Life is good in Green Bay these days. The Packers look like they may be back, and ready for another postseason push. But some of the current cast of characters may not be around, including three players who are cut candidates for the Packers' roster as the team prepares for training camp.
It's a mix of quarterback (Sean Clifford), running back (Emanuel Wilson), and place-kicker (Greg Joseph) as the Packers have to make tough decisions to prepare for the final regular season roster.
Clifford may seem like a stretch because he's second on the depth chart. But if Green Bay brings in a veteran like Ryan Tannehill and Teddy Bridgewater, Clifford faces emergency-quarterback status or is left off the roster in favor of Michael Pratt, a rookie out of Tulane.
The problems for Packers' QB Sean Clifford
The second-year player out of Penn State had a rough go of things during OTAs. According to lombardiave.com, Clifford tossed three interceptions at one Tuesday practice session and added another on Wednesday.
Also working against Clifford, Pratt has turned some heads in a positive direction. Selected in the seventh round despite being considered a mid-round pick in pre-draft circles, Pratt looks like he might have the right makeup to challenge for an NFL backup job.
Pack-a-Day Podcast guy Andy Herman had this to say about Pratt, “I am already so impressed with how Michael Pratt manages everything as a QB. Not on the same page with Toure. Points at himself. Go talks to Toure after the play and dabs him up. Have seen a lot of this from him already. You can tell the leadership potential he has. He’s been slinging it today too.”
If you're Clifford, it has to be hard for those things to roll off your back. When you're struggling, you don't really want the understudy to light the world on fire. The whole “I'm just in it for the team” comes after you actually make the team.
As a playoff contender, Green Bay must have a solid backup for Jordan Love. He started all 19 games last year, and that's tough for an NFL quarterback to do year in and year out. Injuries happen. Sixty-six quarterbacks started games in the NFL in 2023, including one quarterback who started for two different teams.
And while Pratt may not be the answer, he appears to be the sub-answer to whoever the Packers might claim off the free-agent wire. And that would leave Clifford out the door.
Youth, free agents push RB Emanuel Wilson toward cut
When Josh Jacobs signed a free-agent deal with the Packers, other hopefuls took a step back.
Included in that mix was Wilson, who finds himself fourth on the depth chart seemingly with one foot out the door. He's also behind A.J. Dillon and MarShawn Lloyd. The 5-foot-11, 226-pound Wilson earned a roster spot in 2023 as an undrafted free agent, but it may be a tougher road this year.
It appeared the Packers would part ways with Dillon, but they brought him back. And reports out of Green Bay suggest he's ready to rock. Then there's the case of Lloyd, who drew this praise from Love on si.com.
“You can see just how instinctual he is, his cuts, things like that. He’s like a little rocket back there. I think when we get live, he’s going to be a hard guy to tackle and bring down. There’s definitely going to be room for him to get in that lineup and make plays.”
And that means less chance for Wilson to get on the field.
Kicker battle may not go Greg Joseph's way
Joseph can kick from distance — he's made 15 field goals from 50 yards or better over the last three seasons — and he's going to land somewhere if the Packers don't keep him around. Washington seems like a good bet for a landing spot in that scenario.
To stay in Green Bay, Joseph will have to beat out Anders Carlson. Green Bay drafted Carlson in the sixth round of 2026, and he made 27 of 33 field goal attempts — though he missed almost as many extra points (34 of 39) as three-point attempts.
Also, the Packers added James Turner to the squad, perhaps to push Carlson or maybe because Turner has a shot at landing the kicking gig, too. Overall, the common consensus is Joseph won't make it through the cut gauntlet.'
What makes the Packers' roster unique?
Despite being a team ranked in the upper echelon of the NFL power rankings, the Packers are a young bunch. They were the youngest team in the NFL last season and might grab that distinction again this year.
According to si.com, an examination of NFL rosters on Day 1 of OTAs, the Packers had a league-low one player over the age of 30. No other team had fewer than four players aged 30 or over.
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