GREEN BAY — Like just about everything else in sports amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Brian Gutekunst’s third end-of-camp roster cutdown as Green Bay Packers general manager will be unlike any other.
With a truncated training camp and zero preseason games to use to evaluate his own guys — not to mention scour other NFL rosters for potential trade acquisitions or waiver-wire claims — Gutekunst, head coach Matt LaFleur and the scouting and coaching staffs will have less information to go on than any time in the modern football era.
“I think you’re running on faith a little bit,” Gutekunst admitted during a Zoom video call with reporters Saturday afternoon, following the team’s 11th practice of training camp. “With the young players, without that foundation of spring to build off of, I think it’s been tough. You don’t have as much proof.”
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Dating back to 1921, when the Packers shut out all four of their preseason opponents — the Chicago Boosters, the Rockford Maroons, the Chicago Cornell-Hamburgs and the Beloit Fairies — by a combined score of 109-0, the team has played at least one preseason game every year before regular-season play began.
Not so this year, as the novel coronavirus outbreak wiped out all on-field work during the offseason program, practices didn’t kick off until Aug. 15, and LaFleur has had to go out of his way to create additional competitive periods for young players to make their case for a roster spot.
“It’s never a good thing (to make cuts), but particularly this year, you weren’t able to give the guys the opportunities in those games to go out and prove some things,” Gutekunst said. “It’s unfortunate, it’s the situation we’re in, but there will be opportunities I think down the road. (But) we’re certainly all working off of less information.”
One adjustment the NFL made for this season was to expand practice squads to 16 players because of COVID-19, meaning despite having to make 27 moves to get down from their current 80 players to 53, more players who are let go will have a chance to return as members of the practice squad than in past years.
Nonetheless, Gutekunst acknowledged that losing preseason games makes things more difficult, even though LaFleur has scheduled another practice inside Lambeau Field for Sunday in what is slated to be a dress rehearsal for the Sept. 13 opener at Minnesota.
“Nothing can replace the preseason games. But this will give us some more competitive periods to evaluate,” Gutekunst said.
Added LaFleur: “I think it’s more or less a few roster spots down at the bottom, but with all our guys, we just want to see consistency. We want to see daily improvement. And that’s what we’re working towards each and every day and that’s why we’re out there on the grass.”
With the NFL’s mandatory cutdown to 53 players on Saturday at 3 p.m. Wisconsin time in mind, here’s a look at where the Packers’ 80-man roster stands with less than a week to go before the final roster reduction:
QUARTERBACK (3)
Locks: Aaron Rodgers, Tim Boyle, Jordan Love.
Last year, the Packers went with only two QBs on the 53-man roster and stashed rookie Manny Wilkins on the practice squad. But with COVID-19 wiping out all on-field offseason work, Love has understandably struggled throughout his first NFL camp. Boyle, meanwhile, has borne a striking resemblance to another No. 8 from two decades ago – the original “Mr. August,” Matt Hasselbeck. Boyle has been terrific day after day after day, and despite Love’s first-round pedigree, Boyle will be the primary backup to the two-time NFL MVP when the season begins.
RUNNING BACK (4 or 5)
Locks: Aaron Jones, AJ Dillon, Tyler Ervin.
Looking good: Jamaal Williams.
On the bubble: John Lovett, Dexter Williams.
Long shots: Damarea Crockett, Patrick Taylor.
While Jones aims for an encore after his breakthrough 2019, Dillon’s role will be interesting. He’s gotten a ton of snaps in camp, but his up-and-down play makes one wonder how expansive his role will be. Jamaal Williams has had a very strong camp, and the only reason he’s not a lock is because of the outside possibility that a running back-needy team might want to trade for him. Ervin not only is the primary returner, he’s also going to have an expanded role on offense. And Lovett, a former Ivy League quarterback, is an intriguing Swiss Army-knife player who could be a useful, versatile piece in LaFleur’s offense.
RECEIVER (5, 6 or 7)
Locks: Davante Adams, Allen Lazard.
Looking good: Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Equanimeous St. Brown, Jake Kumerow.
On the bubble: Darrius Shepherd, Malik Turner, Malik Taylor, Reggie Begelton.
In past years, the discussion here has been about how deep the depth chart might go. Now, with LaFleur’s tight end-loving scheme, it may be noteworthy for how shallow it is. Perhaps only five will stick, with others heading to the expanded practice squad. Like last year, Shepherd has had a good camp. Begelton is an interesting prospect with real potential but needed a real offseason program after crossing the border from Canada.
