This evening, the Green Bay Packers will play in their final preseason game of the summer, which will afford all members of the team but the veteran starters opportunities to prove their worth on the roster. However, although the battles for the 53-man roster are critical and will be the most important factor to come out of the game, there are plenty of other decisions to be made that will affect the direction of the team in 2016.
For example, there are still a couple of starting jobs up for grabs, and then there is the ten-man practice squad that has yet to be decided. All of those decisions will have to be made on Friday and Saturday by Ted Thompson and his staff (with input from Mike McCarthy of course) and we will be closely monitoring the situation through the weekend.
In the meantime, enjoy tonight's game and we at APC will have our final roster predictions for you tomorrow.
There's more on the line than jobs in Kansas City | Packers.com
Every year under Ted Thompson, at least one undrafted rookie has made the 53-man roster. That shows no signs of stopping this year, but the players who make the practice squad can often be just as important in the long run as those who make the team for week one.
Packers inside linebackers unsure of pecking order | Packersnews.com
The only player at the position who should not see significant snaps is Joe Thomas, who has been sidelined with a calf injury. Otherwise, the foursome of Sam Barrington, Jake Ryan, Blake Martinez, and Carl Bradford will all get a long look to see who deserves to be in the starting lineup in Jacksonville.
Out the door in 20 minutes: What it's like to get cut in the NFL - ESPN
Say what you will about Tim Masthay's punting, but there's no question that he has handled himself with grace and poise after his surprise release on Tuesday.
Safeties are the most underappreciated players in football | The Ringer
Former SB Nation writer and Tex's Combine buddy Danny Kelly addresses some fascinating points about the players whose biggest contributions to the defense are rarely ever seen on your television screen. Earl Thomas gets some love here, but Ha Ha Clinton-Dix has a pair of plays that are broken down as well.
The Cardinals created the moneybacker, a new position the entire NFL may soon need - SBNation.com
Speaking of safeties, perhaps that was the Packers' plan for using Morgan Burnett as a nickel linebacker earlier in training camp practices. There are plenty of intriguing young players who might fit this role, however.
50 pieces of PFF data you need to know for 2016 | PFF
Mike Daniels is really good, the Packers used 3 WRs a ton in 2015 (87% of offensive snaps), and the fullback really is going the way of the dodo (15% of all NFL snaps in 2015 compared to 40% in 2006). There are some really interesting nuggets in here.