The Green Bay Packers closed out the preseason with a 20-7 win over the Seattle Seahawks on Saturday at Lambeau Field, providing a victorious end to the three-game exhibition schedule.
“Really proud of our guys out there today,” coach Matt LaFleur said post-game. “They went out there and competed and brought great energy. It always starts there and I thought our effort was pretty consistent for four quarters.”
But there’s no time for celebrating a preseason win. Roster cutdown day in the NFL is Tuesday, so LaFleur and Brian Gutekunst have big decisions to make in forming the initial 53-man roster by the deadline.
“And now, obviously, a lot of decisions need to be made,” LaFleur said. “And this is always a bittersweet time in terms of, you have to say goodbye to a lot of guys who have busted their butt for months and months and years. I definitely appreciate that locker room. I think we have a great group of guys. We’ll be excited for the guys who make it and certainly it’s always disappointing for the guys who don’t.”
LaFleur said the Packers went into Saturday’s preseason finale with a good feel for how the initial 53-man roster would look, but performance on the field can force last-minute changes.
Among the position groups where the Packers must make hard decisions are at wide receiver, offensive line, interior defensive line, linebacker and cornerback. Among those on the roster bubble are Mecole Hardman, Malik Heath, Nazir Stackhouse, Arron Mosby, Kristian Welch, Isaiah Simmons, Kalen King, Corey Ballentine, Ben Sims, Kadeem Telfort and Micah Robinson.
And there’s another factor to consider: while the Packers must set an initial 53-man roster on Tuesday, teams can claim players released elsewhere starting on Wednesday, so the first roster is subject to change after 24 hours. The Packers may shape their initial roster to allow the addition of a new player or two.
“I’ve spent a lot of time with Gutey and for the most part, you have a pretty good idea where it’s going,” LaFleur said. “Certainly, there’s going to be other teams where guys get released and there will be opportunities there that potentially could impact some of the decisions you make in terms of who you keep on your roster.”
LaFleur said the Packers will review the preseason finale before Monday and hope to get in three practices between Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday next week, so there’s plenty of work to be done between finishing up the preseason and training camp, picking 53 players by Tuesday and preparing for the week ahead.
The Packers finished the preseason at 2-1, with wins over the Seahawks and Indianapolis Colts and a loss to the New York Jets. All teams must trim the roster to 53 players by 3:00 p.m. CT on Tuesday.
The Packers’ regular season opener is Sunday, Sept. 7 against the Detroit Lions.
This article originally appeared on Packers Wire: Packers finish preseason with win, now look ahead to ‘bittersweet’ roster cutdown day
Reporting by Zach Kruse, Packers Wire / Packers Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
