Packers: Tuesday is deadline to finalize 53-man roster

The deadline for the Green Bay Packers to finalize their 53-man roster is almost here.

According to NFL Football Operations, all teams must have their roster set at 53 players by 3 p.m. CT on Tuesday.

Between now and then, Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst will make some difficult decisions.

Not only will he need to determine who the best 53 players are, but also decide which players he aims to re-sign to the practice squad.

To bring a player back to the practice squad, they must first clear waivers. So any player the Packers cut in the next day could end up on a new team. That’s the risk.

If there’s a player Gutekunst doesn’t want to risk losing, or a player he feels may draw interest elsewhere, it would make sense to keep them on the 53-man roster.

However, there may be players Gutekunst likes but believes will clear waivers. In that case, he can confidently cut that player before Tuesday’s deadline, knowing there’s a good chance he will be able to re-sign them to the practice squad later in the week.

Will the Packers keep three running backs on the roster, or will they just keep two with the expectation that Tyler Goodson and/or Patrick Taylor clear waivers?

In most cases, players on the roster bubble clear waivers. Every team has players they want to bring back. The Packers will be interested in re-signing many of their own players, and it’s the same for every other team.

That doesn’t mean Gutekunst won’t bring in a player from another team. He absolutely could.

But first, the Packers must determine which players will make the initial 53-man roster and which players they believe will clear waivers and make it back to the practice squad.

It’s going to be an interesting couple of days.