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2023 Packers Initial Practice Squad Prediction

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Packers Benny Sapp III

The Green Bay Packers wrapped up their training camp and preseason with a 19-15 victory over the Seattle Seahawks on Saturday. Next up, cut down day.

The roster cutdown deadline is 3 P.M. EDT on Tuesday when the Packers will need to have no more than 53 men on their 2023 active roster. If you haven’t seen it yet, you can read my 53-man roster prediction here.

Along with the 53-man roster, the Packers will be eligible to retain 16 players on their practice squad (17 if they choose to keep ED Kenneth Odumegwu who is part of the International Player Pathway program). I wanted to review the remainder of the Packers roster from my 53-man prediction to forecast who we may expect to return to the Packers Practice Squad.

** UPDATE: Following the 53-man roster announcement, I updated my Practice Squad Predictions accordingly. **

Packers Practice Squad Hopefuls

Offense

Quarterbacks

It is a near certainty that the Packers will keep a Practice Squad quarterback. I could see them potentially opting to bring in a younger arm after other teams make their cutdowns, but Alex McGough (27) has the potential to stick in the Packers camp.

  • QB Alex McGough (Practice Squad)

Running Backs

Last season, HC Matt LaFleur called up Patrick Taylor from the Practice Squad for several games. I expect that to be a continued practice for the Packers, despite predicting they will keep a 3rd Running Back on the roster. They could also choose to place RB Lew Nichols on the Injured Reserve (IR) list instead of the Practice Squad which would basically Red Shirt the rookie runner. UPDATE: Lew Nichols and Tyler Goodson appear to be pending injury settlements.

  • RB Lew Nichols (Practice Squad)
  • RB Patrick Taylor (Practice Squad)
  • RB Tyler Goodson (Practice Squad)
  • RB Nate McCrary

Wide Receivers

The Packers had a lot of talented youth in camp at the Wide Receiver position. The team usually keeps two or three on the Practice Squad, so expect that to remain the case. 7th round pick WR Grant DuBose will be a priority signing for the Packers. UPDATE: Openings to the Practice Squad allowed me to keep Jadakis Bonds on the Practice Squad as well.

  • WR Grant DuBose (Practice Squad)
  • WR Bo Melton (Practice Squad)
  • WR Jadakis Bonds (Practice Squad)
  • WR Cody Chrest
  • WR Duece Watts (Practice Squad)
  • WR/TE Dre Miller

Tight Ends / H-Backs

The Packers didn’t go through camp with a lot of depth at Tight End and H-Back. With Tyler Davis already on IR, that simply leaves FB Henry Pearson. I do think they want to keep him around to continue to develop and be an insurance policy at H-Back in the event something happens to TE/FB Josiah Deguara. UPDATE: With TE Austin Allen not making the 53-man roster per my prediction, I expect he will be back on the Practice Squad.

  • TE Tyler Davis (IR)
  • TE Austin Allen (Practice Squad)
  • FB Henry Pearson (Practice Squad)

O-Line

The Packers are one of the best organizations when it comes to developing Offensive Line talent. There are a few developmental guys that I think Green Bay will keep around. UPDATE: The Packers kept OG Royce Newman and OT Luke Tenuta on the 53-man roster, though it is expected that Tenuta will be placed on short-term IR on Wednesday.

  • OT Kadeem Telfort
  • C Cole Schneider (Practice Squad)
  • C James Empey
  • OG Royce Newman (On 53-man Roster)
  • OT Luke Tenuta (On 53-man Roster)
  • OT Jean Delance

Defense

D-Line

The active Defensive Line lacks some depth that holds up at the point of attack at Nose Tackle. DL Jonathan Ford can be that guy. I won’t be surprised if he is on the Practice Squad and gets called up when the weekly matchup dictates.

  • DL Jonathan Ford (On 53-man Roster)
  • DL Jason Lewan
  • DL Chris Slayton
  • DL Antonio Moultrie

Edge Rushers

By keeping so many Edge Rushers on the active roster, that doesn’t leave much for the Practice Squad. It feels like a no-brainer to keep ED Kenneth Odumegwu as a developmental prospect through the season.

  • ED Kenneth Odumegwu (Practice Squad)

Linebackers

A few Packers Linebackers started making a name for themselves this preseason, including LB Jimmy Phillips Jr. and LB Keshawn Banks. Their performances earned their spot on the Practice Squad and an opportunity to compete for the roster next training camp. UPDATE: In just one week with the Packers and limited playing snaps, I think Marvin Pierre may have shown enough to grab the final Practice Squad Spot.

  • LB Jimmy Phillips Jr. (Practice Squad)
  • LB Keshawn Banks (Practice Squad)
  • LB Marvin Pierre (Practice Squad)
  • LB Arron Mosby

Cornerbacks

The Packers usually keep one or two Cornerbacks on their Practice Squad. This year I think CB William Hooper and CB Kiondre Thomas will be those two. The Undrafted Free Agent Hooper performed well in coverage during his preseason action. UPDATE: With a few openings and the release of Innis Gaines, I chose to add Corey Ballentine to the Practice Squad.

  • CB Corey Ballentine (Practice Squad)
  • CB William Hooper (Practice Squad)
  • CB Shemar Jean-Charles
  • CB Kiondre Thomas (Practice Squad)
  • CB Tyrell Ford
  • CB Elijah Hamilton
  • CB/S Innis Gaines

Safeties

S Benny Sapp III finished the Preseason on a high note, forcing a turnover to clinch the victory over the Seahawks. As a young playmaker, I think Green Bay will keep him on for development and next year’s camp.

  • S Benny Sapp III (Practice Squad)
  • S Jonathan Owens

Special Teams

While last year K Ramiz Ahmed stuck on the Practice Squad, I don’t think that will be the case this year. I don’t expect the Packers to keep any specialists in holding. UPDATE: In a happy surprise, the Packers went young at Punter, so Pat O’Donnell was released. Similarly, they also did not keep a LS on the initial 53-man roster, but LS Matt Orzech will be re-signed on Wednesday following the likely Tenuta IR transaction.

  • P Daniel Whelan (On 53-man Roster)
  • P Pat O’Donnell
  • LS Matt Orzech
  • LS Broughton Hatcher

Packers Practice Squad Breakdown

Below is a breakdown of numbers kept on the Packers 2023 Practice Squad by position:

Offense

  • QB (1)
  • RB (3)
  • WR (3)
  • TE/H (1)
  • OL (2)

Defense

  • DL (1)
  • ED (1)
  • LB (2)
  • CB (2)
  • S (1)

Special Teams

  • K (0)
  • P (0)
  • LS (0)

To see the 53-man roster prediction, read the article here.