The best general managers are constantly looking for ways to improve their roster. Brian Gutekunst has been quoted multiple times saying that roster building is a 365-day-a-year job, and we have seen him use all major avenues throughout his tenure to acquire assets, whether they are players or draft picks.
While he has traded two Packers legends, Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams, Gutekunst also tends to make middle- to end-of-the-roster trades as training camp winds down. Since we are still in the pre-training camp slow time, it’s a perfect opportunity to analyze a brief history of his training-camp trades and look at some of the players the Packers may trade in the weeks to come.
While Gutekunst hasn’t made blockbuster trades during training camp, acquiring assets for a player who no longer fits into your plans is undoubtedly a better option than releasing them for nothing.
One of Gutekunst’s bigger training-camp trades was at the end of camp in 2021 when he traded struggling cornerback Josh Jackson to the New York Giants cornerback Isaac Yiadom, who also wasn’t playing well. Jackson never met the expectations as the 45th-overall draft pick in 2018.
While Yiadom only stayed in Green Bay for one season, he was a valuable special teams player and played well for the New Orleans Saints last year, while Jackson has been out of football since 2022. Ultimately, Green Bay won that trade.
Not all of his trades are as noteworthy or involve a player-for-player swap. Over the last few years, Gutekunst netted valuable draft picks for players such as Cole Van Lanen, Ka’dar Hollman, Trevor Davis, Justin McCray, and Reggie Gilbert. While getting late-round picks isn’t going to guarantee a championship, all four of these players had their paths blocked to the roster at the time of their trade, so getting anything for them has to be considered a success.
With all this being said, let’s see who could possibly be joining this list at summer’s end.
Eric Stokes
While most assume Stokes, who is entering training camp fully healthy, will slide into a starting corner across from Jaire Alexander, seeing Gutekunst shop him toward the end of camp wouldn’t be shocking. Carrington Valentine showed plenty of promise last year filling in for the injured Stokes and is on a team-friendly deal as a seventh-round pick.
The Packers also brought back Corey Ballentine and Robert Rochell as depth options, even guaranteeing the former $500,000 in his contract. They also drafted Kalen King in the seventh round. While that may not seem like much competition, the Packers are unafraid of throwing late-round picks out there, a lá Valentine a season ago.
Suddenly, Green Bay’s cornerback room has plenty of capable options. The team also declined Stokes’ fifth-year player option as a former first-round pick in 2021, so now might be the time to gain any assets for their former top pick.
Royce Newman
Newman is entering the final season of his rookie contract as a former fourth-round draft pick in 2021, and he stands to count $3 million against the salary cap this season. While he has been a versatile option for Green Bay who can play multiple positions across the O-line, the Packers invested heavily into their offensive line during the 2024 draft with the selection of three players in Jordan Morgan, Jacob Monk, and Travis Glover.
The first two can play on the interior, where Newman primarily played during his NFL career. Offensive line depth is always in demand, and while Newman has not been stellar, earning a PFF[1] grade of 44.3 over his 183 offensive snaps last year, he does have starting experience and is only 26 years old. If a team loses some of their depth due to preseason or camp injuries, don’t be surprised if they dangle a late-round pick at Green Bay for Newman’s services.
A.J. Dillon
One of the more surprising moves of the off-season for Green Bay was bringing back A.J. Dillon, the unofficial “Mayor of Door County.” While they did not break the bank, only including $200,000 guaranteed in his one-year deal, he might still find himself as the odd man out in the running back room.
The Packers spent a lot of money bringing in Josh Jacobs from the Las Vegas Raiders as their workhorse No. 1 back. Jacobs led the NFL in carries in 2022 with 340 attempts, so they won’t be looking to take him off the field as much as Aaron Jones was last season, limiting the opportunities Dillon might have.
They also spent a third-round pick on dynamic former USC running back MarShawn Lloyd, who turned heads during the offseason program. If Lloyd can prove he is a reliable blocker and pass-catcher out of the backfield, it’s safe to assume he will slide in as Green Bay’s backup option for Jacobs.
The team is also bringing back Emanuel Wilson, who they retained on the 53-man roster throughout 2023, and intriguing UDFA Jarveon Howard. Even though Dillon has stated he doesn’t want to play anywhere besides Green Bay, he may lose his spot to younger, more dynamic playmakers on the Packers roster.
Sean Clifford
The backup quarterback position will be one of the biggest positional battles of camp. Seventh-round pick Michael Pratt will provide last year’s backup, Sean Clifford, with some newfound competition. While you can make a solid argument that Clifford will win the spot due to his familiarity with the system and because he was just a fifth-round pick a year ago, moving on from him might be deemed premature.
However, teams don’t usually keep three quarterbacks on 53-man rosters anymore. Instead, they prefer to stash their third on the practice squad. We know that Gutekunst doesn’t like to move on from draft picks within their first year of being drafted, even seventh-rounders.
Suppose Pratt has a better or even equivalent in camp and preseason to Clifford. Then it’s hard to see the Packers releasing him, and with numbers needed at other positions such as offensive line, linebacker, and safety, carrying three quarterbacks might not make sense. Green Bay would likely get more for Clifford in a trade than Pratt. He has a year more experience and a higher draft stock, and there just aren’t many quality backups to go around these days. Look for the loser of this battle to get put firmly on the end-of-camp trading block.
