Packers Roster Cuts: APC Predicts the 53-Man Roster

As we approach Saturday's 3:00 PM Central deadline for NFL teams to reach 53 players on their active rosters, we find ourselves releasing our final roster projections for the 2014 edition of the Green Bay Packers.

We've tried this in the past, but with so much quality depth on this team this is the toughest cut we've ever projected. There were a handful of players we debated back and forth about on both sides of the ball, but I think this is what we've settled on as our final prediction.

One of the intriguing positions at this point is the defensive line. As you'll notice, we project only five players for three positions, but there are mitigating circumstances here - the Packers most often play with a 2-man line anyway, and both Julius Peppers and Mike Neal would be capable of moving inside to rush the passer as nickel defensive tackles. I believe their flexibility will be the key here and allow the team to keep five players as true linemen after Khyri Thornton's injury.

OFFENSE (24)

Quarterbacks (3)

Aaron Rodgers
Scott Tolzien
Matt Flynn

Yup, we're projecting that all three quarterbacks stick around. I don't necessarily agree that it's the best way to go, but despite a number of talented players being released in our projection, there isn't one that we think the Packers would keep over either of the backup signal-callers.

Running Backs (4)

Eddie Lacy
James Starks
DuJuan Harris
John Kuhn (FB)

Wide Receivers (5)

Jordy Nelson
Randall Cobb
Jarrett Boykin
Davante Adams
Jeff Janis

The race for a sixth man comes up just short. Myles White would be our next pick, but this is where keeping three quarterbacks can hurt a bit.

Tight Ends (4)

Richard Rodgers
Andrew Quarless
Brandon Bostick
Jake Stoneburner

With Bostick on the shelf for a bit, we couldn't imagine the Packers keeping just two healthy tight ends. Stoneburner gets our vote by virtue of his vastly more impressive play on offense in the past few weeks.

Offensive Linemen (8)

David Bakhtiari
Josh Sitton
JC Tretter
T.J. Lang
Bryan Bulaga
Derek Sherrod
Lane Taylor
Corey Linsley

DEFENSE (26)

Defensive Line (5)

Datone Jones
Josh Boyd
Mike Daniels
Letroy Guion
Mike Pennel

Outside Linebackers (5)

Julius Peppers
Clay Matthews
Mike Neal
Nick Perry
Jayrone Elliott

One of the toughest cuts was Andy Mulumba (more on him later), but Elliott is a man who simply cannot be denied a roster spot after the way he played over the past four weeks.

Inside Linebackers (5)

A.J. Hawk
Brad Jones
Sam Barrington
Jamari Lattimore
Carl Bradford

Yes, we're calling Bradford an inside linebacker after this past week, and we think his performance in the final preseason game probably bought him the benefit of the doubt to start the season.

Cornerbacks (6)

Tramon Williams
Sam Shields
Casey Hayward
Davon House
Jarrett Bush
Jumal Rolle

Safeties (5)

Morgan Burnett
Micah Hyde
Ha Ha Clinton-Dix
Sean Richardson
Chris Banjo

SPECIAL TEAMS (3)

Mason Crosby (K)
Tim Masthay (P)
Brett Goode (LS)

Top Practice Squad Candidates

Here is our list of 10 players whom we believe the Packers will make every effort to put on the practice squad if they make it through waivers unclaimed (which, in the case of many of these players, is a very big if). Note that the new practice squad rules allow teams to keep up to two players who have up to two full years of experience - in this case I identified the one player whom I think the Packers will try to keep under this rule (since the others qualify for the practice squad under normal conditions).

OLB Andy Mulumba (exemption player)
OLB Nate Palmer
WR Myles White
WR Alex Gillett
RB Ladarius Perkins
TE Justin Perillo
DL Carlos Gray
OLB Adrian Hubbard
CB Demetri Goodson
S Tanner Miller