7 biggest takeaways from Packers’ first 53-man roster of 2021

All the important takeaways from the Packers’ initial 53-man roster in 2021.

After a month of training camp and three preseason games, the Green Bay Packers made the hardest decisions of the summer and cut the roster down to 53 players. While having a 16-player practice squad eases some of the pain of losing players, the process is still a difficult one.

While the surprises were few, the first roster still provided plenty of clues about Matt LaFleur’s football team.

Here are all the biggest takeaways from the Packers’ initial roster of 2021:

Building a 16-player practice squad for Packers after final cuts

How might the Packers build their 16-player practice squad after final cuts?

The Green Bay Packers cut their roster down to 53 players – actually, all the way to 52, but new punter Corey Bojorquez is on the way – on Tuesday afternoon.

While 27 players were cut, a good chunk of them will return to the Packers on the practice squad. All players waived Tuesday cut must first pass through waivers on Wednesday before agreeing to sign back on the practice squad.

Here’s an attempt to build out the ideal 16-player practice squad. Note, assumptions must be made about clearing waivers and also the players actually wanting to return on the practice squad. A player might also want to pursue a better opportunity on a different practice squad.

Offense

QB Kurt Benkert: Ideal third quarterback to stash on the practice squad.
RB Patrick Taylor: Strong all-around skillset. Worth developing.
WR Juwann Winfree: Offseason workout program star just needs to get healthy.
WR Reggie Begelton: Former CFL all-star earned another year in Green Bay with a strong summer.
TE Bronson Kaufusi: Still learning to play tight end, but a strong run blocker.
OL Ben Braden: Might get claimed. Has valuable guard-tackle versatility.
OL Cole Van Lanen: Needs to find a position (right tackle?) but has good, quick feet.
OL Coy Cronk: Experienced collegiate left tackle with traits to develop.

Defense

DL Anderson Abdullah: Experienced interior lineman with size and pass-rushing potential.
OLB Tipa Galeai: Explosive mover but needs to get bigger and stronger.
ILB Ray Wilborn: Flew around the field all summer. Coverage potential.
CB Kabion Ento: Just needs to become a better tackler.
CB Stephen Denmark: Team probably wants a longer look after strong debut in Buffalo.
S Christian Uphoff: Big, and athletic. Just needs time to develop.
S Innis Gaines: Can run and hit, but needs to learn to play under control.

Special teams

K JJ Molson: Good idea to stash a kicker in case anything happens to the soon-to-be 37-year-old Mason Crosby.

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Quick takeaways from Packers’ initial 53-man roster in 2021

A few quick thoughts and observations on the Packers’ first 53-man roster in 2021.

The Green Bay Packers released the team’s initial 53-man roster on Tuesday afternoon.

Here are some quick takeaways from the roster:

– The roster will actually start with 52 players. It will become a full 53-man roster once the trade for punter Corey Bojorquez is official. But keep in mind: All teams can put in waiver claims for released players on Wednesday, which would require a corresponding roster move, so this could be a fluid roster on the fringes for one more day.

– No surprises at the skill positions. Two quarterbacks, three running backs, six wide receivers and four tight ends, just like most expected.

– Kurt Benkert should get through waivers and be back on the practice squad as the third-string quarterback.

– Kylin Hill won the third running back job with an excellent summer. The same can be said for Malik Taylor and the No. 6 receiver spot.

– The Packers kept nine offensive linemen, and one isn’t David Bakhtiari, who is going on the PUP list to start the year. He’ll miss the first six weeks, at least. One surprise is keeping second-year center Jake Hanson over versatile veteran Ben Braden. The Packers must have wanted more depth at center with Elgton Jenkins starting at left tackle for at least the first six games.

– The Packers kept both Tyler Lancaster and Jack Heflin, which makes a lot of sense because Lancaster is dealing with an injury to start the season. Heflin was the team’s best undrafted free agent this summer.

– The Packers have five outside linebackers on the 53-man roster, likely a reflection of Za’Darius Smith’s injury situation. Chauncey Rivers, who was claimed off waivers earlier this month, made the team. So did 2020 seventh-round pick Jonathan Garvin.

– Rookie Isaiah McDuffie essentially forced the Packers to keep him as the fifth linebacker with a terrific preseason finale in Buffalo.

