Predicting which Packers will sit out of Packers' preseason finale vs. Ravens

The Green Bay Packers will host the Baltimore Ravens in their preseason finale at Lambeau Field, and it remains to be seen who will play. Head coach Matt LaFleur is keeping his cards close to the vest throughout the week.

After the Packers' starters played one drive in Cleveland, they sat out against Denver. There is a case to be made for sitting guys to keep them healthy for the regular season or to play them and keep them sharp.

Until a formal decision comes from the powers that be at 1265, let's take a look at who should play and who should sit.

Who should Packers sit in final preseason game vs. Ravens?

Packers should sit most of their offensive starters

• Jordan Love, Josh Jacobs, AJ Dillon, Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs, Jayden Reed, Dontayvion Wicks, Luke Musgrave, Elgton Jenkins, Rasheed Walker

There is nothing more anyone needs to see from any of these guys. Put them in bubble wrap and keep them healthy for the regular season. Green Bay has a couple of position battles that need to be seen to figure out how this roster rounds out. Jacobs, Watson, and Musgrave were dinged up in the 2023 season, so there's no need to gamble with them on a game that does not matter.

Normally, it would be nice to see AJ Dillon play a bit given the roster situation, but with him nursing another stinger, the injury that ended his season early last year, there is no need to risk it with him either. Jenkins and Walker are locked in on the ever-important left side of the line and don't have anything to prove.

Packers offensive players who should play a series or two

• Bo Melton, Tucker Kraft, Josh Myers, Jordan Morgan, Sean Rhyan, Zach Tom

Tucker Kraft normally would be in the should sit-out category, but he hasn't gotten game reps after slowly coming back from an injury he sustained in the offseason. It would be encouraging to see him for at least a series or two before the start of the regular season.

Josh Myers could always use some reps, and it would be nice to see how he can mesh with the right side. Speaking of the right side, Jordan Morgan returned to practice after an injury that kept him out of game action against Cleveland and Denver. Similar thinking here; get him some game reps to determine if it will be him or Sean Rhyan starting the season at right guard. Zach Tom gets some work to build chemistry with Myers and Morgan or Rhyan.

Packers defensive players who should sit out of preseason finale

• Preston Smith, Rashan Gary, Kenny Clark, TJ Slaton, Quay Walker, Jaire Alexander, Eric Stokes, Carrington Valentine, Xavier McKinney, Keisean Nixon

Once again, this is a list of proven NFL guys who don't have much to prove by playing against Baltimore. Keep them healthy, and make sure their passports are ready for the Week 1 matchup against Philadelphia in Brazil.

The Packers have a wealth of depth up front, and realistically if Lukas Van Ness, Devonte Wyatt, and Karl Brooks don't end up playing, many Cheeseheads will not be upset. These are also proven guys that don't necessarily need the reps.

Packers defensive players who should play a series or two

• Lukas Van Ness, Devonte Wyatt, Karl Brooks, Ty'Ron Hopper, Isaiah McDuffie, Eric Wilson, Corey Ballentine, Javon Bullard, Evan Williams

If the starters don't play, these guys may be de facto starters and play for a series or two. As for Hopper, McDuffie, and Wilson, Green Bay is still figuring out who will start alongside Quay Walker in the new defense.

Edgerrin Cooper would likely be a lock but has missed most of camp with an injury. McDuffie has been around the block and would likely be one of the guys to start, leaving a slight battle between Hopper and Wilson. Both are likely to get significant special teams work and may end up rotating in. Still, extra game reps would not hurt.

Javon Bullard and Evan Williams have both been standouts in training camp and are on this list only for the idea of having Bullard get some extra nickel work with Williams playing safety.

Biggest roster battles for Packers in preseason finale vs. Ravens

Backup quarterback: Jordan Love absolutely should sit out against Baltimore. The highest-paid quarterback in NFL history has nothing to prove and needs to stay healthy for the Packers to consider contending for a Super Bowl.

Green Bay needs to figure out what it is doing at the backup spot, and so far, more questions than answers remain. Barring a trade or waiver pickup, Michael Pratt or Sean Clifford will be QB2 of this team. Pratt did work with the twos in the Packers' joint practice with Baltimore on Thursday and should get his shot with the unit to see if he can best Clifford's efforts against Denver.

Fourth running back or tight end: Three guys are battling for what could be two spots. Running back Emanuel Wilson and tight ends Ben Sims and Tyler Davis will be in a dogfight for the last spots on the Packers' offense. Wilson faces the same issue he overcame last year: depth at a key position.

Josh Jacobs and MarShawn Lloyd are locks for the roster, and barring a major injury that would cause the team to release him, AJ Dillon should be as well. Wilson has certainly continued to prove his worth for this franchise and could be an impact guy, especially if Lloyd and/or Dillon end up missing the early part of the season with injuries.

As for the tight ends, Sims and Davis could be battling for one spot if Green Bay decides to keep Wilson. Sims can do a bit of everything, having flourished on offense as the Packers' blocking specialist tight end, and he can serve as an H-back and filled in pretty well on special teams last season. Davis, on the other hand, has struggled offensively, but the Packers do have a knack for keeping at least a couple of toys for special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia, who loves Davis.

Final defensive back: A pair of 2024 draft picks are potentially battling for a roster spot. Safety Kitan Oladapo and cornerback Kalen King have had moments in camp. King would be a sixth cornerback, making it an uphill battle, whereas Oladapo would be a fifth safety. There is a slight possibility Green Bay decides to keep their picks and once again hopes Corey Ballentine sneaks through waiver claims, but as a seventh-round pick, King could be easier to sneak through.

Kicking competition: The Packers made a bit of a splash this week, deciding to change its International Player Pathway roster designation to kicker Alex Hale. This more or less confirms that he will be on the practice squad once cutdowns cycle through early next week.

Greg Joseph got the team's only field goal attempt against Denver and missed wide right. Anders Carlson has a slight lead in the percentage of kicks made through camp, going 59/72 compared to Greg Joseph's 57/73. Carlson should get most of the work on Saturday at Lambeau so the front office can see him in one more game atmosphere before making their final decision. Barring a catastrophic collapse, it seems to be Carlson's job to lose.

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