Quarterback
- Aaron Rodgers
- Matt Flynn
- Brian Brohm
Well it isn’t much of a surprise who I think will make the final roster since there was only 3 quarterbacks on the roster to begin with. I think Aaron Rodgers is in for a pretty big season this year as long as his offensive line can give him some time in the pocket. With all the threats Rodgers has on offense I think he will almost match Favre’s numbers from last season. As far as the backup spot is concerned I think Flynn won the job with last night’s performance. Flynn has actually surprised me quite a bit this preseason. Brohm will spend the season as the second backup but I wouldn’t start worrying about him yet. I think with a year to adjust to the NFL he could have a pretty good year next year. Someone by the name of Aaron Rodgers had just as many struggles his first season and he appears to be fine now.
Running Back
- Ryan Grant
- Brandon Jackson
- Noah Herron
- Kregg Lumpkin
Cut/Traded
Vernand Morency
Before the season began you could tell that Grant and Jackson would make the roster. Grant really needs to get back into NFL shape and quick so he is ready for the opener. As I have said several times already I think Jackson will have a very good year as the backup. After Jackson the decisions became a little harder. Kregg Lumpkin came out of nowhere and showed that he could become a very good running back in this league. After last night’s performance I think the Packers would have to be really stupid to cut him since there is no way he makes the practice squad. As far as the final running back spot is concerned I think the Packers will pick Herron since Lumpkin needs some more time to develop and Herron has played better in the preseason than Morency has. While Morency still has a shot at making the roster I think he will either be traded or cut by Friday.
Fullback
- Korey Hall
- John Kuhn
Cut/Traded
Corey White
There really wasn’t much competition at this position so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that Korey Hall and John Kuhn will make the roster. At this point neither are elite fullbacks but they are both pretty good blockers and you can’t not love the two fullback set. The only way I don’t see these two making the roster is if the Packers decide to keep just one fullback and if that is the case John Kuhn will be cut. I doubt this will happen but Lumpkin is starting to get some work at fullback so it is a possibility. As far as Corey White being cut it really isn’t a surprise in my opinion. He just hasn’t shown anything to make him worthy of making the roster.
Wide Receiver
- Donald Driver
- Greg Jennings
- James Jones
- Ruvell Martin
- Jordy Nelson
Cut/Traded
- Johnny Quinn
- Taj Smith
- Jake Allen
- Brett Swain
The receiver position was pretty much decided before training camp began. It was pretty obvious that Driver, Jennings, Jones and Nelson would make the roster. There was also a slim chance that Martin would be cut but with his performance he surpassed Jordy Nelson in my opinion. I don’t know if it is just me but I would like to see anyone try to make a claim that they have a better receiver corp than the Packers. You just can’t beat the Packers depth. Since the top five were already decided none of the other receivers had a chance of making the final roster. The Packers aren’t going to keep six receivers especially since none of the receivers have shown enough to keep another one. The thing is that Quinn, Smith, Allen, and Swain have all made some plays and have all shown potential. I wouldn’t mind any of them making the practice squad but I bet a couple of them will actually make an NFL roster based on their potential.
Tight End
- Donald Lee
- Jermichael Finley
- Joey Haynos
Cut/Traded
Donald Lee was obviously going to make the roster since he is a very good starting tight end in my opinion. I think his numbers will take a hit this season though since we just have way too many weapons on offense. Jermichael Finley is also going to automatically make the roster based on his draft position and his potential. While some people think he will only make the roster based on his draft position I think he has actually shown quite a bit. He is obviously not worthy of being a starter yet but I think he could be a weapon for the passing game since he has very good hands for a tight end. My last tight end prediction will probably surprise some people. I think Tory Humphrey’s time with the team is over. Humphrey just couldn’t stay healthy or play consistently. I think Haynos gives the Packers much more potential at the position. Haynos has pretty good hands, is a pretty good blocker, and you can’t beat his size (6′8″). Even though I have Haynos making the roster I can also see a trade or free agent pickup filling the third tight end position.
