With two preseason games in the books and only one remaining, it’s crunch time for the Packers on the roster bubble to make one last push. In addition to the final preseason game, the Packers have two public practices remaining, one of those being a joint practice with the Seattle Seahawks. There are a number of players in heated positional battles for one of the final spots on the roster. For many, the number of opportunities remaining is dwindling to show the Packers front office why they deserve to be on the team.
This article examines four key positional battles still going on to round out the bottom of the roster. Roster battles like Jordan Morgan vs. Rasheed Walker for the starting left tackle position were not included because both players are locks to make the team. Instead, the focus is on players who are at risk of not even being on the team. For analysis on the rest of the roster battles, check out Aaron Nagler and Justis Mosqueda’s conversation from Sunday afternoon.
There are only nine days before the Packers have to cut the active roster from 90 to 53 players. Some are competing to make the roster for the first time; others are veterans trying to hold off younger players. Some players are trending in the right direction, while others have put themselves in a tough spot. It’s hard to predict exactly what Brian Gutekunst and the Packers front office might do, but either way, it’s time for all of these players to make one last push for a spot on the roster.
Kamal Hadden, Kalen King, and Micah Robinson are three young cornerbacks all competing with one another to make the team. Six-year veteran Corey Ballentine is also in the mix. The Packers may only keep five cornerbacks on the active roster. Nate Hobbs, Keisean Nixon, and Carrington Valentine are all locks to make the team. Bo Melton’s status is trending towards being a lock as well. That would leave one, maybe two spots remaining. The Packers will likely prioritize the guy who can contribute on defense and special teams. Which one is going to step up and earn that spot? That remains to be seen.
Hadden has had the fewest number of opportunities thus far. He missed quite a bit of time because of a hip injury. Hadden finally returned to practice last week, and the Packers immediately got him back in with the second unit. He was even one of the starting perimeter cornerbacks on Saturday against the Colts. Unfortunately, his first game action wasn’t great. He played 40 defensive and 11 special teams snaps. He gave up several receptions, and he gave up a lot of separation. He has made a couple of plays in practice, but those successes didn’t translate to the game. It shouldn’t be surprising that someone who has missed so much time due to injury would be inconsistent, but he’s running out of time to show the front office and coaching staff why he should make the final roster.
King has a much different case to make the final roster. He has shown flashes throughout training camp, but needs to play with more consistency. King’s biggest roadblock is that he has primarily played slot cornerback. The Packers already have Nate Hobbs and Javon Bullard on the roster to take the bulk of those snaps. On the bright side, King has performed well in both preseason games. King played 37 defensive snaps against the Jets. He was only targeted twice and didn’t allow a catch. King then played 42 defensive snaps against the Colts. He didn’t quite have the same results, but was still strong in coverage. King started as the slot cornerback this past Saturday, but was behind Melton and Hadden in two cornerback sets. King also only played six snaps on special teams. King has performed well, but does his skill set fit on the final roster? That’s tough to say.
WHAT A THROW. WHAT A CATCH.
But damn it Kalen King played that thing perfectly. He did everything but make the play on the ball. Good rep there between him & Gould. pic.twitter.com/uAXLsYlJOD
— THE DRAFT JUNKIES (@nfldraftjunk) August 16, 2025
Robinson has been one of the quieter guys throughout camp, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. By all accounts, he’s been improving steadily throughout the preseason. He played 35 defensive snaps against the Jets, but only 25 against the Colts. Robinson played behind both Melton and Hadden this past weekend. Robinson might not be flashy or splashy, but he appears to be quietly trending in the right direction. Another positive is that he’s logged 17 total snaps on special teams, including some with the first team. But has he done enough to overtake Hadden or King?
Ballentine is the last guy legitimately in contention for one of the final cornerback spots. Unfortunately, he might be behind the eight ball a little bit. Ballentine signed with the Colts over the off-season, but then rejoined the Packers on August 4th after the Colts released him. Ballentine has a much different case to make the 53-man roster. The other guys are all young and relatively unknown. Ballentine is experienced, and the Packers know exactly what they’re getting out of him. Ballentine has played in 69 games over his six-year career, and he has familiarity with Jeff Hafley’s defense. Since Ballentine didn’t start practicing with the Packers until two weeks ago, he hasn’t been getting many reps with the first or second defensive units. In two preseason games, he has only played 27 defensive snaps. If the game against the Colts was any indication, the Packers think Hadden, King, and Robinson are all higher than Ballentine on the cornerback depth chart. He has, however, been on all of the top special teams units. If Ballentine does earn a roster spot, it will be because of his special teams expertise.
