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Hello Wisconsin: As Final Roster Cuts Loom, the Regular Season Awaits How will the team's final roster look on opening day? By TimBackes We’re all ready for meaningful football. Boy, I know I sure am. But we’ve got one more preseason game against the Cardinals (a LaFleur showdown!) and then final roster cuts before we shift into regular season mode. The game is going to be what it's going to be. The third preseason game might help coaches make some decisions about bubble players, but I’d say it’s almost certain that the roster is basically set except for a few spots going into this last game. The coaches have had plenty of scenarios in which to evaluate their players, and considering like 80 percent of the spots are probably locked up by the time training camp even begins, it’s not like there’s a whole lot of wiggle room for some of these bubble guys to maneuver. I’ve never done a final 53 guess list before, but here’s what I’m going to say: QBs: Jordan Love and Tyrod Taylor (2) I’d be pretty surprised if they opt to keep Kyle McCord on the active roster, but he should probably end up back on the practice squad. This feels like one of the easiest picks. RBs: Josh Jacobs, Marshawn Lloyd, Chris Brooks (3) I know there are a lot of people who want the Packers to Pierre Strong over Chris Brooks, but something about that strikes me as a bit of a risk. Brooks knows the offense and has proven to be a solid rotational player in actual game circumstances. Lloyd has had difficulties staying healthy the last couple years (to put it mildly) and thus doesn’t have the mastery of the offense the other two players here do. Keeping Strong would put a couple question marks behind Josh Jacobs, who himself remains something of a question mark at the moment with his offseason legal issues. I’d say they’re better off holding on to Brooks in a rotational spot for the safety of it. WRs: Christian Watson, Jayden Reed, Matthew Golden, Savion Williams, Bo Melton, Skyy Moore (6) The first four here are absolute dead locks, and I feel pretty certain about numbers five and six. The Packers have shown they like Melton as a rotational piece and special teamer, and I do too as long as he’s not getting too many looks at the expense of a guy like Golden. Moore is going to make the team on the basis of his returning; the team doesn’t really need him to be a functional sixth receiver in the offense given the guys they have over him. Guys like Will Sheppard and J. Michael Sturdivant could be worth practice squad looks. TEs: Tucker Kraft, Josh Whyle, Drake Dabney (3) Who knows what will happen if Luke Musgrave is able to return, but for now this seems like the three guys who are most likely to be the team’s tight ends. Kraft figures to be one of the best in the game at the position, but Whyle and Dabney do not exactly inspire a lot of confidence, and it wouldn’t surprise me to see the Packers attempt to bring someone in off the street to flesh this position out a bit more, with Dabney likely being the one on the outside looking in. Offensive Line: Zach Bako-Bewele, Jordan Morgan, Sean Rhyan, Aaron Banks, Anthony Belton, Jacob Monk, Jager Burton, Darian Kinnard, Donovan Jennings, Travis Glover (10) This is the position I’m least certain about on offense, simply because when you get down to those ninth and tenth linemen there’s a lot of potential wiggle room. Anyway, gone are the days when the offensive line was one of the strengths of the Packers. The team really needed to make some upgrades here this season, and it remains to be seen what exactly will happen here. The team needs Bako-Bewele back full time as soon as possible, as he’s one of the most crucial players on the roster. Morgan and Rhyan have both come a long way since being rookies, but neither exactly is an established, trusted vet at this point. After that, it’s hard to say what to expect. Aaron Banks underperformed a season ago and is dealing with knee problems. Monk and Burton simply haven’t had a lot of opportunities yet. Belton is a question mark. The team needs one of these unknown quantities to step it up and show why the team put their faith in them. Interior Defensive Line: Devonte Wyatt, Javon Hargrave, Karl Brooks, Chris McLellan, Jonathan Ford, Warren Brinson (6) The Packers need to keep some bodies at this position. They’ve got to be stouter in the middle, and adding some of these guys in the offseason definitely helped. It’ll be interesting to see what the Packers can get out of McLellan in his rookie season. Wyatt’s return is huge for this team; he was looking like a pro bowler before going down with an injury a season ago. Brinson has come a long way, and Karl Brooks is battle tested and always seems to come up with a play at the right time. I’m expecting much better things from this unit this year. Edge Defenders: Lukas Van Ness, Barryn Sorrell, Brenton Cox Jr., Dani Dennis-Sutton, Collin Oliver (5) This