The Good, Bad And Ugly From The Green Bay Packers’ Roster Cuts

Micah Robinson, Malik Heath and Donovan Jennings dodged The Turk.

Mecole Hardman, Isaiah Simmons and Sean Clifford weren’t as fortunate.

After a handful of tough decisions, Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst trimmed his roster to 53 on Tuesday.

The Packers released the following players: quarterbacks Taylor Elgersma and Sean Clifford; running backs Israel Abanikanda, Tyrion Davis-Price and Amar Johnson; receivers Mecole Hardman, Kawaan Baker, Julian Hicks, Cornelius Johnson, Will Sheppard and Isaiah Neyor; tight ends Messiah Swinson and Johnny Lumpkin; offensive linemen Trey Hill, Lecitus Smith, Brant Banks, Kadeem Telfort, Tyler Cooper and J.J. Lippe; defensive linemen Arron Mosby, Deslin Alexandre, James Ester and Devonte O’Malley; linebackers Kristian Welch, Isaiah Simmons, Jamon Johnson and Jared Bartlett; cornerbacks Kalen King, Corey Ballentine and Tyron Herring; safeties Jonathan Baldwin and Jaylin Simpson; and kicker Mark McNamee.

Green Bay also placed running back MarShawn Lloyd and center/guard Jacob Monk on injured reserve/designated for return, placed defensive end Collin Oliver, wideout Christian Watson and guard John Williams on reserve/physically unable to perform and placed safety Omar Brown on injured reserve.

There’s still time for Gutekunst to tinker and toy with things before Green Bay hosts Detroit in its season-opener on Sept. 7.

For the most part, though, the 2025 roster has been set.

Here’s the ‘Good, Bad and Ugly’ from Green Bay’s cutdown day.

THE GOOD

BO MELTON: The feel-good story of the summer continues.

Melton, a wide receiver his entire life, was moved to cornerback this offseason. When you’re 26 years old like Melton, and asked to change positions, that’s usually career suicide.

Amazingly, though, Melton pulled it off and could be the Packers’ No. 4 cornerback when Detroit comes to town next week.

“I definitely wasn’t expecting to make tons of plays,” Melton said recently. “I ain’t made a million of them, but I’ve made some plays. I was like, ‘OK,’ so I did surprise myself with the skills I brought to the table, I would say.”

NAZIR STACKHOUSE: The Packers have done a nice job of finding undrafted rookies for several years now. In fact, at least one undrafted rookie has made the team every year since 2005.

The massive Stackhouse (6-4, 327) can be a rotational player who gobbles up blocks on run downs. He has little to no pass rush ability, though, meaning for now, he’ll be strictly a two-down player.

“I think all teams would love a guy who can play physical with their hands, who can anchor in the middle of the pocket,” Packers defensive line coach DeMarcus Covington said of Stackhouse. “That’s what you’re really looking for from a defensive tackle or a nose tackle within this league.”

DONOVAN JENNINGS: Jennings, an undrafted free agent, spent the 2024 season on Green Bay’s practice squad. He played right guard with the No. 1 offensive line in the Packers’ final preseason game and held his own.

“I feel like I can always improve, but I feel like I’m definitely confident in what I put forth this camp,” Jennings said. “I felt like I showed the coaches what I’m able to do. I still have a lot to go. I still have a lot to learn. Still have a lot of football ahead of me. I can’t wait for hopefully this opportunity to just keep getting better and keep improving.”

MATT ORZECH: While all eyes were on the roster cuts, the Packers locked their long snapper up with a three-year, $4.8 million deal. The contract makes Orzech the NFL’s third-highest long snapper.

THE BAD

ROLLING SNAKE EYES: Green Bay signed veteran wide receiver Mecole Hardman and linebacker Isaiah Simmons in free agency.

Both players were released Tuesday.

Hardman, who was part of three Super Bowl championship teams in Kansas City, had a brutal performance as a punt returner in the Packers’ first preseason contest against the New York Jets. He also didn’t make many plays in the passing game throughout the summer.