Offensive Line
- Mark Tauscher
- Chad Clifton
- Scott Wells
- Jason Spitz
- Josh Sitton (slim chance of being put on the PUP list if his injury is worst than expected)
- Daryn Colledge
- Allen Barbre
- Tony Moll
Cut/IR
- Junius Coston
- Orrin Thompson
- Breno Giacomini
- Ryan Keenan
- Brennan Carvalho
I am far from an offensive line expert but I really can’t see the top seven offensive line being cut or traded. They are either already established or have too much potential to cut at this point. There are rumors swirling about trading Daryn Colledge but I don’t put too much stock in them since the Packers probably wouldn’t get much in a trade so it isn’t worth trading a good backup and a player with potential. As far as the rest of the offensive line I think Tony Moll will most likely make the roster due to his improved play the last two weeks and his versatility (he almost knows every position on the offensive line). At this point Junius Coston will either be cut with an injury settlement or be placed on the IR. Orrin Thompson and Breno Giacomini both blew their shot at the team last night. Giacomini definently has a shot at the practice squad though and Thompson will as well if he is not to old to be on the practice squad. Ryan Keena and Brennan Carvalho have a slim shot for the practice squad and that is it.
Defensive End
- Aaron Kampman
- Cullen Jenkins
- KGB
- Jeremy Thompson
- Michael Montgomery
Cut/Traded
Obviousl the top 4 on the list will make the roster. You obviously don’t cut starters, KGB is too valuable of a pass rusher, and Jeremy Thompson has too much potential. I really wish we could put Thompson in a developmental league (maybe if I keep brining it up it will happen) though since he isn’t quite ready for the NFL in my opinion. There is an interesting dilema in my opinion though. Michael Montgomery and Jason Hunter are in a fight for the last spot. I think Montgomery will end up winning the job since he has the ability to play defensive tackle as well. I think Jason Hunter could still have a chance to make the roster. If KGB can’t recover quickly I think he could possibly be put on the PUP list and Hunter could at least stay on the roster until KGB heals.
Defensive Tackle
- Ryan Pickett
- Johnny Jolly
- Colin Cole
- Daniel Muir
Cut/Traded
- Conrad Bolston
- Alfred Malone
- Rodney Allen
At this point I only see four defensive tackles making the roster. While we might only have four full time defensive tackles we actually have 6 if you include Jenkins and Montgomery who have both showed that they can play defensive tackle. I could see the Packers keeping five defensive tackles but the fifth would be a player not currently on the roster. I think Thompson will definently look into trading one of our many linebackers for a defensive tackle (hopefully similar to the Grant trade last season).
Linebacker
- Nick Barnett
- AJ Hawk
- Brady Poppinga
- Brandon Chillar
- Desmond Bishop
- Abdul Hodge
- Tracy White
Cut/Traded
- Danny Lansanah
- Spencer Havner
While I think it is a lot to keep seven linebackers at this point we really can’t cut any of them. They have all shown way too much to just lose them for nothing in exchange. At this point I don’t see any of the top seven being cut except possibly White. White could either be replaced by Havner (also a good special teamer) or the Packers could decide they already have enough special teamers. At this point I think one of the backup linebackers will end up being traded. One last thing to ponder is that there is a possibility that Chillar could be cut or traded. I won’t put high odds on it happening but I think it is possible. As far as the backup are concerned I hop Lansanah and Havner could somehow make the practice squad since I think both of them have a lot of potential.
Cornerback
- Charles Woodson
- Al Harris
- Tramon Williams
- Will Blackmon
- Pat Lee
Cut/Traded
- Joe Porter
- Scorpio Babers
The five cornerbacks I have making the roster can’t lose their jobs in my opinion. Obviously Woodson and Harris will keep the starting jobs. Williams has shown that he is a good #3 CB. Will Blackmon has shown potential at CB and is a great punt and kick returner. Pat Lee was drafted in the second round and has shown a lot of potential. I actually kind of wish that we could keep Joe Porter but we just don’t have room on the roster. He has shown great speed and even made some good plays last night. Hopefully we can sneak him on practice squad. Scorpio Babers has shown absolutely nothing since joining the Packers roster partway through training camp.
