Player Snaps % STs
Barrett 36 61 6/18
Dalton Cooper 36 61 6/18
Wade 36 61 6/18
Gesky 36 61 6/18
Brant Banks 26 44 6/18
Glover 23 39 6/18
John Williams 23 39 6/18
Burton 23 39
Donovan Jennings 23 39
Kinnard 18 31
Belton 15 25
9/10 OL: No one really helped themselves last night. McCord had 2.39 seconds on average to throw, which is .3 seconds below the NFL average. Part of that is due to the type of throws the Packers called, especially early. [Per Matt LaFleur, Jordan Love called the plays in the second half!!]
I expect the Packers will keep 10 OL, even thought that is more than really merit a spot. Sometimes teams keep more players when the personnel stinks and it is hard to decide which of the poorly performing guys might come around with time and coaching. Kinnard and Glover playing much worse then they did last year. Do the Packers know something that leads them to believe one or both of them might improve? Suffice to say that Morgan, Banks, Rhyan, Monk, ZBB, Burton, John Williams and Belton are locks. I thought Kinnard and Glover failed to help themselves last night. On merit, the 9th probably ought to be Donovan Jennings. The Packers keep another one initially.
I am not sure how the Packers can use an inside zone blocking scheme if the guards are Monk (who cannot move a defender) and Jennings, Burton, or Williams at the other guard spot. Lloyd might handle an outside zone blocking attack better than Jacobs. Banks when he is healthy and "right" he can move opponents but he cannot reach his landmarks on reach blocks and that is all that Monk can do. Think about spending some dough on Zeitler.
Player Snaps % STs
McCord 59 100
2/3 QBs: McCord certainly really helped himself. The Packers will decide to keep Love and Tyrod Taylor. I think Tyrod Taylor has slipped. The Packers have paid him $700K already. I would probably keep McCord.
Player Snaps % STs
Sturdivant 39 64 8/24
Sheppard 38 63 9/27
Neyor 38 63 8/24
Prather 19 32 12/35
K Johnson 19 32 0/0
Hilton 11 19 7/21
Melton 3 5 2/6
6 WRs: Watson, Reed, and Golden are locks. Melton is highly likely and I am fine with him. Melton can play on offense and is a main member of STs. A team can have one guy who really is only good at STs but not three of them. I would place Savion Williams on the IR or even the waived/injured list. I don't think Moore adds enough to the team to keep him, but I would not hate it if they kept him. Sturdivant, Sheppard and Kisean Johnson really helped himself. I would keep Sturdivant. Neyor and Sheppard to the PS. The Packers are going to annoy me by keep the obvious 3 and Melton, Moore and Savion. Arggh!
Player Snaps % STs
Castles 26 44 22/65
Swinson 25 42 2/6
Dabney 21 36 17/50
2 TEs: Chuck all of the above. Keep Kraft, and I suppose Whyle. Wait until Tuesday to sign Jonnu Smith. 2 TEs only! None of the tight ends helped themselves. Look for a blocking TE, a "Y" type that some other team cuts. I note that the transactions page of packers dot com lists the signing of Smith and the release of Tra Fluellen, but Fluellen played 39 snaps last night. I don't think those moves are official yet.
Player Snaps % STs
Jaden Nixon 33 56 14/41
Martinez 15 25 10/29
Strong 11 19 2/6
3 running backs make the team: Lloyd, Jacobs and Chris Brooks. Pierre Strong is a priority signing for the PS if he makes it through waivers.
Player Snaps % STs
Crumedy 46 54 6/18
Stackhouse 43 51
Campbell 42 49 6/18
McClellan 32 38
Ford 29 34
6 IDL: Hargrave, Wyatt, McClellan are locks. Brooks is a lock but I hope Bryan Gutekunst engineers a trade for him. Brinson might go on IR-DR. Ford got double-teamed a lot last night. He is the only true nose tackle, so the Packers should keep him. I would like to keep Campbell. I think the Packers generate a roster spot between IR for Brinson or trading Brooks and that allows them to keep Campbell. So, 6 make the 53 and one player gets traded or moved to IR. Crumedy had 2 tackles (1 solo) including a QB hit and 2 passes defended. He has shown some juice but too many of his good snaps came against scrubs, and he got moved too easily early in the game. Still, he is easily has made the PS. Stackhouse did not shine. I would probably sign him to the practice squad.