is the group that will be holding it down at least until Micah Parsons can make his return later this season. The team really needs Van Ness to be the guy they thought he was when they drafted him. Sorrell came on strong when given opportunities at the end of last season, so it’d be excellent to see him continue that momentum. DDS is a guy many labeled the steal of the draft; if he can be productive as a rookie, that would go a long way toward shoring up this unit outside of Parsons. Linebackers: Edgerrin Cooper, Zaire Franklin, Isaiah McDuffie, Ty’Ron Hopper, Nick Niemann (5) The team could surprise me and go with four at this spot, but Niemann is good on special teams and has gotten more opportunities than a previous special teamer, Kristian Welch. The top three are locks and Hopper is a recent enough draft pick that the team isn’t going to give up on him heading into his third season. He could still be a decent rotational piece. Cornerbacks: Brandon Cisse, Keisean Nixon, Carrington Valentine, Benjamin St.-Juste, Kamal Hadden, Domani Jackson (6) Woof. That’s really all I can say about this unit. Cisse looks like a potential long-term cornerstone for this unit, and everyone else… well, let’s just say this group doesn’t inspire much confidence. For as much as there’s been a bit of chatter that Nixon could be in trouble, it doesn’t seem very LaFleur-like for them to ditch him in favor of a guy like Jaylin Simpson. They’re going to trust the vet in a weak unit. Safeties: Xavier McKiney, Evan Williams, Javon Bullard, Kitan Oladapo (4) This is another one of the easiest positions to pick, and one of the Packers’ strongest. Unless something strange happens, these will be your safeties on the Packers’ roster this year. Specialists: Daniel Whelan, Trey Smack, Matt Orzech (3) If Smack’s sensational preseason translates into the regular season, the Packers could find themselves with the best punter-kicker duo in the entire NFL. Whelan is an absolute stud, and the Packers need to do everything they can to hold on to him, because it’s not all that long ago that we saw what awful punting could do to a team. Anyway, I don’t have any real surprises here. If I were to go out on a big limb I’d throw out Nixon as being on the chopping block, but I really think that’s highly unlikely to happen. I’d imagine most 53-man lists are going to look extremely similar to this. Wisconsin Beer of the Week Anyone who lives in Wisconsin is well familiar with New Glarus Brewing Company, even if only for Spotted Cow. While New Glarus does have a lot of great flagship beers that are available year round, perhaps my favorite thing the company does is its Thumbprint series of limited time/availability beers that are a bit more experimental. Recently, New Glarus released Lots o’ Peaches for the first time in five years! If you’ve had the company’s Wisconsin Belgian Red or Raspberry Tart or Strawberry Rhubarb before, you know just how well they do fruited beers. Here’s how they describe this one: “Chin dripping goodness of sun soaked peaches is captured in the bottle you hold. Our Wild Fruit Cave delight sparkles with sour brown ale juiciness balanced by just the right amount of funky stone fruit pit center. Ripe summer peach notes bounce a greeting to your nose before overwhelming your senses with lush memories evoked of summer’s ripe fruit decadence.” I mean, when you put it that way, how could you not try it? It’s a light drinker at four percent and it’s extremely highly rated on Untappd. Definitely recommend giving it a shot before it’s gone; it’ll be available in liquor stores in Wisconsin only for a limited time. Packers release “rivalries” uniform Any time the Packers release an alternate uniform, I hold my breath. They’re almost always hideous, or at least substantially worse than their standard uniform, which is among the best of the league’s classics. The new rivalries uniform is at least significantly better than their “winter warrior” uniforms they’ve worn the last couple years, though still nowhere close to the aesthetic provided by their standard uniforms. The uniforms will be on the field for the October 11 game against the Future Indiana Bears. Here’s how Packers.com describes the new uniforms: “The uniform features a desaturated vintage green jersey with delicate alabaster and gold stripes, paired with alabaster pants and a matching matte helmet with green and gold striping and a matte green facemask. The alabaster palette is reminiscent of the aged paper of historic Packers stock certificates, while the jersey numbers feature an engraved treatment modeled after the intricate lettering of paper currency, reflecting the financial support that has helped sustain the franchise. Special details include a modernized interpretation of the classic interlocking GB logo on the chest, echoing the mark that appeared on Vince Lombardi-era sideline and practice gear, as well as the fans' signature rallying cry, "Go Pack Go," on