Last week I picked three under-the-radar players that could surprise and become contributors (not so much impact players) to the team in 2025. This week I'm looking at some players who seem to have been forgotten about (including by me) who are entering year three on the Packers' roster.
Brenton Cox Jr. - It's no stretch to say that Cox had a difficult time during his college years. He had an early arrest for marijuana possession in 2019 and months later he was "dismissed" from Georgia's football team. He eventually transferred to Florida and spent three seasons there before getting thrown off that team for throwing a punch at an opponent which just happened to be in a game against Georgia. The Florida coach called it an "accumulation" of incidents over time, so there were other things we don't know about. All of this, of course, killed his draft stock, even though he was looked at as a player with some NFL-worthy skills. The Packers were able to bring him in as an undrafted free agent for a whopping signing bonus of only $3,000.00. Much to everyone's surprise, Cox made the team in 2023, but registered only five snaps on defense over four games. In 2024, he seemed destined for another redshirt season as he was a healthy scratch for the first half of the season before finally seeing action in Week 11 against the Bears. He was active every game for the rest of the season (a total of eight), averaging 24 snaps per game. In 187 snaps over eight games, Cox registered four sacks and 18 total pressures. Extrapolate that to 18 games and it becomes 8.25 sacks and appx. 40 pressures. You could go further and increase his snaps to starter-level numbers and Cox would likely land in the top 4-7 range on NFL sack leaders.
Of course, I'm just playing with numbers here and building what-if scenarios. There's more to the position than just sacks and Cox has to show he can handle all of the responsibilities to earn more snaps on the field. With the Packers seemingly committed to giving Lukas Van Ness every opportunity to justify his first round pick status, plus the presence last year's starter Enagbare and two new draft picks, will Cox get a fair chance? I, for one, am hoping he does.
Zayne Anderson - Remember the "Is Zayne Anderson a real person?" thing fans were having fun with when he first came to the Packers? After two seasons with the Chiefs and a short-lived stint with the Bills, the Packers claimed Anderson off waivers before the 2023 season. He appeared on the roster but for the first few weeks, was just not seen practicing with the team (injuries), leading fans to have some fun with the "is he a real person?" running joke. Anderson has been primarily a special teams player, and a good one. He has 578 special teams snaps under his belt in his four years in the NFL and led the Packers in special teams tackles last season. Conversely, he has a total of 143 defensive snaps in his career, 122 of which came last season as he filled in for injured players in two games.
Much to the surprise of many (including myself) who considered him to be strictly a special team ace, he played very well as a fill-in safety, even picking up his first NFL interception. The Packers brought Anderson back this year on an ERFA tender as a core special-teamer and backup safety. It's comforting you know you have a player that can step in when injuries hit (and they will) and not be overmatched playing the safety position. I think back to when Bisaccia first came to the Packers and he brought some of "his guys" to the team, including Dallin Levitt. Levitt played everywhere on special teams but was an absolute disaster the few times he had to play defense. Anderson does not appear to be in that same boat and for that I am grateful.
Malik Heath - Poor Malik Heath. I firmly believe that if given a real opportunity, Heath could be a useful WR3 in this league. He was a major surprise to make the team in 2023 and repeated that feat last season. But the Packers just keep bringing more WRs in every year and he keeps moving down the depth chart. All he's ever done is whatever was asked of him.
Be ready when someone gets hurt? ✓
Run good routes and find the open spots in zone coverage ✓
Actually catch the ball when it's thrown to him? ✓
Block his ass off downfield? ✓
Win the praise of coaches for his work ethic and attitude? ✓
The Packers WR room currently numbers twelve and looks like this, Romeo Doubs, Jayden Reed, Dontayvion WIcks, Matthew Golden, Savion Williams, Bo Melton, Heath, plus some camp bodies and Christian Watson when he returns. If the Packers keep six WR to start and Heath can beat out Bo Melton, he could defy the odds and make this roster a third time, at least until Watson returns. Personally, while I'm a Bo Melton fan, he can be a bit erratic. I would value Heath's steadiness when called upon unexpectedly as well as his blocking prowess over Melton's speed, especially with the addition of the speedy Golden to the roster. Heath vs. Melton will be a camp battle to watch.