Here we are. It feels like only five minutes ago that the Green Bay Packers were arriving for training camp after a long offseason. Just like that, it's the final countdown to roster cutdown day.
The Packers will conclude training camp with the Arizona Cardinals in a joint practice before hosting them at Lambeau Field for the preseason finale on Friday night. It's the last chance for many on the roster bubble to prove why they deserve a spot on the 53, and for others to halt their plummeting stock.
It's the latter that we're focused on today. A lot has changed since camp began. For some, like Jager Burton, Anthony Campbell, and Jacob Monk, their stock has soared. For others, though, it's a different story as cutdown day approaches.
These four Packers are under pressure in the final week of the preseason
Tyrod Taylor
Tyrod Taylor has struggled in both preseason games. Enough for the Packers to reconsider their options at the QB2 spot? Probably not, but it's hard to say that with any kind of certainty.
Outside of one nice throw on a touchdown pass to Will Sheppard, it's been tough viewing when Taylor is under center in the warm-up contests. He has completed just 50 percent of his passes for 38 yards and a touchdown. He is missing open receivers and struggling to get the offense in any kind of rhythm. His 46.7 PFF passing grade says it all.
Kyle McCord has outplayed the veteran in the preseason, but it would still be a major shock if Green Bay kept McCord over Taylor. That doesn't mean the 37-year-old is safe on the roster just yet, though. The Packers aren't afraid to look for outside help at quarterback at the end of the preseason. That's exactly what Brian Gutekunst did two years ago when he traded a seventh-round pick for Malik Willis.
It's likely still Taylor's job, but the Packers will have a decision to make if he delivers another underwhelming performance. Gutekunst will have options at quarterback.
Carrington Valentine
Brandon Cisse's arrival in the second round of April's draft was always going to put Carrington Valentine under immense pressure, but this summer couldn't have gone any worse for the 2023 seventh-round pick.
Valentine has missed a huge part of training camp and both preseason games due to a hamstring injury, and he's had to watch Cisse soar to the top of the depth chart. The Packers' rookie looks like the real deal, and he may already be their CB1.
What's next for Valentine? That's the tough part to figure out. Keisean Nixon will likely remain a starter alongside Cisse. Valentine also faces competition from free-agent addition Benjamin St-Juste, who has quietly enjoyed a solid camp, although he's now dealing with his own hamstring issue.
Will Valentine have to settle for a backup job? Could he get traded? Time will tell.
Anthony Belton
Anthony Belton isn't in danger of losing a roster spot, but he likely won't be a starter this season.
Belton began the summer as the overwhelming favorite to start at right guard. Nobody saw Jacob Monk taking the job from him.
Monk has played 57 career snaps in two years. The Packers have barely trusted him in regular-season action, and he was enduring a disastrous preseason this time last year. But the third-year lineman has stepped up this summer and now appears to be the frontrunner for the starting gig.
What does it mean for Belton? Nobody seems to know his best position.
The 2025 second-round pick played tackle in college. The Packers believed he could play inside and made him their starting right guard at the back end of his rookie season. But now, Matt LaFleur believes tackle comes more naturally to Belton, and that's where he has played in the preseason.
Except there are no openings at tackle. He may have to settle for the main backup job behind Jordan Morgan and Zach Bako-Bewele, which is a less-than-ideal scenario for a second-round pick who entered training camp as the starting right guard.
Matt Orzech
If it ain't broke, don't fix it. That should be the message for the Packers' kicking unit right now. Trey Smack is booting field goals directly down the middle from about a mile out. It's a team effort, starting with the long snapper.
The problem is that veteran Matt Orzech has missed all of training camp, and LaFleur didn't sound optimistic that he'll return to practice this week.
Orzech remains on the PUP list, so there's no urgent rush to make a decision, but how can the Packers cut Cal Adomitis now? It's working. He has built chemistry with Smack and holder Daniel Whelan. Orzech, meanwhile, could enter Week 1 with no training camp or preseason reps. That's tough.
When the Packers signed Adomitis in the first week of camp, it felt like a temporary move for a few days until Orzech returned. But it's almost cutdown day. The best ability is availability, and Adomitis has taken full advantage of Orzech's absence.
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