When the Green Bay Packers finalized their initial 53-man roster, all 11 players from the team’s 2022 draft class ended up making the squad. Keeping all 11 players is a sign that Green Bay general manager Brian Gutekunst knows what he’s doing and that he will do it his way with his guys.
Dominoes that indicated Gutekunst might be taking the roster in this direction began to fall throughout Monday into Tuesday. Three moves stood out in particular:
- Opting to release Jack Heflin off the defensive line after a strong preseason
- Parting ways with Juwann Winfree despite a vote of confidence from Aaron Rodgers
- And cutting the massive human being that is Caleb Jones, crossing their fingers that they can bring him back on the practice squad.
From a layman’s perspective, each of those decisions came down to what seemed like a coin flip between each player and one of Gutekunst’s draft picks. Heflin, and Chris Slayton to some extent, were competing with Jonathan Ford, who the Packers took in the seventh round.
Ford stands 6’5” and was just a bit over 330 lbs. during draft season. The defensive lineman out of the University of Miami will attempt to learn from the likes of Kenny Clark and Jarran Reed about how to utilize that size. Heflin had a much more steady preseason, popping with some big plays, like this tackle for loss against the Kansas City Chiefs last week. You’d be hard-pressed to find many individuals in the know who would say that Ford is the better player than Heflin at the moment. Still, Ford is the guy who sticks for now, whether for the contractual benefit or some other reason.
I’m not sure that Aaron Rodgers’ infatuation with Juwann Winfree ever reached Jake Kumerow levels, but it was a bit of a surprise to see Gutekunst go against his quarterback. Rodgers had identified Winfree as a standout on at least three occasions throughout the preseason. Winfree has eight total catches in his three-year NFL career, but he showed a willingness on special teams that will be paramount for someone competing to be the seventh or eighth man in the wideout group.
Another Packers seventh-rounder, Samori Toure, did everything he could to secure his spot on the team. He tallied nine catches for 125 yards in the three preseason games. Toure showed the explosion that his 4.4 speed allows for and his willingness to play in the slot, which will be imperative for the Green Bay offense. This decision isn’t so much about keeping Toure over Winfree. It’s more about not keeping both. Once again, Gutekunst stuck with his guy.
It likely will be difficult to evaluate the decision to keep seventh-round pick Rasheed Walker over Caleb Jones. The hope is that neither will be called up to be a significant contributor on the Packers’ offensive line. However, as we’ve seen recently, having competent backup linemen is an absolute necessity during the dregs of the NFL season.
Walker over Jones seemed to come down to sheer size versus athleticism. Green Bay values the latter trait so much. Walker is somehow the smaller of the two at 6’6” and 320 lbs. He’s also better on his feet, proving it with a pressure-free 35 snaps against the Chiefs to close out the preseason. Jones is 6’9” and listed at 370 lbs. That size isn’t definitely something you can’t teach. Visions of Yosh Nijman-like development weren’t hard to conjure; he could have become a literal and figurative anchor on the offensive line. While that may still happen, depending on whether he’s snatched up from the practice squad, Nijman won’t get the protections of being on the 53-man roster. Once again, the draft pick wins out over the project.
As it stood Tuesday night, just over 20% of the roster comes from the 2022 draft class alone. It’s an astounding feat in a vacuum, but that’s not how these things work. Gutekunst should feel great about a number of picks. Quay Walker is an absolute animal. Zach Tom has been great. Some especially zealous fans are already measuring Romeo Doubs for a gold jacket. With some time for development, Devonte Wyatt and Christian Watson could dazzle. Add in some steady contributions from Sean Rhyan, Kingsley Enagbare, and Tariq Carpenter, and this is already a home run of a draft class.
Keeping Ford, Toure, and Walker isn’t necessarily all bravado by Gutekunst. You can make a case for all three to stay on the roster. On the other hand, if the Packers had cut all three, I don’t think there would have been an uproar, given the solid performances from Heflin, Winfree, and Jones.
Time will tell how this plays out for Gutekunst and the Packers. That aforementioned home run could turn into a grand slam if all 11 picks are contributors. But if Heflin gets away and the defensive line suffers, or if Jones is a brick wall somewhere else in a year or two, Green Bay fans will rightfully get to raise an eyebrow at Tuesday’s decisions.
