There is one player beyond Jordan Love the Packers can’t afford to lose in 2024

We are one week away from the Green Bay Packers opening its 2024 regular season against the Philadelphia Eagles in São Paulo , the first ever NFL game in Brazil. So let’s talk about the state of the 53-man roster after the final cuts, the opener and everything around the team. Let's go.

I have zero doubt that it's Zach Tom. Against the San Francisco 49ers in the playoffs, the Packers were controlling the game, the offense was playing at an extremely high level versus a talented defense, and everything went off the rails when Tom got hurt. And that happened when Yosh Nijman was the swing tackle. Now, the best option on the right side is probably Kadeem Telfort, unless they are willing to move Jordan Morgan — and even if they are, it's a TBD outcome.

Everywhere else on the roster, I feel like the Packers have been relatively capable of taking hits. Even stars like Rashan Gary and Jaire Alexander, it would be tough to lose them, obviously, but on the edge they have Preston Smith and Lukas Van Ness, and the secondary is more of a weak-link system anyway.

Over the 2024 calendar year, the Packers have had Jack Podlesny, James Turner, Anders Carlson, Greg Joseph, Alex Hale, and Brayden Narveson. So yes, it's been not exactly a smooth process and the Packers know that. However, I don't see a problem in going out there with an undrafted rookie.

The NFL has historically been awful at scouting kickers, so in terms of roster-building process, it's much better to claim a player off waivers after a strong preseason than spending a sixth-round pick like they did last year. Not that Narveson is a sure thing, but the chances of him being good are similar to Carlson's, and they won't be too attached to him if he fails like they were to Carlson last season. Brian Gutekunst admitted he's maybe too impatient with specialists, but I don't see that as a problem. There's no such thing as a developmental kicker in the NFL these days.

Chill. First, let's talk about the aspects where I agree with you. The decision to move on from Anthony Johnson Jr. to keep Zayne Anderson is wild to me, considering how promising of a defensive player Johnson is. Plus, I do think Rich Bisaccia has been underwhelming, and I've mentioned that the process of hiring him in the first place wasn't that great, even though everyone got excited at the time.

However, the Packers see him as a really good coach and a really good leader. He's absolutely not on the hot seat, and unless the unit absolutely blows up throughout the season, Bisaccia is not going anywhere. Oh, and I don't see the decision to waive Grant DuBose as a special teams move. Malik Heath has been better on teams, yes, but he's been the better wide receiver as well.

Part of the decision to move on from Aaron Jones to sign Josh Jacobs is Jacobs' ability to carry a heavier workload. Jones has never played more than 62% of the offensive snaps, even when fully healthy, and he was usually behind 60%. In the last two years, Jacobs played 75% and 76% of the Las Vegas Raiders' offensive snaps.

So yes, it's a huge difference. He is younger and stronger than Jones, so I fully expect the Packers to be more willing to use him a lot, especially because AJ Dillon is out for the season and MarShawn Lloyd 1) is hurt and 2) is a rookie.

So hard to say with that many good pieces, but I'm going with Romeo Doubs. He's their X receiver, and Jordan Love really likes him for goal line fades and overall redzone work. Doubs probably has the lower ceiling among the four top wide receivers on the roster, but he is extremely important for what they want to do on offense because of how complete and reliable he is. He led the team in touchdown catches last season (8, tied with Jayden Reed), and you can make a strong case for him to lead them once again in 2024.

I was shocked by their decision to cut Anthony Johnson Jr., I had no idea they would consider that after he started the offseason program starting alongside Xavier McKinney and after he had a solid preseason. Beyond that, I was mildly surprised when they cut Anders Carlson to keep Greg Joseph, but maybe they knew none of them would end up being the kicker in week 1.

The last (and probably least important) surprise was their decision to put Sean Clifford over Michael Pratt on the practice squad , even though it's just a move to have a capable backup plan while Malik Willis learns the system and knows his new teammates.

It's absolutely in the US, and it's not particularly close. The Packers are relatively big in Brazil, it's the biggest fanbase in the country, but it's a totally different reality. In Wisconsin, everyone is born supporting the Packers. In Brazil, first you take a lot of time to know that American football even exists. The sport has massively grown in popularity over the last 15, 20 years, but it's still mostly a niche activity in the country.

Thanks for the personal question. I'll fly to São Paulo on Wednesday night, so I'll be able to attend the Packers walkthrough on Thursday and an event with fans on Thursday night.

In regards to the second point of your question, the running back depth situation is comfortable, probably because I do like Emanuel Wilson, and the Packers certainly like Lloyd. The QB2 part is trickier, and you saw several teams around the league investing real capital to have a solid option behind the starter.

I'm not a big fan of Malik Willis' game, or at least of what he's shown so far in the NFL, so if Jordan Love goes down for a game or two, it won't be easy to overcome that. And, knock on wood, if it's something long-term, you pack your bags and think about next season.

Related: Backup QB problem and two other overreactions after the Packers' roster cuts