GREEN BAY – The two leaders of the Packers' football operation, General Manager Brian Gutekunst and Head Coach Matt LaFleur, both spoke to the media Wednesday about the initial 53-man roster and all the moves made over the last couple of days.
Here are five things we learned:
- The decision to bring in a new kicker is rooted in the Packers being a championship contender.
Gutekunst admitted he's not patient enough with specialists, but he's not interested in being patient when he has a team with legitimate title aspirations, especially after seeing last season's playoff run end in part due to a crucial missed field goal. So he moved on from both Anders Carlson and Greg Joseph after uninspiring preseasons and claimed undrafted rookie Brayden Narveson from Tennessee.
"I'm very confident in this team and what we can accomplish so I want to make sure we give this team every opportunity to win," Gutekunst said. "So there's going to be a standard that we're going to try to reach.
"We were going to try to get better there and whether that was Anders, whether that was somebody from outside, it didn't matter. But we needed to get better."
He later added, "Guys have got to produce. If they don't produce, it's going to be a short leash."
Narveson kicked at three different colleges, finishing at North Carolina State. He had two preseason highlights with the Titans – a make from 59 yards out, and a walk-off winner from 46. He missed one field goal in the preseason, from 58 yards. He wasn't able to overtake veteran Nick Folk to win that job.
The move leaves the Packers heading into their Week 1 game at Brazil with a kicker who's never kicked in a game setting for Green Bay, which LaFleur referred to as "uncharted territory." But the objective is clear.
"You just have to come in and perform," LaFleur said. "I don't know how else to put it. But it's definitely a unique situation."
- New QB Malik Willis made an impression with his preseason work.
Gutekunst and his personnel staff saw a lot of progress from the third-year prospect who is now Jordan Love's top backup. Willis is a dual-threat QB who was prone to take off and run when he started three games as a rookie in 2022, and Gutekunst sees his game becoming more well-rounded now as a pocket passer, too.
"His patience, the way he was going through his progressions and able to play from the pocket, when to run, when not to run, those kind of things," Gutekunst said of the keys he noticed. "His ability to win with his arm and with his legs was something that attracted us to him."
Neither Gutekunst nor LaFleur ruled out Willis getting up to speed on the offense quickly enough to be Love's backup for Week 1 in Brazil, but it will be a challenge. Second-year pro Sean Clifford has returned to the practice squad and is an option for elevation for the opener depending on how the early acclimation goes with Willis.
"We will see. I know he's a pretty smart guy," said LaFleur, noting there's some carryover to here from the offense Willis learned as a rookie with the Titans. "He does have obviously a foundation. It's just translating what he's learned in the past and putting it into our terms, and then coaching him on the run."
- There was thought to keeping seven wide receivers.
Ultimately, though, the Packers went with six, and what turned out to be the final spot came down to Malik Heath or Grant DuBose. The decision was less a reflection of DuBose coming up short and more of an intangible with regard to Heath.
"Malik's got a very unique ability to make plays when it matters," Gutekunst said, shifting into the language he's spoken as a longtime scout. "When the ball's in the air, it's kind of his. He has a great ability to go attack the football, make tough catches. He's been a playmaker from college to the moment he got there. I think he's just a very reliable player when it matters."
Among the last decisions as well was keeping edge rusher Arron Mosby after his two-turnover outing in the preseason finale. Gutekunst felt the switch this year to being a hand-in-the-dirt defensive end played to Mosby's strengths and as a result his game "took off."
- The depth of the Packers' offseason roster was evident in decisions made by other teams.
Three of the players the Packers waived Tuesday were claimed by other teams Wednesday – DuBose (Miami), safety Anthony Johnson Jr. (N.Y. Giants), and offensive lineman Royce Newman (Tampa Bay). The latter two had regular-season NFL game film from their time in Green Bay. LaFleur also suggested linebacker Kristian Welch was getting a chance with Baltimore, though no official transaction has been made.
The last time the Packers had anyone claimed as initial 53-man rosters were established was 2017.
"We had more than 53 in my opinion that deserved to make this football team, and deserved to make a 53 roster," Gutekunst said. "That's a great problem.
"It's very difficult to look people in the eye that you know have produced and played well enough to make your team and have to move on. That's really, really hard. I'm glad some of our guys got opportunities."
As of late Wednesday, the Packers still had four open spots on their practice squad, an indication perhaps they were hoping to bring back some of the players they lost to other clubs.
- The team is wasting no time turning the page to Week 1.
After Wednesday's somewhat light practice, LaFleur said the team would conduct a more high-intensity workout under the Lambeau Field lights Thursday night. The schedule for the day, including early meetings and concluding with the late closed practice, is meant to mimic what gameday will be like a week from Friday in Brazil.
"We're going to amp it up," LaFleur said.
