The Green Bay Packers’ preseason finale against the Baltimore Ravens was a final audition for several players battling for a roster spot on Brian Gutekunst’s initial 53-man roster, which will be unveiled on Tuesday. Matt LaFleur sat 38 players, including all projected starters, providing a true evaluation opportunity for many on Saturday at Lambeau Field.
Who stepped up in the 30-7 win over the Ravens?
Here are a few players who helped their roster chances in the preseason finale:
DE Arron Mosby
Mosby made two of the biggest defensive plays of the afternoon when he delivered a strip sack and an interception on back-to-back series. The forced fumble was returned for a touchdown; the interception prevented a potential scoring drive in Packers territory. Brenton Cox Jr. looks like a good bet to be the No. 5 defensive end, but did Mosby tempt the Packers into keeping six? The second-year edge rusher spent all of last year on the Packers’ practice squad and now looks much more comfortable as a 4-3 defensive end.
WR Malik Heath
Heath caught a game-high four passes, including a 7-yard touchdown on 4th-and-4 in the second half and a third-down conversion on a scoring drive in the first half. On the touchdown, Heath ran through contact at the break point and made a contested catch in the end zone. Most years, the roster battle at the end of the receiver depth chart is highly overrated in all 32 NFL cities. In Green Bay in 2024, it’s not. Heath, Bo Melton and Grant DuBose are all legit.
RB Emanuel Wilson
It’s possible Wilson was already close to lock status at running back given the injuries to A.J. Dillon (stinger) and MarShawn Lloyd (hamstring). More and more, Wilson is looking like a player who could handle a regular season role. He had several runs over 10 yards and even produced a 20-yard catch. His blocking is better and better, both in terms of identification of blitzers and execution. Come Week 1, Wilson could be the No. 2 behind Josh Jacobs against the Eagles.
LB Kristian Welch
While he dropped what should have been an interception on a wacky play in the first half, Welch made up for it in the second half when he baited the quarterback into a bad throw down the field and — despite a bobble — finished the interception. He also had an impressive special teams stop. The former Raven created three turnovers during the postseason, consistently tackled well and was all over the core special teams groupings. There’s an increasingly good chance the Wisconsin native sticks on the 53 as the sixth linebacker.
K Greg Joseph
The veteran kicker made both of his field goals, including a picture-perfect 55-yarder, and also connected on his lone extra point attempt, creating a 3-for-3 day. Meanwhile, Anders Carlson missed a chip shot from 32 yards out. Joseph had a rough week and a half at training camp, including a miss last week in Denver, but it’s possible this final appearance will give him the edge on the initial 53-man roster.
CB Kalen King
Last week, King missed a tackle on a tight end on 3rd-and-17 and allowed a conversion. This week, King made amends. On the first drive of the second half, the rookie cornerback delivered a crunching hit in the flat on Ravens tight end Riley Sharp, creating a fumble that was recovered by Christian Young for a turnover. In the first half, King made a nice read-and-react play on an underneath throw on third-and-long and created a stop. His five tackles led the defensive backs. The tape will have to determine if King was in the wrong on Tylan Wallace’s 48-yard touchdown catch. Robert Rochell’s hip injury might clear a path for King to the roster.