These Green Bay Packers cut candidates are in a tough spot that could find them off of the roster by the end of training camp in the 2023 preseason.
After another tumultuous offseason, the Green Bay Packers are now truly beginning the post-Aaron Rodgers chapter of the franchise with the beginning of training camp on July 21. And while all eyes will be on Rodgers' successor, Jordan Love (and rightfully so), the fact of the matter is that the team has a lot more to consider than just the quarterback.
The Packers defense has added some big pieces, while the offense has done the same, both of which could offer notable improvements to the roster to help them elevate around an inexperienced signal-caller. With that, however, comes some familiar faces who could be pushed off of the roster.
Looking at the way things stand going into camp, these Packers cut candidates won't ultimately make it onto the 53-man roster at the end of the day.
Packers cut candidate No. 3: Jonathan Garvin, EDGE
Rashan Gary is currently on the PUP list for the Packers and his return for Week 1 is somewhat in question. Having said that, the potential breakout star — if you don't think he already has, which might be a mistake — is going to be the focal point of the group of edge rushers this season. Preston Smith, once again, is expected to be the guy lining up with the starters opposite of Gary.
The situation in Green Bay then gets a bit more convoluted behind the entrenched starters. First-round rookie Lukas Van Ness will likely be the primary backup and rotational player on the edge, but depth concerns on the interior combined with his versatility could see him take snaps there.
Though he was used sparingly as a rookie, 2022 fifth-rounder Kingsley Engbare should be another backup option on the edge too. Beyond him, however, we're looking at guys like Jonathan Garvin, Justin Hollins and UDFA signing Brenton Cox Jr. as the other potential candidates to fill out the position group on the 53-man roster.
Of that small group, however, Garvin feels like the guy who could ultimately get pushed out and cut. Both he and Hollins have not been particularly good when on the field, but Hollins has more perceived upside. On top of that, Cox, if he can keep his head on straight, has a ton of tools that could flash and make room for him on the final roster.
All told, Garvin just hasn't panned out as a flier that the Packers took on him and his time trying to prove himself could ultimately come to an end in training camp.
Packers cut candidate No. 2: Shemar Jean-Charles, CB
There are precisely no questions about how the starters at cornerback are going to shake out for the 2023 season in Green Bay. Jaire Alexander is one of the NFL's best at the position, and he'll be joined by Rasul Douglas, who has been a revelation for the Pack since joining the club, and Keisean Nixon as the three-man group in most defensive sets for this team.
The depth is where there are a few more questions with the position group, however. Assuming he can get healthy and come off of the PUP list, former first-round pick Eric Stokes will be the first reserve at cornerback.
But that then leaves the club with a deep and largely interchangeable group that includes 2021 fifth-rounder Shemar Jean-Charles, 2023 seventh-rounder Carrington Valentine, veteran Corey Ballentine, and several others.
Valentine, the late-round pick out of Kentucky, was a somewhat surprising fall in the draft to the seventh round. He has legitimate upside at the NFL level and, once in Packers training camp, I expect him to solidify a spot on the 53-man roster. That likely leaves a battle between Jean-Charles and Ballentine.
Really, you could say that either player could end up being cut by the end of training camp with the way things are currently shaping up, especially given that the cap savings ($940,000) are identical for both players.
Were going with Jean-Charles, though, simply because of the lack of experience. Though Ballentine has struggled as of late, the Packers have had a difficult time finding the right niche for Jean-Charles since drafting him, which could leave him as a positionless man looking for a new team when camp subsides.
Packers cut candidate No. 1: Danny Etling, QB
Danny Etling has bounced around the NFL from some time, including this being the second year in his second stint with the Packers. However, he's never seen the active roster in Green Bay and, even with Aaron Rodgers out and Jordan Love in as the starter, the fact of the matter is that the other moves at quarterback are likely to put an end to Etling's time with the Pack.
This offseason, the Packers first addressed the quarterback position in the draft, taking former Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford in the fifth round. While I'm dubious of Clifford ever amounting to anything at the professional level, Brian Gutenkunst and the front office clearly feel differently given where the Nittany Lions longtime starter was drafted.
But the more recent development was Green Bay inking USFL MVP and two-time USFL champion Alex McGough, a former seventh-round pick of the Seattle Seahawks, to a contract going into training camp.
McGough, a former FIU standout, proved to be a dynamic threat at the position in the USFL with terrific production both through the air and with his legs. For my money, he's the Packers' best bet to be Love's backup in the 2023 season given his time in NFL locker rooms previously and his experience in the USFL as well.
When you put all of this together and the fact that no team has ever really deemed Etling worthy of getting a shot to play any meaningful snaps in the NFL, it seems like he's going to be the odd-man-out in the Green Bay quarterback room when it's all said and done.