Players Snaps % STs
Quinn 69 81 26/76
Welch 58 68 13/38
Niemann 26 31 6/18
Hopper 11 13
5 LBs: Cooper, Franklin, McDuffie and Hopper are the clear top 4. Niemann makes 5 as the ST ace. No one really pushed for a spot. Welch to the PS.
Player Snaps % STs
Kelly 58 68 14/41
Mosby 46 54
DDS 38 45 5/15
Arden Walker 28 33 28/50
5 Edge: Dani Dennis-Sutton was a man among boys. That is the way a quality player should look in a preseason game. Parsons stays on the PUP. Van Ness and Sorrell are the starters, with Cox and DDS rotating in. Those 4 are locks. Collin Oliver might go on IR. I don't think Oliver has a position in the NFL. Kelly had 6 tackles (5 solo), 1 sack, 3 tackles for loss, 1 pass defensed, and 2 QB hits. I would keep Kelly as the 5th Edge over Oliver but the Packers won't. I always pull for Mosby but I think he goes to the PS again.
Player Snaps % STs
Simpson 83 98 6/18
Devonshire 46 54 9/26
Hadden 37 44 3/12
Domani Jackson 34 40 9/26
Bartholomew 24 28 23/68
Kenion 56 66 20/59
Olapado 42 49 7/21
Perry 39 46 11/32
Fluellen 39 46 5/15
Dean 9 11 6/18
9/10 DBS (5 CBs and 5 Safeties): None of the CBs helped themselves. Jackson really hurt his chances. Nixon, Valentine, Cisse, Hadden and St. Juste are locks. The safeties are McKinney, Evan Williams, Bullard, and probably Olapado, who looks bad at slot corner and better deep. Perry really helped himself in game 2 but hurt himself last night. Not sure who should make the team so I will go with the draft pick, Olapado.
I expect Whelan, Smack and Adomitis to make the 53. I left a roster spots. Perhaps just a Y tight end from some other team. Perhaps a spot for Josh Sweat (the sexy move) or Kevin Zeitler, the less sexy but I think better acquisition if he still has gas in the tank.
Per Ken Ingalls, Luke Lachey received an injury settlement of 8 weeks, while RJ Maryland got 1 week. A rookie like Lachey should be on a split contract. OTC lists $228,889 as dead money for Lachey. Maryland likely got around $28K for his settlement. Jonathan Baldwin and Marlon Jones did not reach injury settlements and OTC lists those two players as lowering cap space by $1.03M ($515K each). That is why I put a piggy bank ($6.5M) into my cap calculation, to pay for IR, PUP and in-season acquisitions.
It seems likely that Parsons, Musgrave, Jordan Riley and will remain on the PUP, so 3 players who would not make the 53-man roster will do that and cost salary cap space, plus the Packers might put a player or three on IR. I am wondering if the Packers will wait to actually sign Jonnu Smith until after cutdowns on Sunday to save a roster space. Teams get 2 IR - Designated for Return slots which means those players can be placed on IR today but can return to the team after 4 games. After those first two slots, players placed on IR cannot return to the team in 2026 unless they first make the 53. That is, they have to survive cutdowns and then on Monday they can be moved to Injured Reserve and can return to the team after 4 games. Media members are speculating that Brinson, Colin Oliver, and Savion Williams are all candidates for IR, but one of those 3 has to make the team in order to return later.
Ken has the Packers with about $12.89M in cap space that is available to spend. I am close to that figure. That is enough to extend Kraft and buy a player, perhaps Josh Sweat (due to earn $10.78M in cash from an acquiring team) or a guard like Kevin Zeitler. It will eat the rollover of cap space into 2027, which the team will need.
Photo courtesy of Barry Reeger, Reuters US Sports Picture Service
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