Cutdown day arrives: How the Packers can use the waiver to shore up their roster
The conversation on cutdown day typically focuses on retaining players already with the Packers, not the much larger wave of talent from other teams about to hit the transaction wire.
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Every season, the NFL's deadline to reduce rosters to their regular-season limit spurs some version of a familiar discourse: Which players on the bubble can the Green Bay Packers — or any team for that matter — risk exposing to other clubs in order to place on the practice squad and which ones should receive safe passage to the 53-man roster instead?
The impending arrival of this year's cutdown day has proven to be no exception, with even former Packers signal-caller Don Majkowski voicing his concerns about a favored player on the bubble: third-string quarterback Kurt Benkert.
Certainly, the construction of the backend of the roster matters. With attrition the only certainty in an NFL season, the teams unable to account for personnel losses face steep odds of making a title run. When the Packers last won the Super Bowl, they did so despite 16 players landing on injured reserve during the course of the year. That list included three preferred starters on offense (Jermichael Finley, Ryan Grant, and Mark Tauscher) and another three on defense (Nick Barnett, Brad Jones, and Morgan Burnett). No other NFL club has ever lost as many players to IR and gone on to win the championship.
And not all back-of-the-roster players remain there for the duration of their careers, a notion the Packers know well. The franchise owes its last Lombardi Trophy in large part to late-round picks like Scott Wells and Charlie Peprah as well as former undrafted free agents such as Cullen Jenkins, Sam Shields, and Tramon Williams. Perhaps the Packers would not have emerged victorious in Super Bowl XLV if not for Howard Green, a 2002 sixth-round selection, forcibly redirecting a pass from Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger into the waiting arms of safety Nick Collins.
But the conversation about final cuts and practice-squad targets typically focuses on retaining players, not the much larger wave of talent from other teams about to hit the transaction wire. Even the most talent-impoverished clubs will cut guys they like, and the best front offices will scour through the hundreds of suddenly available players to find value and plug holes on the roster where possible.
And despite a roster headlined by superstar talent on both sides of the ball, the Packers certainly have voids to fill.
Cornerback
The cornerback position remains perilously thin behind Jaire Alexander, with the oft-injured Kevin King only recently removed from the non-football injury list, rookie Eric Stokes working through growing pains, and Chandon Sullivan better suited to a reserve role. Fifth-round pick Shemar Jean-Charles will probably make the 53-man roster on potential, but the flashes he produced during practice have yet to translate to the games. The Packers have also given extended looks to projects (Kabion Ento) and rummaged through free agency (Stephen Denmark) and the trade market (Isaac Yiadom) this summer with little to show for their efforts.
The Packers can't realistically expect to uncover a high-level starter in the aftermath of cutdown day, but they might find a useful special teamer with developmental upside. Some viable options have already received their walking papers. Holton Hill, a former Minnesota Vikings corner who signed with the Indianapolis Colts this offseason, fits the athletic profile Green Bay favors for the position, has experience on nearly every special-teams unit, and held up well in coverage this preseason. Given the Packers' ongoing struggles on coverage and return units, Hill and players of his ilk could make an immediate impact.
Edge rusher
While the depth at corner could become a season-long concern for the Packers, they face a more urgent concern at outside linebacker. Za'Darius Smith, the team's lead pass rusher since his arrival in 2019, has spent the majority of training camp and all of the preseason sidelined with a back issue. Head coach Matt LaFleur revealed last week that Smith could miss the start of the season, leaving Preston Smith and Rashan Gary as the only established edge rushers available. If Za'Darius Smith cannot suit up for Week 1, an unproven player like Jonathan Garvin, Chauncey Rivers, or Tipa Galeai — none a lock to make the opening roster — would expect to see meaningful snaps against the New Orleans Saints.
With that need in mind, the Packers should keep a close eye on the teams that run defenses similar to the one new defensive coordinator, Joe Barry, installed this year in Green Bay. One such club, the Denver Broncos, has a surplus of outside linebackers well versed in the scheme, and not all can fit on the 53-man roster. Both Derrek Tuszka and Andre Mintze could miss the final cut on Tuesday, and each possesses the size and athleticism the Packers typically target at the position. Tuszka also has regular-season experience on special teams.
Specialists
At this stage, it appears the Packers will keep punter JK Scott and long-snapper Hunter Bradley through final cuts despite the tandem's struggles during training camp and the preseason. However, a single botched play could push general manager Brian Gutekunst to make a change. If the right players become available this week, he might not care to wait.
Currently, the Rams face a very different but still difficult decision at punter. Johnny Hekker, a four-time All-Pro, could become a cap casualty after the younger and cheaper Corey Bojorquez made a compelling case to take his job this preseason. Should that occur, Hekker's status as a vested veteran would allow him to bypass waivers and choose his next destination. That could benefit the Packers if Hekker feels open to the idea of punting in the famously difficult crosswinds of Lambeau Field. However, the veteran might prefer a controlled environment like the Dallas Cowboys' AT&T Stadium where his former special-teams coordinator, John Fassel, now works.
As for long-snapper, replacement candidates for Bradley have already hit the market. Kameron Canaday, who snapped for the Steelers the past four seasons, lost a competition with Christian Kuntz. Another veteran long-snapper, Cole Mazza, became available when the Los Angeles Chargers waived him Monday with an injury designation. Mazza will revert to the Chargers' IR if he goes unclaimed, but he will likely receive an injury settlement and become available at some point later in the year.