Packers Players Who Need Impressive Camp to Avoid Being Cut
Healthy competition is crucial to building a contender and the Green Bay Packers should have plenty of competition when they report to training camp on Sunday, July 19.
Some of that competition is going to determine who takes specific roles in the offense and defense. For instance, the wide receivers are going to duke it out to determine a hierarchy for targets between a talented group that includes Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs, Dontayvion Wicks and Jayden Reed.
However, there are others who will have to fight just to make the final roster. With 89 players officially under contract with the Packers and a 53-man roster limitation in place, there are several players who won't make the roster unless they outperform their opponents at the bottom of the depth chart.
These three are specifically notable players who could be on the roster bubble without a strong showing at Nitschke Field.
OT Andre Dillard
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Andre Dillard is a great example of how draft capital matters to NFL teams long after the conclusion of the draft. Barring off-field issues, former first-rounders tend to get more opportunities to turn things around than their Day 2 and 3 or undrafted peers.
Dillard was a first-round pick in the 2019 draft and he worked his way into the starting lineup as a rookie with the Philadelphia Eagles. However, an injury allowed Jordan Mailata to step in as a former seventh-round pick and now he's one of the best left tackles in the league.
Dillard ended up starting just nine games in three seasons and was often a liability on the field. The Titans then signed him to be their starting left tackle despite Dillard working as a reserve for the entire 2022 season in Philly.
The Titans paid for that decision. He earned a 51.0 grade from PFF last season while giving up 12 sacks despite playing just 562 snaps.
Despite his turnstile play in the Music City, the Packers have afforded him another shot to earn a role. They signed him to a one-year, $1.1 million deal this offseason, but that doesn't guarantee he'll even make the final roster.
The Packers have a lot of questions up front, but they also have a collection of young prospects at the position. That includes sixth-round pick Travis Glover. The Georgia State blocker is far from an elite prospect, but if it comes down to it and the Packers can only keep one, they might prefer the younger player.
Dillard will have to show that he can be a reliable swing tackle in camp to have a roster spot.
RB Emanuel Wilson
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Running back is going to be one of the most intriguing positions to watch in camp. We know that Josh Jacobs is going to be the lead back, but there are plenty of questions around the position after that.
The Packers brought back AJ Dillon on a cheap one-year deal. But they also used a third-round pick on MarShawn Lloyd, setting up a battle between the two to be the second back in the rotation.
Then there's Emanuel Wilson. Matthew Berry of NBC Sports noted back at the combine that the Packers really liked Wilson and he would get a shot to be the second running back, allowing them to move on from Dillon.
It's an interesting nugget given that they not only retained Dillon, but also drafted Lloyd. It doesn't necessarily mean that the Packers don't like Wilson. It just means that there may have been others in the building that wanted as much competition as possible.
There's a wide range of outcomes for Wilson. Maybe he convinces the Packers to carry four running backs. Maybe he makes Dillon completely expendable and Green Bay rolls with Jacobs, Lloyd and Wilson.
But there's a distinct possibility he's not on the roster if he doesn't put together a great camp.
OG Royce Newman
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Andre Dillard isn't the only veteran who is going to have to sweat a fierce offensive line competition in training camp.
Royce Newman currently carries the third-highest salary cap hit on the offensive line. It's only $3.2 million, but he's in the final year of his contract and if the Packers don't have a role for him he could wind up becoming a free agent with almost no guaranteed money.
There are still some questions about the starting lineup to figure out, but it's a safe bet at this point to say that it will feature some configuration of Rasheed Walker, Elgton Jenkins, Zach Tom, Sean Rhyan, Josh Myers and Jordan Morgan.
Throw in fifth-round draft pick Jacob Monk based on his draft positioning and you are already at seven linemen. The Packers carried 11 into the season last year, but only carried 10 into the season last year.
Newman only ended up playing 183 snaps last season and earned a PFF grade of just 44.3.
As noted in the case of Dillard, there are younger linemen on the roster who might have higher ceilings and will cost less money. Sixth-round pick Travis Glover is a tackle so he isn't direct competition but Donovan Jennings is an undrafted free agent worth watching and Luke Tenuta is just 24 and saw action in three games last season.
If Newman doesn't show some improvement in his game, the Packers could decide to shave around $3 million off their ledger and continue to depend on younger talent.
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