Packers: Predicting which players make 53-man roster on offense
By Dillon Graff
Wide receiver (6)
In: Davante Adams, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Allen Lazard, Randall Cobb, Amari Rodgers, Devin Funchess
Out: Juwann Winfree, Malik Taylor, Equanimeous St. Brown, Reggie Begelton, DeAndre Thompkins, Chris Blair
Out of all the offensive position groups fighting for jobs, the wide receiver room might be the most competitive. As it stands there are five locks on the roster (Davante Adams, MVS, Allen Lazard, Randall Cobb, Amari Rodgers), which leaves just one spot up for grabs.
Right now I lean towards Devin Funchess as the last man in due to his experience and having years of decent productivity for Carolina under his belt. I think he is a low-risk, moderate-reward option that’s on a cheap contract. If the Packers were to suffer a multi-week injury to one of their more proven options, one would assume you’d feel better about Funchess stepping into those snaps over some of the alternatives.
The three others that have a chance to be the sixth player kept are Juwann Winfree, Malik Taylor, and EQ. Winfree has been a camp darling thus far and someone who could very well make the 53. He’ll have to find the mix of proving his worth on special teams and also being a viable option at receiver to make the roster. He does have a quick release off the line and has good size (6-foot-1, 210 pounds), so I wouldn’t write him off just yet.
Then you have Taylor, whom the Packers had on the active roster all of last season, which is worth noting. Taylor has an intriguing size/speed combination (4.46 40-yard dash) and a RAS of 8.36 to go along with his 6-foot-2, 220-pound frame.
He was a core special teams player last year and that figures to be his meal ticket to making the roster again in 2021. For Taylor, I think it comes down to whether or not the Packers have enough core special team players sprinkled throughout the roster to keep someone like Funchess who won’t play ST. Because if they don’t, Taylor absolutely has a chance to make the roster.
EQ is someone who, it pains me to say, I was wrong about. It seemed as though all of the intangibles were there to develop into an NFL contributor. Four years later, it just hasn’t materialized, whether it be injuries or just failure to translate on the field. It would appear he is very clearly on the outside looking in at this point.