“I don’t know if you sweat it,” Hardman said before cutdown day. “It’s more just do what you can do and control what you can control. I feel like I had a few good last weeks, so whatever happens after this happens. All you can do is wait and see.”

Simmons, the eighth overall pick in the 2020 draft, is a unique athlete with rare physical gifts. That didn’t translate to the football field, though, and Simmons lost out to Welch for the final linebacking job.

“Personally, I don’t think it’s been up to my standard,” Simmons said of his camp performance. “I just feel like I’ve been thinking too much instead of just being myself. Trying to play too perfect, as opposed to just playing. You know what I’m saying?”

The good news for Green Bay is the risk cost them next to nothing. Simmons had a signing bonus of $167,500 and Hardman’s bonus was $150,000.

KALEN KING: There weren’t many surprises on cutdown day, but Green Bay’s release of King certainly qualifies.

King, a seventh round draft pick in 2024, spent last year on the practice squad. He appeared to take a major jump this summer, though, when he allowed just one reception for one yard on three targets during the preseason.

In Green Bay’s final preseason game, King recovered a fumble and made an impressive open field tackle against Jalen Milroe, Seattle’s extremely athletic quarterback.

When King was asked after the Seattle game if he’d done enough to make the team, he said: “Yes. Definitely. I felt like I did everything I could do, I controlled everything I could control. At the end of the day, the decision is not up to me, but what I can control is what I put on film and what I showed the coaching staff. I’m pretty satisfied.”

It would be a surprise if King wasn’t picked up by one of the other 31 teams.

OFFENSIVE LINE: Green Bay traded a sixth round draft pick to Philadelphia for tackle/guard Darian Kinnard on Monday.

Give Gutekunst credit for identifying a weakness and adding a necessary piece. But for a team that’s drafted 14 offensive linemen since 2020, it’s concerning they had to go the trade route to find quality depth.

Too many of Gutekunst’s offensive line picks haven’t panned out, forcing him to give up valuable draft capital to find quality depth.

MARSHAWN LLOYD: The Packers put their 2024 third round draft pick on the injured reserve list with a hamstring injury. It’s the latest setback for one of the most unlikely — or just injury prone — players in recent memory.

Lloyd played in just one game and 10 total snaps during a rookie season ruined by hamstring and ankle injuries, as well as an emergency appendectomy.

This summer, Lloyd suffered a groin injury on July 28 and missed the following two weeks.

He returned to practice before Green Bay’s second preseason game, but injured his hamstring against Indianapolis while making a 33-yard reception.

“I don’t know what to make of it other than the fact that he’s had to fight through a lot of adversity,” Green Bay coach Matt LaFleur said of Lloyd. “And, you know, hopefully he can rebound from this and we can get him back at some point in time.”

KRISTIAN WELCH: Most believed Welch, an Iola, Wis. native, had the team made last summer, which didn’t happen.

Many felt the same this time around, especially after Isaiah Simmons was released early in the day. But Welch, a five year veteran who played 14 games with Green Bay in 2023, was released again.

For now, that leaves the Packers with just four linebackers: Edgerrin Cooper, Quay Walker, Isaiah McDuffie and Ty’Ron Hopper.

“It’s a business,” Welch said last week. “There’s a lot of stuff out of the players’ control. There’s a lot of outside stuff, different variables. I’ve been it long enough to be on the good side of it and the not-so-great side.”

THE UGLY

PLAYING WITH FIRE? Here are the Packers’ cornerbacks for 2025: Keisean Nixon, Nate Hobbs, Carrington Valentine, Bo Melton, Kamal Hadden and Micah Robinson.

It’s unlikely that unit will cause many sleepless nights for opposing offensive coordinators.

Gutekunst has steadfastly stood by that group since ignoring the position in April’s NFL Draft until the seventh round, when he selected Robinson. Perhaps Gutekunst will be proven right and this group will surprise.

Right now, though, cornerback remains the most unproven unit on the team. And Gutekunst’s decision to not trade for one on Tuesday will be questioned until this group proves it can hold up against elite passing offenses.