The Packers are looking for one or two of these cornerbacks to step up. They need someone who will contribute on special teams, but also can come off the bench in a pinch to fill in on defense if someone goes down with an injury. It’s impossible to say how the Packers will value each skill set, but it would be nice to see one or two of these players step up and force Gutekunst to say, “We can’t cut this guy.”
Isaiah Simmons and Kristian Welch are both competing for spots at off-ball linebacker. The Packers may keep five linebackers, or they could keep six - it’s tough to say. Quay Walker, Edgerrin Cooper, Isaiah McDuffie, and Ty’Ron Hopper are all locks to make the team. As players, Simmons and Welch couldn’t be more different. This competition is interesting because Simmons and Welch aren’t necessarily competing with each other. They both bring different things to the table. It will come down to which skill set the Packers truly want, and the answer could be both. At this point, they don’t need to worry as much about beating out the other. They just need to show why they deserve a spot on the team.
Simmons is the great unknown. The once highly touted draft prospect came to the Packers after two failed stops in Arizona and New York. He’s tried several different positions throughout his career, but hasn’t gotten comfortable at any of them. Two weeks ago, Simmons might’ve been considered close to a lock to make the team, but after two preseason games, he’s far from it. There were a lot of positive reviews about Simmons early on in training camp, but his performances on game days have been rough. “He’s got to go out there and do it within our defense for us to feel confident to put him out there and be a key contributor to our defense,” said Matt LaFleur.
Take a drink every time Isaiah Simmons looks lost. If you dare.
— Aaron Nagler (@AaronNagler) August 16, 2025
The Packers are clearly giving Simmons every opportunity to earn a roster spot. He played 39 defensive snaps against New York and 49 against Indianapolis. Despite the large workload, Simmons was frequently lost and out of place. The only bright spot for Simmons thus far has been special teams. His versatility gives special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia a number of options. “We played him two plays out there at flier and thought he did a really good job on the first one,” said Bisaccia. “We’re asking him to do some things he hasn’t done before in the kicking game to try to use his abilities to help all of us, and he’s on the come.”
While the Packers might not know what they have in Simmons, they know exactly what they have in Welch. The Wisconsin-native is an easy player to root for. He’s a lifelong Packer fan after growing up in a town of 1,200. The blue-collar-like linebacker is always doing the dirty work. Simply put, Welch is solid. He is one of the top contributors on special teams. He is also solid on defense; not great, not bad, but solid. He’s usually in position and can do his job, but he’s limited. He’s not going to generate many splash plays, but he’ll be in the right spot. He is what he is. To be clear, that’s not a bad thing - but will the Packers value that?
Jets double vise, basically take out the gunners. Makes the non-gunners cover the punt.
LB Kristian Welch covers like 55 yards for the tackle pic.twitter.com/P8j52YKt7A
— Justis Mosqueda (@JuMosq) August 10, 2025
It’s hard to predict how this will play out for Simmons or Welch. Both players have gotten quite a bit of work in the two preseason games, but based on the depth chart, it sure seems like Isaiah Simmons is higher. They also fill different roles on special teams. Rich Bisaccia would probably love both players to make the final roster. There could be a spot for both players, but it ultimately will come down to how many off-ball linebackers the Packers want to keep.
Each of the young defensive linemen has had their moments throughout camp. Stackhouse was the first out of the gate to make some splash plays. Brinson came on to make some plays of his own. Wooden started very quietly, but then broke out in the Jets game. It’s hard to see the Packers keeping six interior defensive linemen on the roster. Kenny Clark, Devonte Wyatt, and Karl Brooks have roster spots secured, which means there are probably two spots remaining for this position group. Each player has an interesting case to secure one of the final two spots, so this final week should provide a lot of clarity on what is going to happen.
Wooden, in his third year with the Packers, didn’t start training camp very strongly, but he was one of the few bright spots against the Jets. He had a very productive night. In 26 defensive snaps, he logged six tackles, a tackle for a loss, and a pass deflection. He’s up to almost 300 pounds now, which is the highest weight of his playing career, and it’s shown. He was disruptive at the line of scrimmage, he held up well at the point of attack, and was able to shed blocks to make plays. After a strong first game, the Packers only played him nine snaps against Indianapolis. That could indicate the Packers think he’s already pretty close to being a roster lock.
Colby Wooden couldn't attend his commencement ceremony at Auburn on Saturday.
So, the Packers brought graduation to him.
