kenny Clark, Devonte Wyatt, Lukas Van Ness, Kingsley Enagbare, Brenton Cox, Barryn Sorrell, Colby Wooden, Karl Brooks, Warren Brinson, Nazir Stackhouse
PUP: Collin Oliver
For the second year in a row, the Packers go heavy at defensive end. They keep a sixth defensive tackle in Nazir Stackhouse, who brings a different skill set to that position group with his run-stuffing presence. In addition to that, an early sign of the growth he’s already had are the pass rush reps he got on third downs in practice. After being only an early down player at Georgia, the fact that the Packers coaches were putting more on his plate fairly quickly I think spoke volumes about what they saw from him.
Lastly, early on in camp, I was unsure of Wooden’s status with the team. But even with Stackhouse and Brinson flashing, his play remained steady. Wooden has packed on good weight this offseason and is carving out a role on running downs. He was also a regular on the second defensive line rotation with Karl Brooks.
“More sturdier and confident in my abilities to affect the game and play the run,” Wooden said of playing heavier. “I was able to use my hands more. I feel like going into this third year, it’s starting to slow down, starting to make sense. I’m starting to see the big picture and that’s good.”
Linebacker (4): Edgerrin Cooper, Quay Walker, Isaiah McDuffie, Ty’Ron Hopper
If you’re going to go heavy at one position–the defensive line–you have to go light elsewhere. On my roster prediction, I thought that Kristian Welch would make the team, given his ability on special teams, along with him proving that he can play all three linebacker positions and provide a consistent presence. Perhaps the Packers feel confident depth-wise to get through the season with just four linebackers and leverage practice squad call-ups.
However, some roster tweaking could be on the horizon with waiver claims coming for many teams. At such a special teams-heavy position, I’d be surprised if the Packers have just four linebackers come Week 1.
Cornerback (6): Nate Hobbs, Keisean Nixon, Carrington Valentine, Bo Melton, Kamal Hadden, Micah Robinson
This is where the biggest surprise happened, in my opinion. Given the uncertainty around the cornerback depth, nothing should have been considered a certainty, but I did think that Kalen King would be on the team. He brings a physical presence to this position, and while he mostly played in the nickel, he did take some outside reps this summer, and he made some plays on the ball. Robinson missed time early on due to injury and was often working with the threes at outside cornerback while King was with the twos.
And for those wondering, Melton making the team wasn’t in question for very long. He’s a four-phase special teams contributor, the coaches rave about him, and he spent most of summer working with the twos.
Safety (5): Xavier McKinney, Evan Williams, Javon Bullard, Kitan Oladapo, Zayne Anderson
This position played out as expected. The one unknown was if Anderson would be placed on IR and designated to return as he works his way back from a knee injury.
Special teams (3): Brandon McManus, Matt Orzech, Daniel Whelan
Again, no surprises here.