Packers 53-man roster predictions after preseason
Defensive line (5)
Kenny Clark, Dean Lowry, Montravius Adams, Kingsley Keke, Tyler Lancaster
Five players on the defensive line might be a bit light, even in a 3-4 defense, lineman depth isn’t quite as necessary. I think the Packers can afford to go a little light at the depth of the defensive line because they will be able to put Za’Darius Smith and Rashan Gary on the line in passing downs.
Defensive coordinator Mike Pettine likes to go with formations with more players in the secondary, so it won’t be too often that there will even be three defensive linemen in at a time.
Kenny Clark should continue to be a stud in the middle and Adams has really shown a lot of improvement this preseason, earning praise from Pettine too. Dean Lowry just signed an extension at the beginning of camp and will continue to be starting at defensive end. Kingsley Keke had a great preseason too. He is looking like an absolute steal for a fifth-round pick.
I think Deon Simon is a candidate for the practice squad this year. If someone were to get hurt, Simon is a player that can come in and be a player on the defensive line for the Packers.
Linebackers (9)
Blake Martinez, Oren Burks, Curtis Bolton*, Ty Summers, James Crawford, Za’Darius Smith, Preston Smith, Rashan Gary, Kyler Fackrell
Inside linebacker is a little bit of a problem. Martinez will be a stud in the middle, but then the depth drops off. Burks will hopefully be back sooner rather than later after his pec injury in the first preseason game.
Undrafted rookie Curtis Bolton looked like a nice surprise in camp before he injured his knee, and it is still not known how long he will be out. That leaves seventh-round pick Ty Summers, who has shown some flashes, but also that he isn’t ready to play yet, and James Crawford, who is almost exclusively a special teams-type of a player.
It will be interesting to see how active GM Brian Gutekunst will be to get some depth at the inside linebacker position. There are some veterans like Mason Foster out there, but I think it would be beneficial to see if a vet like Kiko Alonso gets cut before he makes a move.
This outside linebacker position is an exciting group this year. The Smiths will see a lot of playing time this year and Gary will be sprinkled in there too. Fackrell, who led the team in sacks this year was a fringe player who just made the list on my predictions. The Packers have a lot more depth and skill at this position than they did a year ago.