the back of the helmet, and "Making History Since 1919" embroidered inside the collar.” The rivalry uniforms will only be worn by NFC North and AFC South this year. The Rivalries uniform program began in 2025. The evolution of fantasy football I’ve been running the same fantasy football league for just about 20 years now, and it’s amazing how much the experience and game have changed over that time. We used to be on the Yahoo fantasy football site, which for a time was far and away the best platform. We’ve been on ESPN for over a decade now and just reactivate the league every year, and the experience remains pretty consistent from year to year. A few of the people have swapped in and out, but most of the core of the group are the same people who started with the league when I was in college. But the real thing that’s changed about it is the game itself. Back in the day, you were considered a fool if you took anything other than a running back in the first round. The prevailing wisdom was that most top running backs got the most guaranteed yards because they’d be getting 1300+ yards and a bunch of touchdowns on the ground while also catching passes, which in a PPR (point per reception… we do half point per reception) league is a huge deal. But offenses evolved significantly since the mid-2000s. In many cases, an elite wide receiver is more valuable in a fantasy league than a top shelf running back simply due to the volume of passes they get, plus the dramatic increase in teams passing for touchdowns in goal-to-go situations. Even quarterbacks are more valuable than they used to be, if it’s the right quarterback. Not only are they throwing more passes (and touchdowns), but certain quarterbacks can basically put an offense on their backs by themselves. A Josh Allen or a Lamar Jackson is going to be worth more than the vast majority of running backs. League structures have evolved as a result. More leagues have an increased number of flex spots to accommodate the greater use of wide receivers and tight ends as focal points in offenses. Meanwhile, running back by committee offenses have grown more common. Anyway, as we are getting pretty close to a milestone year for my fantasy league, it was interesting to consider just how much draft strategy has had to change over the years to adapt to a changing league. Around the NFC North As always, it’s time to go around the NFC North. - The CHICAGO BEARS were on the other end of a preseason beatdown this past week. I had friends of mine who were Chicago sports fans losing their mind over the Bears whooping up on the Browns in mid-August, and now they are awfully quiet. But again, there’s only so much you can take from preseason games. Neither of these preseason games is reflective of what the Bears will be in 2026, for better or for worse. But one thing we can glean… that defense looks nasty, and not in the complimentary way. - The DETROIT LIONS lost a couple of their new additions for the season to injury, which is a tough way to get things started. For as much as the Bears often top the list of teams most likely to regress this season, though, the Lions remain a candidate to return to form in a big way. The matchup between the two teams on Thanksgiving Day this year will be a fun watch. - The MINNESOTA VIKINGS gave backup former first rounder JJ McCarthy only 18 snaps in the preseason loss this past week. According to coach Kevin O’Connell, he’d have played a bit more had he not gotten “banged up.” Meanwhile, Justin Jefferson continues to be a chatterbox this offseason, saying he’s in for a big season and that fans no longer see him as the best wideout in the league, “but they will.” He’s got a ton of talent and clearly one of the league’s best, but his quarterbacks are Nine and the tiny castoff from the Cardinals. We’ll see. Great story in The Athletic on the respect for Jordan Love If you want to read a good feel-good story about Jordan Love, Matt Schneidman put together a great story for The Athletic today: “These stories show why Packers’ Jordan Love is so respected inside Lambeau Field.” The gist: Love makes it a point to get to know everyone, even the guys who likely won’t make the roster. He invites bubble guys to participate in his charity softball game. He’s understated as a public persona, but does a lot of good deeds behind closed doors. Players say he seems “like an average guy.” Give the story a read. It’s cool to see all these things being said about the Packers’ star quarterback; he seems to have a tremendous head on his shoulders. PLEASE SUBSCRIBE TO OUR CHEESEHEAD NATION WEEKLY NEWSLETTER HERE. __________________________ Tim Backes is a lifelong Packer fan and a contributor to CheeseheadTV. Follow him on Twitter @timbackes for his Packer takes, random musings and Untappd beer check-ins. __________________________ Comments (12) August 26, 2026 at 02:59 pm Even my dog ain’t barking for these corners . Overall I’m not a big fan of alternate