Safety
- Atari Bigby
- Nick Collins
- Aaron Rouse
- Jarrett Bush
IR
Cut/Traded
I know I probably surprised some people with my safety picks. Obviously Bigby, Collins, and Rouse will make the roster. Bigby and Collins will start even though I think Rouse should. The fourth safety spot is a little more complicated. Charlie Peprah would have got the spot but I think he will be put on IR since he hasn’t practiced since the first week of training camp. Tyrone Culver has shown some things but I think the packers are really going to try Bush at safety. Bush wins out in my opinion since he can also play cornerback.
Kicker
- Mason Crosby
Mason Crosby is one of the best kickers in the league in my opinion so there is obviously no way he is going to lose the job. He has almost been perfect all of training camp. I think he might make the pro bowl this season.
Punter
- Jon Ryan
Jon Ryan has actually played pretty well this preseason. He really needs to improve his consistency and his cold weather kicking though.
Long Snapper
- JJ Jansen
This all depends on Jansen’s injury. If he will miss time I think he will be put on IR. If that happens the Packers will either pick up another long snapper or they could possibly use Joey Haynos or Johnny Jolly since they actually both have long snapping experience. If one of them can actually snap I would actually like to use them since it saves a roster spot.
Final Thoughts
While this is my final roster prediction I could see several things yet happening with the roster. First I think at least one of our current players will be traded to another team for draft picks or a player. Possible players include Vernand Morency, Noah Herron, Tracy White, Desmond Bishop, Abdul Hodge, Tyrone Culver (very low possibility), Joe Porter, Danny Lansanah, Spencer Havner, and Jason Hunter. Most of these players probably won’t bring much but something is better than nothing if the player was going to be cut anyway. Second I think there will be at least one to two additions to our roster that are currently on the roster. Likely positions include long snapper, defensive tackle, cornerback, safety, offensive line, or tight end.
Simply put the quarterback position has changed a lot since last season. Obviously Brett Favre retired so that is a huge change itself. Aaron Rodgers will finally be able to get off the bench and truly show what he has. This will also be a change for me since I pretty much grew up with Brett as the quarterback so this will be the first season where I will see a different quarterback running the team (I guess I was alive for some of Magic Man’s time with the Packers but I obviously don’t remember any of it since I was four when Brett took over the reins). While a lot of Packerland is in a panic worrying that the Packers will stink now that Brett has retired, I am actually quite optimistic. Why you may ask? I am optimistic since in my opinion Rodgers is more suited for our current offense. You could tell that Thompson built this team so it would be ready to succeed even after Brett retired. The offense system we run also plays into Rodger’s strengths. The offense is full of short passes which is good since Rodgers’ strength is his accuracy.
After Rodgers’ we have two newcomers to the team. We have Brian Brohm and Matt Flynn. We have a lot of potential in our backups but we have no experience what-so-ever. If Rodgers gets hurt I believe the Packers will be in some trouble. Brohm hasn’t looked bad in practice (a little inconsistent though) but rookies barely ever start at the QB position and are actually successful. I hope that Brohm can stay on the bench the entire season so he can get used to the pro game. From early camp reports you can tell that Brohm is really bright and is picking up the playbook very quickly. Brohm does need to work on his accuracy and arm strength though.
Matt Flynn on the other hand is a huge project. When I went to mini camp I could tell Flynn had potential but he needs a lot of work to reach that potential. Flynn improved from the first mini camp practice to the second but you can tell he needs work on pretty much every aspect of his game. To put it kindly, if Flynn has to play this season the Packers’ season is over. He is just not developed enough to be anything more than a third stringer.
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