Cracking the Green Bay Packers' roster in 2024 is going to be tough. The competition is already proving to be fierce as the team has gone through OTAs and mandatory minicamp, which means we've now reached the lull between offseason work and training camp. The NFL season is nearly upon us.
In this down time, Packers head coach Matt LaFleur and his staff are going to be pouring over the practice tape from the last handful of weeks. LaFleur, along with general manager Brian Gutekunst, will already undoubtedly be starting the process of grading and ranking players on the 90-man roster and which guys are going to be in the team's plans this season and which ones aren't.
As of the end of mandatory minicamp, which players' roster spots could be in jeopardy?
Packers players in danger of losing their roster spots this summer
1. Sean Clifford, quarterback
To say it's been a tough OTAs for Sean Clifford might be an understatement. There's nothing wrong with quarterbacks throwing an interception or two at practice, but Clifford threw three interceptions at Packers minicamp at their Tuesday practice session and another interception at their Wednesday practice session. Four interceptions in two days is a bit much, and it's going to open the door more than just a crack for 2024 seventh-round pick Michael Pratt.
I am already so impressed with how Michael Pratt manages everything as a QB. Not on the same page with Toure. Points at himself. Go talks to Toure after the play and dabs him up. Have seen a lot of this from him already. You can tell the leadership potential he has. He’s been…
— Andy Herman (@AndyHermanNFL) June 11, 2024
Pratt was an NFL Draft steal for the Packers in 2024 in the seventh round. There were a number of people talking about him as a third-to-fourth-round pick at the very worst, and Green Bay scooped him up after an inexplicable fall to the bottom of the draft.
Given the fact that Pratt has been impressive and Clifford has gone the opposite direction, the 2023 fifth-round pick could very well be on the proverbial chopping block when the Packers reconvene for training camp in July.
2. Emanuel Wilson, running back
One of the most interesting position groups on the Green Bay Packers roster this year is the running back position. Obviously, the headliner here is free-agent acquisition Josh Jacobs, who will be expected to carry the majority of the load. But behind him, there have been some major question marks all offseason regarding former second-round pick AJ Dillon.
Not many people expected Dillon to come back in the first place, especially not after the team signed Jacobs. But the Packers found a unique way to make it happen, and Dillon is in the rotation this offseason. And according to practice onlookers, he showed up in great shape and is obviously motivated by his situation.
Which is to say, the pressure is very firmly on Emanuel Wilson to come through and perform at training camp. The 2023 undrafted star found his way onto the Packers' roster last year, and he's going to have to scrape and claw his way onto the team once again in 2024.
The addition of MarShawn Lloyd in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft further complicates Wilson's chances. He's going to have to play really good ball in the preseason and look at it as an audition for all 31 other teams.
3. Royce Newman, guard
At this point, what can be said about Royce Newman that hasn't already been said? If you look at a list of Packers players who are on the hot seat, the chopping block, whose jobs are in jeopardy -- Newman's going to be on it.
There's a reason for it -- he simply hasn't been very good when called upon. At all.
The Packers invested heavily in the offensive line during the 2024 NFL Draft, including in the first round with the selection of Jordan Morgan. They added multiple late-round players in Jacob Monk and Travis Glover. They signed tackle Andre Dillard, a former first-round pick. The odds are stacked against Newman with training camp on the horizon.
4. Greg Joseph, kicker
The Green Bay Packers have to be the only or one of very few NFL teams right now with three kickers on their 90-man roster. But bringing in legitimate competition for 2023 sixth-round pick Anders Carlson was obviously important to head coach Matt LaFleur.
Carlson has reportedly been responding well to the added competition, which includes veteran Greg Joseph, a player who is firmly on the roster hot seat with training camp looming. Carlson has been responding well to the added competition, and Joseph isn't just competing against the incumbent. He's also competing against Jack Podlesny, and the Packers have been looking into the idea of signing UFL star kicker (no, really) Jake Bates.
Joseph is the elder of the kicker group, but the Packers might try to trim that group down to just two guys during training camp, and that's not a terrible idea. Heck, keeping three might not be a bad idea. Teams with bad kicking situations trade late-round picks for kickers all the time these days.
5. Samori Toure, wide receiver
Someone's not going to make it at receiver for the Packers. This team is simply too loaded at the wide receiver position, and Samori Toure could be using the remainder of the offseason to audition for the 31 other NFL teams.
And I bet he'd get scooped up pretty quickly.
Toure is likely in competition for just one spot at the bottom of the depth chart, and it sounds like Bo Melton has been carrying over some strong momentum from last year. When the head coach is talking about you like this...
"He's done an outstanding job," said LaFleur. "He is so disciplined in his approach and how he is, and he's so consistent on a daily basis. He brings so much value. He brings a lot of energy to our team."
It seems like Melton has a little bit more than just an "edge" over a guy like Toure right now. The Packers have a loaded receiver room and even though Melton is near the bottom of the depth chart, it's difficult to imagine him not having a role this season. For Toure, it might take a huge splash on special teams to keep his hopes of staying in Green Bay alive.