– Cornerback Isaac Yiadom made the 53-man roster in Green Bay, and Josh Jackson made the 53-man roster in New York. Yiadom made the team over Kabion Ento, who had tackling issues.

– The Packers kept only four safeties. Christian Uphoff and Innis Gaines flashed during the preseason but both need time on the practice squad.

– The Packers gave up on JK Scott after three inconsistent seasons.

– Long snapper Hunter Bradley is on the team. For now. He could be replaced by a waiver claim.

All the team’s cuts to get down to 52 players can be viewed at the link below:

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Here’s the Green Bay Packers’ initial 53-man roster for the 2021 season

The Green Bay Packers initial 53-man roster to start the 2021 season is here.

The Green Bay Packers cut their roster down to 53 players by Tuesday afternoon’s deadline.

Of course, this roster is subject to change almost immediately. Teams can begin putting in waiver claims on released players on Wednesday.

Here is the Packers’ initial 53-man roster to start the 2021 season:

OFFENSE (24)

QB (2): Aaron Rodgers, Jordan Love
RB (3): Aaron Jones, A.J. Dillon, Kylin Hill
WR (6): Davante Adams, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Allen Lazard, Randall Cobb, Amari Rodgers, Malik Taylor
TE (4): Marcedes Lewis, Robert Tonyan, Josiah Deguara, Dominique Dafney
OL (9): Billy Turner, Elgton Jenkins, Josh Myers, Royce Newman, Dennis Kelly, Lucas Patrick, Jon Runyan, Yosh Nijman, Jake Hanson

DEFENSE (26)

DL (6): Kenny Clark, Dean Lowry, Kingsley Keke, TJ Slaton, Tyler Lancaster, Jack Heflin
ILB (5): De’Vondre Campbell, Krys Barnes, Oren Burks, Ty Summers, Isaiah McDuffie
OLB (5): Za’Darius Smith, Preston Smith, Rashan Gary, Jonathan Garvin, Chauncey Rivers
CB (6): Jaire Alexander,  Kevin King, Chandon Sullivan, Eric Stokes, Shemar Jean-Charles, Isaac Yiadom
S (4): Adrian Amos, Darnell Savage, Henry Black, Vernon Scott

SPECIAL TEAMS (2)

K: Mason Crosby
LS: Hunter Bradley

Note: The Packers agreed to a trade for P Corey Bojorquez, who will be the 53rd player once the deal is official.

PUP (1)

LT David Bakhtiari

Suspended (1)

TE Jace Sternberger

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Packers CB Kabion Ento unable to tackle initial 53-man roster spot

CB Kabion Ento didn’t make the Packers’ initial 53-man roster, possibly due to his issues with tackling.

Despite a strong performance in training camp, the Green Bay Packers did not make defensive back Kabion Ento a part of their initial 53-man roster. According to Ryan Wood of the Green Bay Press-Gazette, the Packers are releasing Ento on Tuesday.

Ento showed promise as a cover corner, however, there was one pre-requisite he lacked that is required from the position: tackling.

A former wide receiver in college, Ento switched to defense when he entered the pro scene. The physical side proved to be a big challenge for Ento, who was used to dodging tackles as opposed to making them. According to Pro Football Focus, he totaled four missed tackles in three preseason games this summer. PFF handed him a tackling grade lower than 30.0 in two of those outings, an almost inexcusable evaluation.

Ento would have likely been reserved to special teams had he made the Packers roster. Ento flashed during the preseason and even came away with an interception against the Houston Texans. However, he was never going to see the field on defense unless injuries dismantled Green Bay’s cornerback group.

The Packers must have felt that Ento’s shortcomings as a tackler were not worth the risk of trying to implement him on special teams. Green Bay fielded one of the worst special teams groups in the NFL last year and is desperately trying to correct it.

Tackling was a concern last year and also during the 2021 preseason. As a team, PFF totaled 23 missed tackles by the Packers. Ento’s four missed tackles tied for first with safety Innis Gaines. Along with Ento, Gaines was also released on Tuesday.

Green Bay favored Isaac Yiadom over Ento, who the team recently traded for from the New York Giants. A third-round pick in 2018, Yiadom will provide depth to Green Bay’s corner room and is also expected to contribute to special teams.