"It would have been cool to walk, yeah, but at the end of the day, I feel like what we did here was pretty one-of-one, pretty rare." pic.twitter.com/pK4itIMl2U
— Weston Hodkiewicz (@WesHod) August 12, 2025
The confusing aspect is that Wooden has been nonexistent for much of the preseason. Prior to the first preseason game, he was one of the least talked-about players. He had a great game against the Jets, but that’s pretty much all he’s done throughout August. On the bright side, Wooden feels like he’s trending in the right direction. “[I feel] more sturdier and confident in my abilities to affect the game and play the run,” Wooden said. “I was able to use my hands more. I feel like going into this third year, it’s starting to slow down, starting to make sense. I’m starting to see the big picture, and that’s good.” Now it’s time for Wooden to continue to show that progress on the field.
Brinson, the rookie sixth-round pick, has also shown exciting moments throughout the preseason. He had several reps in the Colts game that showed his upside, including a play where he drew a holding penalty (without a helmet, nonetheless). He’s shown an ability to put pressure on the quarterback, but also to hold up at the point of attack. The Packers are giving Brinson a ton of work. He’s played 71 defensive snaps between the two preseason games. The downside is that much of his work has come against backups. It’s hard to see the Packers moving on from a draft pick in his first season, but he’ll need to continue to perform to secure that last spot.
Hafley name drops rookie D-linemen Warren Brinson, Naz Stackhouse and Barryn Sorrell as guys he was impressed with last night. Also highlights Enagbare, Cox, Brooks and Wooden.
— Matt Schneidman (@mattschneidman) August 10, 2025
Stackhouse has been one of the most fun stories of training camp. The undrafted free agent rookie showed a lot of promise early on. He has a different skill set from Wooden and Brinson. While Wooden and Brinson are a bit smaller and more agile, Stackhouse is nearly 330 pounds and known for his ability to hold up against the run. Stackhouse’s skill set fits a hole left by T.J. Slaton. Slaton was the Packers' big, run-stuffing defensive linemen who played primarily on run downs. Stackhouse fits that mold. He isn’t quite as disruptive as a pass rusher, but he wouldn’t need to be for the Packers. Considering he’s an undrafted free agent, he might have the hardest path to making the roster, but his play has sure made it a conversation, and he brings a skill set the Packers don’t have on their defensive line.
This has been one of the more fun position battles throughout camp. All three players have made strong cases to make the team. Ideally, all three would make the team. It’s just hard to see the Packers keeping six defensive linemen because they rarely contribute on special teams. Whoever the Packers decide to release will almost assuredly be on the practice squad. It’ll be an important final week for all three guys.
It’s really hard to tell what the Packers are going to do at the wide receiver position. Romeo Doubs, Matthew Golden, Dontayvion Wicks, Jayden Reed, and Savion Williams are all locks to make the team. That’s five players. The Packers could keep those five, and that’s all. They could also keep six or seven, depending on how the rest of the roster shakes out. Christian Watson, who will start the season on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list, will also factor into the equation as soon as October or November. So where does that leave Heath and Hardman? Could they make the team? Could they both be released? At this point, who knows?
Heath has been with the Packers since 2023, but his contributions don’t always show up in the box score. Heath only has 25 career catches, but is known for his blocking. He has also played on special teams. His preseason has been inconsistent. He played 37 offensive snaps against the Jets, but played poorly. He only played 19 snaps against the Colts, but performed much better, including an impressive contested catch. He’s also made a number of plays in practice.
Mistakes happen🤦🏾♂️ but it’s all about how you respond.
— Mecole Hardman Jr. (@MecoleHardman4) August 10, 2025
Hardman has a much different case for the 53-man roster. If he makes it, it’ll be because of his ability as a return man. Yes, he can line up as a wide receiver and contribute a few snaps here or there, but his calling card is his ability to return the football. Unfortunately, he’s been inconsistent in doing that. He had two bonehead mistakes against the Jets - a fair catch on the Packers’ five-yard line and a muffed punt where the Jets recovered. He did bounce back against the Colts, though. He had a nice catch on offense that was called back due to a penalty, and returned a punt for ten yards.
It would be great to have someone like Hardman on the roster to return punts and maybe even kicks. The less Jayden Reed and Keisean Nixon have to do, the better. It would also be great to have someone as reliable as Heath to fill in on offense. There are roles for both players on the team. There is also a chance neither will make the team. They both needed to respond after poor games against the Jets, and they both did. They both have one more week to show they deserve a spot on the roster, or they both are going to be released.