After the jump is my ridiculously early look at the Green Bay Packers projected 53-man roster. I expect I'm wrong, wrong, wrong, so I'd love to hear what you think about it. Here's the thinking that went into it:
- I ignored injury risk or rehab as a factor. So guys coming back from major surgery (CB Al Harris, WR Brett Swain) or who missed the entire 2009 season (CB Pat Lee, DE Justin Harrell) make the May roster.
- The power of incumbency. CB Jarrett Bush and RT Allen Barbre were awful in 2009 but they wouldn't have lasted this long on the roster if the coaches didn't like something about them.
- First year players on the practice squad. While some veterans are eligible for the practice squad, the reality is that it's mostly made up of current draft picks and other first year players. I booted three players drafted in 2010 off the active roster, but they would seem like good candidates for the practice squad. I also added some of the top undrafted free agents to it.
The 53-man roster:
| Name | Position |
|---|---|
| Aaron Rodgers | QB |
| Matt Flynn | QB |
| Ryan Grant | RB |
| Brandon Jackson | RB |
| James Starks | RB |
| Quinn Johnson | FB |
| John Kuhn | FB |
| Scott Wells | C |
| Jason Spitz | C |
| Evan Dietrich-Smith | C/G |
| Daryn Colledge | G |
| Josh Sitton | G |
| Chad Clifton | T |
| Mark Tauscher | T |
| Bryan Bulaga | T |
| T.J. Lang | T |
| Allen Barbre | T |
| Jermichael Finley | TE |
| Donald Lee | TE |
| Spencer Havner | TE |
| Greg Jennings | WR |
| Donald Driver | WR |
| Jordy Nelson | WR |
| James Jones | WR |
| Brett Swain | WR |
| Ryan Pickett | NT |
| B.J. Raji | NT |
| Cullen Jenkins | DE |
| Johnny Jolly | DE |
| Justin Harrell | DE |
| Mike Neal | DE |
| Clay Matthews | LB |
| Nick Barnett | LB |
| A.J. Hawk | LB |
| Brad Jones | LB |
| Brandon Chillar | LB |
| Brady Poppinga | LB |
| Desmond Bishop | LB |
| Cyril Obiozor | LB |
| Charles Woodson | CB |
| Al Harris | CB |
| Tramon Williams | CB |
| Pat Lee | CB |
| Brandon Underwood | CB |
| Nick Collins | S |
| Atari Bigby | S |
| Morgan Burnett | S |
| Derrick Martin | S |
| Jarrett Bush | CB/S |
| Will Blackmon | CB/S |
| Brett Goode | LS |
| Tim Masthay | P |
| Mason Crosby | K |
The 8-man practice squad:
| Name | Position |
|---|---|
| Graham Harrell | QB |
| Sam Shields | CB |
| C.J. Wilson | DE |
| Alex Joseph | LB |
| Marshall Newhouse | T |
| Andrew Quarless | TE |
| Anthony Levine | S |
| Chastin West | WR |
Players who missed the cut:
| Name | Position |
|---|---|
| Josh Bell | CB |
| Trevor Ford | CB |
| D.J. Clark | CB |
| Jarius Wynn | DE |
| Ronald Talley | DE |
| Korey Hall | FB |
| Nick McDonald | G |
| John Russell | LB |
| Frank Zombo | LB |
| Tim Knicky | LB |
| Robert Francois | LB |
| Anthony Toribio | NT |
| Aleric Mullins | NT |
| Chris Bryan | P |
| Noah Shepard | QB |
| Quinn Porter | RB |
| Kregg Lumpkin | RB |
| Charlie Peprah | S |
| Khalil Jones | S |
| Chris Campbell | T |
| Breno Giacomini | T |
| Tom Crabtree | TE |
| Shawn Gore | WR |
| Charles Dillon | WR |
| Jeff Moturi | WR |
| Patrick Williams | WR |