TIGHT END (4 or 5)
Locks: Marcedes Lewis, Robert Tonyan, Jace Sternberger, Josiah Deguara.
On the bubble: Evan Baylis.
Lewis, at age 35, looks spry in his third year in Green Bay and is more than just a veteran leader. Tonyan, healthy after last season was derailed by a hip/core muscle injury, may finally have that breakthrough season the Packers have hoped for. Sternberger got a late start in camp after landing on the COVID-19 reserve list. Deguara has gotten a ton of snaps and the rookie third-round pick appears in line for a meaningful role.
OFFENSIVE LINE (8 or 9)
Locks: David Bakhtiari, Elgton Jenkins, Corey Linsley.
Looking good: Lane Taylor, Billy Turner, Rick Wagner, Alex Light, Lucas Patrick, Jon Runyan.
On the bubble: Jake Hanson, Yosh Nijman, John Leglue.
Longshots: Simon Stepaniak, Zack Johnson, Cody Conway.
LaFleur said the three-way battle among Taylor, Turner and Wagner on the right side could continue all the way to opening day. Given Turner and Wagner’s salaries, they’ll virtual locks, but Taylor has had the best camp of the three and probably should be the starter at right guard. Runyan has turned heads at left guard with the second unit, while Stepaniak is still recovering from an ACL tear at Indiana. At swing tackle, Gutekunst appears committed to Light, but he might want to circle back with unsigned veteran Jared Veldheer, whose two-emoji Tweet indicated he’s waiting by the phone for a call.
DEFENSIVE LINE (5)
Locks: Kenny Clark, Dean Lowry, Kingsley Keke.
Looking good: Tyler Lancaster, Montravius Adams.
Long shots: Willington Previlon, Treyvon Hester.
Keke, a fifth-round pick a year ago, has answered defensive line coach Jerry Montgomery’s put-up-or-shut-up challenge and had a strong camp. Adams, sidelined by a toe injury, was having a quiet camp even before that. If anyone is in put-up mode, it’s the 2017 third-round pick, who’s in the last year of his deal.
OUTSIDE LINEBACKER (4 or 5)
Locks: Za’Darius Smith, Preston Smith, Rashan Gary.
On the bubble: Tim Williams, Randy Ramsey, Jonathan Garvin.
Longshots: Tipa Galea’i, Greg Roberts.
Gary’s strong camp has the coaches excited about what they can do with the Smith Bros. and Gary all on the field together, which defensive coordinator Mike Pettine started talking about back in May. Williams seems to be the No. 4 man, but Ramsey has flashed and Garvin, a rookie seventh-round pick, is a very interesting project. Roberts remains on the physically unable to perform list and may start the year there.
INSIDE LINEBACKER (3 or 4)
Locks: Christian Kirksey, Kamal Martin.
Looking good: Oren Burks, Ty Summers.
On the bubble: Krys Barnes, Curtis Bolton, Delonte Scott.
Burks, a third-round pick in 2018, worked tirelessly to get back after preseason injuries derailed his first two NFL seasons, but he appears to have been outplayed by Martin, a rookie fifth-round pick from Minnesota. Summers is a special teams staple. Bolton likely will start on PUP as he comes back from a torn ACL that ended an impressive rookie camp last summer.
CORNERBACK (6)
Locks: Jaire Alexander, Kevin King, Chandon Sullivan.
Looking good: Josh Jackson, Ka’dar Hollman.
On the bubble: Kabion Ento, Stanford Samuels, DaShaun Amos, Will Sunderland.
Gutekunst has opted to give youth a chance instead of bringing back wily veteran Tramon Williams, who remains unsigned. Jackson has had some good moments but also some struggles, but as a 2018 second-round pick, this is a crucial year and he knows it. Hollman spent most of his rookie season on special teams. Samuels has flashed several times in practice and is an interesting prospect, as is the ex-wide receiver Ento, who also turned heads last summer.
SAFETY (4 or 5)
Locks: Adrian Amos, Darnell Savage, Raven Greene.
On the bubble: Vernon Scott, Will Redmond.
Longshot: Henry Black.
Redmond is a key special teamer and is likely to stick. Scott, a rookie seventh-round pick, probably would have benefitted from preseason action, where he might’ve been a gamer who raised his stock. Instead, he seems like a practices-squad option.
SPECIALISTS (3)
Locks: Mason Crosby, JK Scott, Hunter Bradley.
Crosby had a shaky day inside the Don Hutson Center on Friday but has been dialed in throughout camp. Scott’s challenge will be to carry early-season success into the second half of the year — something he’s failed to do the past two seasons. Bradley has had very few off-target snaps this summer.