Projecting The Packers 53 Man Roster For 2009

(Photo by Scott Boehm/Getty Images)

There are many positions that are easy to come to the numbers of players the Packers will keep entering the 2009 season. There will be three special teams specialists, and for argument sake I will designate Goode as the LS, Kapinos as the P and Crosby as the K.

There will be another 50 spots which I will designate 25 to offense and 25 to defense.

In order to get to the analysis of whom will be the serious position battles I will designate many people as having spots on the roster made. If readers feel some of these are not secure, please comment on them as well.

At the QB spot, I presume the team will carry three entering the season, and Rodgers, Flynn and Brohm have the three spots locked up notwithstanding a significant injury.

At WR I forsee four spots clearly not being challenged, Jennings, Driver, Jones and Nelson.

I see 2 TE Lee and Findlay.

I see 2 RB Grant and Jackson

I see 2 FB Johnson and

I see 7 OL Sitton, College, Spitz, Clifton, Moll. Preston and Barbre.

These 20 men have spots about guaranteed. This leaves five spots on offense in a competition scenario. I project at least two more O linemen and 1 more WR will be certain additions. This will leave a balancing act for the remaining two spots.

Among the O Linemen battling for the two roster spots will be four for two with a likely spot, possibly two on the development squad. Veterans Scott Wells and Brenno Giacomini will battle draft picks Meredith and Lang. My first major projection for this year is that Scott Wells loses his roster spot to Giacomini who can back up at either Tackle position and is the 8th roster spot on the line. I also project both draftees Merideth and Lang end up on the development squad. Other linemen Randolph, Dietrich and Hartline are severe longshots at best. The only true wildcard in this competition is if the Packers get a viable trade offer for either Wells or Clifton.

Since it seems very likely the team will keep a fifth WR it seems to me there is a direct battle between Martin and Swain for the remaining spot, and at this point I give the edge to Swain due to youth and return ability for special teams. Veteran Martin becomes the second veteran to lose a spot. Swain could possibly be kept one more year on the development squad, but to me that is not likely a spot to be targeted for a WR.  The other five WR on the roster: Allen, Harris, Simmons, Heckendorf, and Williams would all seem very unlikely to crack this roster, and are only here in case of an injury to one or more of the six guys in front of them.

The very toughest decisions may be the final two spots, which will be shared among RB, FB, and TE.  Lumpkin is likely the RB with the most upside. With this being a likely need it drops Kuhn, Wynn and the big surprise convert LB to TE Spencer Havner into the mix for the final spot on O. Due to his outstanding play on special teams, the conversion to TE is the reason the Packers keep Havner and cut Kuhn and Wynn.  Sutton the final RB on the roster or one of the previous two ends up with one spot on the practice squad. Another veteran TE Humphrey is another numbers casualty.

This is indeed a talented roster when one needs to project an OL starter Wells, a WR roster player Martin, a TE roster player Humphrey and a RB roster player Wynn all losing their roster spots, with still no room for draft picks Meredith and Lang from this year anywhere but the practice squad.

Shifting focus to the defense where I have also budgeted 25 roster spots, I have simply divided the team into three groups DL, LB and DBs without splitting the linemen into NT vs DEs or the LB into interior or outside, nor the DBs into Safeties or Corners.

It is my opinion the 53 man roster will include seven DL, nine LB and nine DB, and I have already projected an “extra” LB in third TE plus special teamer Havner.

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