Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst and coach Matt LaFleur will use the information and evaluations gained from a full training camp, two joint practices and three preseason games to help guide the difficult decisions necessary to trim the team’s roster to 53 players by Tuesday afternoon’s deadline.
While a couple dozen players will be released over the next two days, many will return on the team’s 16-player practice squad. After the waiver period expires on Wednesday, the Packers can start building out the practice squad.
Packers Wire will track all the cuts made to get down to 53 players by Tuesday here:
Cuts by position
QB: Sean Clifford, Michael Pratt
RB: Nate McCrary, Ellis Merriweather
WR: Samori Toure, Jalen Wayne, Julian Hicks, Dimitri Stanley, Grant DuBose
TE: Joel Wilson, Messiah Swinson, Henry Pearson (FB)
OL: Caleb Jones, Luke Tenuta, Lecitus Smith, Royce Newman, Donovan Jennings
DE: Deslin Alexandre
DL: James Ester, Spencer Waege, Keonte Schad
LB: Chris Russell Jr., Kristian Welch, Christian Young, Ralen Goforth
CB: Robert Rochell, Kalen King, Gemon Green, LJ Davis
S: Anthony Johnson Jr., Benny Sapp III
K: Anders Carlson, Alex Hale
P:
LS:
List of reported cuts
OL Donovan Jennings: The Packers will release offensive lineman Donovan Jennings, per Ryan Wood of PackersNews.com.
FB Henry Pearson: The Packers will release fullback/tight end Henry Pearson, per Bill Huber of SI.com.
OL Royce Newman: The Packers will release offensive lineman Royce Newman, per Matt Schneidman of The Athletic. A 16-game starter as a rookie, Newman never took a developmental step and gradually fell down the depth chart.
RB Ellis Merriweather: The Packers will release running back Ellis Merriweather, per Matt Schneidman of The Athletic. Merriweather ran hard during the preseason and could be a good practice squad option.
OL Lecitus Smith: The Packers will release offensive lineman Lecitus Smith, per Ryan Wood of PackersNews.com.
DL James Ester: The Packers will release rookie defensive lineman James Ester, per Ryan Wood of PackersNews.com.
QB Michael Pratt: The Packers will release rookie quarterback Michael Pratt, per Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. Like Sean Clifford, Pratt — a seventh-round pick in 2024 — failed to win the backup quarterback job. He is a prime practice squad candidate.
QB Sean Clifford: The Packers will release quarterback Sean Clifford, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. A 2023 fifth-round pick, Clifford spent last year as Jordan Love’s backup. He struggled throughout the summer, and the Packers changed course by trading for Malik Willis.
DE Deslin Alexandre: The Packers will release defensive end Deslin Alexandre, per Matt Schneidman of The Athletic.
LB Kristian Welch: The Packers will release linebacker Kristian Welch, per Bill Huber of SI.com. Keeping six linebackers would have been tough, but this is still a bit of surprise. Welch, a Wisconsin native, was one of the preseason standouts.
LB Chris Russell Jr.: The Packers will release rookie linebacker Chris Russell Jr., per Ryan Wood of PackersNews.com.
WR Dimitri Stanley: The Packers will release rookie receiver Dimitri Stanley, per Bill Huber of SI.com.
RB Nate McCrary: The Packers will release running back Nate McCrary but expect him back on the practice squad, per Ryan Wood of PackersNews.com.
WR Julian Hicks: The Packers will release rookie receiver Julian Hicks, per Bill Huber of SI.com. Huber says Hicks will be back on the practice squad.
TE Messiah Swinson: The Packers will release rookie tight end Messiah Swinson, an undrafted free agent out of Arizona State, per Ryan Wood of PackersNews.com.
OL Luke Tenuta: The Packers will release offensive lineman Luke Tenuta, per Bill Huber of SI.com. He missed most of last season with an ankle injury.
WR Jalen Wayne: The Packers will release receiver Jalen Wayne, per Ryan Wood of PackersNews.com.
TE Joel Wilson: The Packers will release tight end Joel Wilson, per Ryan Wood of PackersNews.com. Wilson is a candidate to return on the practice squad.
K Anders Carlson: The Packers will release kicker Anders Carlson, per Rob Demovsky of ESPN. The incumbent at kicker had another up-and-down summer, necessitating the need to find a new option to start 2024.
OT Caleb Jones: The Packers will release offensive tackle Caleb Jones, per Matt Schneidman of The Athletic. In the search for a swing tackle, Jones never emerged. He was a third-stringer for much of camp. It’s possible he’ll return on the practice squad.
WR Samori Toure: The Packers will release wide receiver Samori Toure, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN. Toure, a seventh-round pick in 2022, played in 22 games over the last two seasons, catching 13 passes. He got stuck in a deep receiver group.
One day before the cut deadline, the Packers traded a seventh-round pick to the Tennessee Titans for quarterback Malik Willis, a 2022 third-rounder who is now expected to be Jordan Love’s backup.
