Green Bay Packers’ 53-man roster prediction
By Kenn Korb
Linebacker
* = starter; + = roster spot
* Clay Matthews
* Julius Peppers
* Sam Barrington
+ Nick Perry
+ Carl Bradford
+ Jayrone Elliott
Joe Thomas
+ Jake Ryan
Beniquez Brown
+ Kyler Fackrell
+ Blake Martinez
Reggie Gilbert
Wide receiver has been highly discussed as a loaded spot on this roster, but the choices here are at least as tough.
Matthews is a lock of course, and with him returning to outside linebacker full-time we should see him at his best much more often than we did while he’s spent time manning the ILB spot the past year & and half; though he’s done a mostly admirable job in his time there — and is better than the other options in recent years — his efficiency dropped and his effectiveness was limited. There are an assortment of guys who can play ILB now, so he can focus on what he does best: rushing the passer like a wild beast.
Peppers is also a lock, and his ageless abilities will continue to work opposite Matthews to form a dynamic two-man attack.
Due to using nickel as the base for this roster build, there is only one other starter to consider. There is a lot to like from the assortment of players there, but for now, it seems Barrington would be the best option there. He’s currently worked as the ILB in both the base and nickel defenses, so it would make sense that he at least begins the season in that role.
Past the starters, there is still plenty of talent to go around.
Martinez has received plenty of rave reviews already, and has worked as the dime linebacker; with time, he could elevate himself to an even bigger role on the defense. Ryan did a decent job when he got elevated towards the end of last season, and once he puts his offseason injury struggles behind him he’ll be another capable option for sharing ILB snaps with Barrington and Martinez.
On the outside, Perry will look to make an impact getting snaps rushing the passer behind Matthews and Peppers; his play against the run makes him a valuable option on early downs in Peppers’ stead too. With this being a contract year for him as well, he’ll be a player to watch for a possible big year from. Behind him, though he hasn’t had the kind of preseason he showed the previous two years, Elliott has done enough in the past to be worth another shot. It also helps that his likely main competition for a spot, Lerentee McCray, was traded to the Bills.
Of the players left, taking a player for each area is a good idea from a team-building perspective. On the outside, it seems likely that despite he’s not really stood out yet Fackrell will be given a shot. He should do better as he gets further removed from the torn ACL he suffered back in college. It also helps his case that teams rarely give up on third rounders in their first year. Inside, the choice falls between Bradford and Thomas. Bradford has been kept around despite struggling mightily to find a role the past two years; Thomas has spent time being relied on as needed for this team as other options fell short. Though Thomas has been more reliable to date, the fact that the team kept with Bradford through his struggles — and that he’s finally showing positive signs of competency in the middle — it appears likely Bradford has the edge here.