If there is a silver lining for the former undrafted free agent, Ento’s time with the Packers may not be over. He is a candidate for the practice squad if he is not signed by another team. Sticking around would give Ento the chance to improve on his tackling with the opportunity to sign to the active roster at a later date.

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Packers swapping 2023 draft picks with Rams to get P Corey Bojorquez

The Packers are swapping late-round draft picks in 2023 to get P Corey Bojorquez from the Rams.

The cost for the Green Bay Packers to get a new punter from the Los Angeles Rams will be a small one.

According to Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic, the Packers are sending a sixth-round pick in the 2023 draft to the Rams for punter Corey Bojorquez and a seventh-round pick in the 2023 draft.

Essentially, the Packers are turning their sixth-round pick in 2023 into a seventh-round pick – a mostly inconsequential swap in terms of draft-pick value – in order to get Bojorquez, who was arguably the best punter in the NFL during the preseason.

Over three preseason games, Bojorquez averaged 51.9 yards (net and gross) and put four punts inside the 20-yard line. According to Pro Football Focus, his 4.81-second hangtime average was the best in the NFL.

Bojorquez will replace JK Scott, a fifth-round pick of the Packers in 2018 who produced three mostly inconsistent seasons as the punter.

Bojorquez has punted 165 times over 40 career NFL games, all with the Buffalo Bills between 2018 and 2020. He led the NFL in yards per punt in 2020.

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Packers trade for Los Angeles Rams punter Corey Bojorquez

The Packers traded for Los Angeles Rams punter Corey Bojorquez.

The Green Bay Packers are ending the JK Scott era at punter.

According to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, the Packers will trade for Los Angeles Rams punter Corey Bojorquez.

The deal gives the Packers a new punter and likely ends Scott’s time in Green Bay after three inconsistent seasons.

While Scott had a 21-yard punt during the preseason, Bojourquez hit a 70-yard punt and averaged 51.9 yards – both net and gross – per punt over seven preseason punts. He put four inside the 20-yard line and had just one returned for zero yards.

According to Pro Football Focus, Bojorquez averaged 4.81 seconds per punt, the best in the NFL.

Scott was a fifth-round draft pick in 2018. He could also power the ball downfield, but his inconsistency, which showed up again this summer, led to the Packers making a change.

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Saints planning to move Week 1 game vs. Packers out of New Orleans

The Packers and Saints will be playing at a neutral-site location in Week 1.

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The New Orleans Saints and Green Bay Packers won’t be playing at the Superdome in Week 1 after Hurricane Ida battered the city over the weekend.

Saints coach Sean Payton confirmed the team is planning to be away from New Orleans for potentially the entire month of September, per Jeff Duncan of NOLA.com, meaning the season-opening showdown with the Packers will need to be moved out of the city and to a neutral location.

New Orleans is still without power.

The Week 1 contest between the Packers and Saints is scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 12 at 3:25 p.m. CT.

The Saints have been operating out of the Dallas-Forth Worth area since evacuating New Orleans on Saturday. AT&T Stadium, the home of the Cowboys, looks like the best bet for a neutral location for Week 1. The Cowboys are on the road in Week 1 and there are no events scheduled at the stadium on Sept. 12.

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Packers to keep All-Pro LT David Bakhtiari on PUP list to start 2021 season

Packers All-Pro LT David Bakhtiari will miss the first six games of the 2021 season while starting the year on the PUP list.

The Green Bay Packers will be without their All-Pro left tackle David Bakhtiari for at least the first six weeks of the 2021 season.

According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the Packers are keeping Bakhtiari (knee) on the physically unable to perform list to start 2021, meaning he’ll have to miss the first six weeks.

The earliest Bakhtiari can now return is Week 7.

Bakhtiari suffered a season-ending knee injury during practice on Dec. 31 of last year. He missed the Packers’ two postseason games and has been on the PUP list since the start of training camp.

Matt LaFleur and the Packers have been using Pro Bowl guard Elgton Jenkins at left tackle throughout the summer. He is expected to start there in Week 1 and beyond.

The Packers had the option to activate Bakhtiari from the PUP list and keep him on the 53-man roster to start the season, but the team will take the safe route with the All-Pro.

Bakhtiari will not count against the 53-man roster while on the PUP list.

Yosh Nijman, who played at left tackle extensively during the preseason, will likely make the initial roster as a backup option.

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