GREEN BAY – The Packers reduced their roster to 53 players during NFL mandated reductions on Tuesday.
Green Bay can start building its practice squad after the waiver process concludes at 11 a.m. CT on Wednesday.
Here’s how the initial roster for the 2025 season breaks down, position by position (order via unofficial depth chart), with players kept, released or placed on reserve lists. More notes are posted below.
QB (2): 10 Jordan Love, 2 Malik Willis
Released: 16 Sean Clifford, 19 Taylor Elgersma
Injured reserve/designated to return: 32 MarShawn Lloyd
Released: 23 Israel Abanikanda, 46 Amar Johnson, 44 Tyrion Davis-Price
Physically unable to perform: 9 Christian Watson
Released: 6 Mecole Hardman, 81 Julian Hicks, 84 Cornelius Johnson, 82 Will Sheppard, 80 Isaiah Neyor
Released: 48 Messiah Swinson, 43 Johnny Lumpkin
Injured reserve/designated to return: 62 Jacob Monk
Physically unable to perform: 73 John Williams
Released: 76 Kadeem Telfort, 64 Trey Hill, 68 Lecitus Smith, 60 Tyler Cooper, 61 JJ Lippe, 72 Brant Banks
Physically unable to perform: 45 Collin Oliver
Released: 53 Arron Mosby, 49 Deslin Alexandre
Released: 98 James Ester, 69 Devonte O’Malley
Released: 54 Kristian Welch, 28 Isaiah Simmons, 48 Jamon Johnson, 51 Jared Bartlett
Released: 34 Kalen King, 35 Corey Ballentine, 46 Tyron Herring
Injured reserve: 40 Omar Brown
Released: 37 Johnathan Baldwin, 38 Jaylin Simpson
Released: 41 Mark McNamee
Here are some noteworthy items:
- Green Bay retained all eight of its draft picks from the 2025 NFL Draft, though two – defensive lineman Collin Oliver (hamstring) and offensive lineman John Williams (back) – will start the season on the physically unable to perform list.
- The Packers’ 53-man roster is comprised of 41 draft picks and 12 undrafted free agents. Thirty-two players were drafted by GM Brian Gutekunst.
- Bo Melton made the Packers’ 53 after making a mid-offseason transition from receiver to cornerback. The second-year veteran drew effusive praise from Gutekunst and the Packers’ coaching staff not only for Melton’s openness to a position switch but also his performance at the new position. The 5-foot-11, 189-pound cornerback had five tackles and a pass breakup in three preseason appearances. Melton also is a core member of Green Bay’s special teams, serving as a flyer and jammer on the punt units.
- Former Georgia defensive lineman Nazir Stackhouse made the initial 53-man roster, positioning the Packers to push their streak of carrying at least one undrafted rookie on their Week 1 roster to 21 consecutive years. The 6-foot-4, 327-pound defensive lineman had four tackles and a pass breakup in the preseason.
- Green Bay kept at least six receivers on its initial 53 for the fifth straight year. To get to 53, the Packers cut seventh-year veteran Mecole Hardman, who signed with the Packers in March after winning three Super Bowl rings with the Kansas City Chiefs.
- Green Bay has six former Georgia Bulldogs on its 53-man roster: linebacker Quay Walker, safety Javon Bullard, tight end John FitzPatrick, and defensive linemen Devonte Wyatt, Warren Brinson and Stackhouse.
- Running back MarShawn Lloyd (hamstring) and center/guard Jacob Monk (hamstring) will miss at least four games after the Packers placed the former 2024 draft picks on injured reserve with a designation to return. Green Bay may designate up to eight players to return from IR during the 18-week regular season.
- Safety Omar Brown (chest) was placed on injured reserve but was not designated to return, meaning his 2025 season is over unless Green Bay reaches an injury settlement with him.
- Receiver Christian Watson (ACL rehab), Oliver and Williams will all start the season on PUP, sidelining them for at least the first four games.
- The Packers waived undrafted rookie kicker Mark McNamee, their designated player for the NFL International Player Pathway Program. If McNamee clears waivers, the Irish-born kicker may join Green Bay’s practice squad, as a 17th player, under a roster exemption.
- Running back Chris Brooks and cornerback Kamal Hadden made the team after joining Green Bay’s practice squad following final cuts last year. Brooks was signed to the active roster two weeks later while Hadden was elevated twice to the gameday roster from the practice squad. Offensive lineman Donovan Jennings also made the team after spending his rookie season on Green Bay’s practice squad.
- On the eve of roster cuts, Gutekunst traded a 2027 sixth-round pick to acquire offensive lineman Darian Kinnard from Philadelphia. It’s the fourth time Gutekunst has acquired a player via trade at the end of training camp during his seven-plus years as GM. He also traded for quarterback Malik Willis last summer, punter Corey Bojorquez in 2021 and linebacker B.J. Goodson in 2019.
- It’s the fifth year in a row the Packers kept only two quarterbacks on the initial 53-man roster after releasing both Sean Clifford and Taylor Elgersma. The last time they carried three into a season was 2020 (Aaron Rodgers, Jordan Love and Tim Boyle).
- Green Bay kept 11 defensive backs, it’s most since the 2020 season. The Packers also retained 11 defensive linemen. If all 11 make it to the regular-season opener against the Detroit Lions on Sept. 7, it would be the fifth consecutive year Green Bay has carried exactly 11 D-linemen on its Week 1 roster.
- The Packers went with only four inside linebackers while releasing veterans Kristian Welch and Isaiah Simmons, the former first-round pick who signed with Green Bay in April.
- The four undrafted rookies who made the Packers’ 53-man roster in 2023 are all back for a third season in Green Bay: defensive lineman Brenton Cox Jr., running back Emanuel Wilson, receiver Malik Heath and tight end Ben Sims.
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