The NFL is so well-covered now throughout July and August that it's difficult to unearth any true surprises on roster cutdown day.
Thanks to the work of local reporters across the NFL, the baseline fan knowledge of their franchise's roster heading into cutdown day is more advanced than ever before.
If you haven't already, give Justis Mosqueda's [Roster Prediction Tracker](https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/green-bay-packers-roster/69727/green-bay-packers-53-man-roster-prediction-projection-tracker-2025) a read. Mosqueda tracked roster predictions from 15 reporters and analysts across various outlets to identify which players were locks for the roster and which players were total tossups.
Based off Mosqueda's article, I have devised 4 surprise roster moves to watch out for - Real surprises. 7 of the 15 reporters predicted Ben Sims would make the roster. That would not be a surprise, it's almost a coin flip.
Instead I want to look at predictions that only a few reporters have called, or perhaps nobody has called. In a world where nothing is unpredictable anymore, how can the Packers truly catch us out today?
**Collin Oliver starts the season on the active roster, not PUP**
The rookie outside linebacker was placed on the "Physically Unable to Perform" list at the beginning of training camp due to a hamstring injury. Brian Gutekunst said Oliver was "a few weeks away"… a few weeks ago (4.5 weeks to be exact).
All 15 Packers reporters in Mosqueda's article projected Oliver would start the season on the PUP list. This means he would miss at least the first 4 weeks of his rookie season. The Packers edge group is pretty deep so even if Oliver is good to go within the next 1-2 weeks, they can probably go without him for the first month of the season, but with no game experience throughout the preseason, the Packers could surprise us by taking Oliver off the PUP list and including him on the active roster.
**Malik Heath released for a punt returner from elsewhere**
Malik Heath didn't set the world alight this Summer at Packers training camp, but thanks to a litany of injuries to other wide receivers and Mecole Hardman proving he is not very good at football, Heath is still projected to make the roster by all 15 Packers experts.
I am cheating here to a degree, because I too believe Heath will make the roster today. I just think there's a good chance he's not here by the end of the week. Hardman was supposed to unseat Heath as WR6 on the active roster with the ability to return punts but simply wasn't good enough in either area.
There are plenty of fringe roster players around the league who showed positive returning ability throughout the preseason, and I wouldn't be surprised if the Packers took a chance on one ahead of Heath during the waiver process.
Names to look out for include _Jamaal Pritchett_ on the Jets, _Ke'Shawn Williams_ on the Steelers & _Coleman Owen_ on the Colts.
**The Packers keep only 4 linebackers**
Let's get weird. Just 3 of the 15 Packers roster predictions had Green Bay retaining both Isaiah Simmons and Kristian Welch in addition to their 4 roster locks at the position. The other 12 have at least one of this fringe pair making the team. Nobody projected that both Welch and Simmons would get let go, which I do think is slightly possible. Hear me out:
The Packers have cut Welch after a decent preseason before, and Isaiah Simmons, while an impactful special teamer on paper, was so woeful once again this preseason that I feel good about his chances of clearing waivers and returning to the practice squad.
Meanwhile Ty'Ron Hopper was maybe the biggest "stock-up" candidate of the Packers' preseason and looked like a starting caliber player at LB4. The Packers have kept only 4 LBs before, most recently back in 2022, so this wouldn't be unheard of.
This surprise would tie in well with Collin Oliver making the active roster, as they would keep the same amount of front-7 defenders and the undersized Oliver has displayed \*some\* coverage ability in college.
**Rookie draft pick Micah Robinson makes the roster**
Perhaps the most far-fetched surprise on this list, even I am struggling to talk myself into this one. Rookie draft picks missing the 53-man roster is not a foreign idea to the Packers. A rookie day 3 player has been cut in each of the last 2 seasons.
However before that, Brian Gutekunst had several drafts where all rookie draft picks made the roster, and it is worth noting that this is Green Bay's smallest draft class yet.
Robinson likely won't make it as he wasn't able to outplay CBs with multiple years of training camp experience like Kamal Hadden, Corey Ballentine and Kalen King. This upset would require Brian Gutekunst to believe other teams may have significant interest in a rookie athlete at a premium position, enough that Robinson wouldn't clear waivers and make it back to Green Bay's practice squad where others (like Kalen King or Kamal Hadden) probably would.