jerseys . I think GB has the best most historic original in the all of sports . When anyone sees that uniform on a field they know exactly what team is playing . All that said I do love the “ Go Pack Go “ on the back of these helmets and the making history since 1919 on the collars . Very cool . August 26, 2026 at 03:52 pm I suspect the numerous variations of the uniform are just money-making ploys. I can see the promotion now: "Get 10 Jerseys for the Low, Low Price of $1,000!" It'd be nice if the NFL went beyond rank greed to have these jerseys Made in the USA by the less fortunate citizens among us who are in desperate need of solid jobs. For some reason, the elite ruling class of Big Government and Big Business has decided to outsource our economy overseas. To distract us from this debacle -- and their own massive fortunes -- they try to divide us along artificial lines such as race. Wouldn't it be good if those stupid slogans that the NFL bigwigs are still putting up next to the end zones would be more than self-righteous platitudes? In other words, put your piles of money where your mouth is. August 26, 2026 at 03:18 pm I would cut Musgrave now. We've had enough neck injuries to know. The wait isn't worth the risk. August 26, 2026 at 03:33 pm Perhaps the most intriguing reason to watch this final preseason game is to key on the promising players on the bubble, including Pierre Strong, Jr. I hope the Packers are willing to take a bit of a risk on such players if they think they might have something special to offer in terms of talent and tenacity. I don't want our coaches to be reckless, but I do want them to take a bit of a risk now and then. We need coaches who have an eye for any of these guys who might have the potential to be starters in the NFL, perhaps stars, and who have the leadership to go out on limb if they do see one. After a month of training camp, we count on these coaches to be discerning and daring in choosing the roster. Other than Strong, the most high-profile of the promising players on the bubble would seem to be Sheppard and Sturdivant and Neylor at WR. It seems as though there are other guys who may fit this label of promising players on the bubble at the less glamorous positions. Perhaps other fans can list their favorites below -- players who at least deserve consideration for the final 53, or look like the first in line for the practice squad. Against the Cardinals this upcoming game, it'd be fun to see guys out there who want to make it difficult for the coaches to cut them, and can hope that other teams may take notice even if the Packers don't. August 26, 2026 at 04:20 pm BREAKING NEWS!! I just heard on NFL radio while riding in the car that the Packers are expecting Josh Jacobs to be suspended by the NFL for his arrest. If this suspension starts right away, then this RB depth chart doesn't matter at all. So, what does GB do? Do we roster 4 RBs because of Jacobs legal problems? If this suspension is what usually happens as far as games missed, does GB really want to put up with that. Apparently, the NFL thinks it is serious enough to warrant suspension. Here is a question, If the Packers were to cut Jacobs because of this, do they stillhave to pay any of his salary? I read earlier, before this incident first happened, that if GB were to cut Jacobs they would save $8 million. Does GB have to pay his signing bonus anyway. How does that work. If Jacobs is going to miss 8 games, the Packers might as well just move on from him and find someone else. August 26, 2026 at 04:33 pm Not much to disagree on with on the roster, except I would sub John Williams for Travis Glover, and it looks like Matt Orzech will not be ready to assume long snapper duties by the time the season starts. They have not yet given a time-line on his return, and it's getting late. I'd like to see them squeeze one of those young WRs on the roster as #7, but it's looking awfully tight. I couldn't care less about the latest money-grab uniforms. August 26, 2026 at 04:40 pm The roster worries me for the long haul. Fine at the skilled positions but the OL is extremely thin, one injury makes things look iffy, two would be a disaster. On defense I am just as concerned about the pass rush as I am the CBs and just hurts to even write. Two position groups that rely on each other and neither is gonna worry OCs in the league. August 26, 2026 at 10:53 pm Unlike most I am not so worried about the O line as long as Banks can keep playing (I figure if you got 4 positions locked down, the 5th will solidify). I think the backs and receivers are going to be fine. I like the kicker. I have hope the D-kline can cause some havoc and stop the run well enough. My worry and question came to my forebrain as I saw McBride had a day on the Packer D. After Loveland went 8 for 137 in the playoffs I wondered if the Packers had anyone who could keep up with a top TE. Is there any sign of a player or scheme that will address this?