Eric from St. Paul, MN

If the draft is similar to Andy's birthday from "Toy Story" for the players, cut day must be the garage sale.

Something like that, except generally with way more browsing than buying, unless there's a random spike in waiver claims today.

John from Heber, UT

So, is roster cutdown day the one time when packers.com gets to publish the initial news scoop first? I was surfing various websites mid-afternoon and seeing very little in terms of the roster cuts the Packers were actually making. Then your headline and article appeared. Looked to me like you got the news published first. It must feel good to be in front of the news curve, though the content you published is difficult to write about.

We wait for the go-ahead from folks above our pay grade to make the news official, and the last two years Wes has gotten his rundown story out within minutes of the cutdown deadline, a welcome change from the past. Then I followed about an hour later with more analysis. This year in particular, less news of roster moves had leaked out in advance from agents than any year I can remember.

Samuel from Skokie, IL

My vote for saddest outcome is Tyler Davis. Work so hard to come back from ACL only to lose the season to a shoulder injury. It's a tough business.

Often brutal. One preseason game, 13 snaps, is all he got for all that work.

Jim from Hudsonville, MI

AJ Dillon's situation is absolutely heartbreaking. Can there be a more likable dude on the team? What does his year look like now? Will he be able to rehab with the team? Travel? Team activities? Or simply resort to his Mayorship?

I don't know what the year or future has in store for Dillon so I don't want to guess. Regardless, that was tough news to learn, especially after he'd gotten himself in such good shape this year. His renewed focus was real, not just words.

Joe from Bozeman, MT

Which move was more shocking, putting AJ on IR ending his season or cutting Carlson?

I wasn't shocked by either. When that 32-yard field goal in the fourth quarter Saturday went wide right, it felt like a declaration Carlson was the same kicker this year he was last year, and that wasn't good enough. Regarding Dillon, when we were told several opinions were being sought on his injury, I feared it wasn't good. Often that means the initial read is serious or uncertain and the player/team is hunting for a better prognosis.

Tony from Merrill, WI

Welch!? C'mon man!

His release was the only move I considered a genuine surprise. I know six linebackers is rather unheard of, but with what Welch had done in the preseason games, plus his special-teams experience and the injury uncertainty with Edgerrin Cooper, I thought he was going to make it.

Nathan from Williamstown, MA

Why only use one of the two IR return designations since it's essentially a free roster spot? (At least for now; with the expanded IR rules I can't imagine running out of the regular-season IR designations either, but I suppose stranger things have happened...)

As I explained in my 5 takeaways piece, the second IR/DTR not being used should be good news on the health front, meaning no one else who's been dealing with an injury – such as MarShawn Lloyd or Edgerrin Cooper – is expected to be out at least four weeks, which would be the minimum stint if so designated.

Margo from North Potomac, MD

"If they really like a player and their waiver claim position is too low to feel good about their chances of getting him, they may be willing to give up a late-round draft pick rather than risk another team ahead of them claiming the same player." I guess they really wanted Malik Willis. Is your head stapled to the carpet?

Not at all. I mentioned in Monday's Inbox it felt significant after Saturday's game that LaFleur did not dismiss the possibility of exploring all options that might be available for backup QB and kicker.

Johnny from Nasewaupee, WI

II, here is the 64,327th question on the Malik Willis acquisition: How is the GB brain trust able to insert him into the backup role without him playing a game snap for the Pack?

It would seem unlikely he'll be able to step in as QB2 immediately. There will be a process, and it will be expedited as efficiently as possible.

Chase from Carmichael, CA

Based on feedback after the draft, it sounded like we landed some value with King and Pratt. We'll have to see who makes the P-squad, but it seems like BG might be holding onto Clifford over Pratt to address immediate needs while Willis gets up to speed.

I also addressed this in 5 takeaways as well. It doesn't seem realistic for Willis to be QB2 on gameday right away, so someone must be coming back to serve in that role at least temporarily.

Jeremiah from Middleton, WI

Before the season gets going and as backup QBs are on the mind, I'd like to offer a defense of Brett Hundley. I think fans give him a worse rap than he deserves. In that 2017 season, I remember a lot of timid play-calling. McCarthy said at the time, "We're not asking him to be Aaron Rodgers," but I don't think he was allowed to showcase very much. Steelers game was an example as an exception and I think they should have trusted him more and he might have a more "Matt Flynn" nostalgia for fans.

With all due respect to Hundley, whom I enjoyed getting to know and is a genuinely good dude, play-calling was not the reason for two home shutouts, and Hundley himself would readily acknowledge that.

Joe from Swansea, IL

Tough day, if you hate saying good-bye to good people. Besides our own, I saw some old friends lose jobs Tuesday – Josiah Deguara, Adrian Amos, etc.

This league stops for no one. That said, a hearty congrats to Bo Melton for making an initial 53 for the first time on his third try. He deserves to celebrate. So too do Arron Mosby and Kadeem Telfort for getting there after one year on the practice squad. Mosby probably goes down in '24 as the guy who made the last chance count the most, playing his way onto the team in the preseason finale.

Herbert from Palm Desert, CA

Good morning, Mike. I don't mean to be dismissive of my fellow II readers, however, can we never again bunch the words "kicker" and "second most important player" together in the same sentence? I will let the NFL salary structure be my support for my position.

"Second most important" is certainly an exaggeration, but I get the sentiment if not literally. So many of these games hinge on so little. The Packers were one game away from missing the playoffs last year, and Carlson had two consequential misses (end of half in Denver, PAT in Pittsburgh) that loomed large all the way through Week 18. Then we know what happened in the playoffs, of course. It's also easy to forget the kicker element within the Packers' last Super Bowl run. No, nothing overly dramatic from Crosby. But a six-time All-Pro and Pro Bowler, David Akers, missed two field goals for Philly in the wild-card round – from 41 and 34 yards out – in a game the Packers won by five.

Grant from Janesville, WI

Tramon Williams came up in II yesterday. What a storybook career. When will he be eligible for the Packers Hall of Fame? Surely he will be inducted.

He'll be eligible after this year. Players must be retired for four seasons, and Williams' final NFL season was 2020. Recent inductees Charles Woodson (2020, postponed until '21), Jordy Nelson (last year) and Clay Matthews (this week) were selected for induction right after their four years had expired.

Austin from Manassas, VA

It sure seemed like Ty'Ron Hopper was the best player on the field during running plays. I couldn't follow, how did he look in coverage? And he's fourth or fifth on the depth chart? I find it hard to believe that lasts. If that's what Hafley's defense will look like, sign me up.

Hopper missed time early in training camp. Cooper missed more. While Isaiah McDuffie and Eric Wilson unquestionably held down their spots this summer, it'll be very interesting to see if the defensive coaches work on getting both of the rookie linebackers on the field in some package or role. Stay tuned.

Brian from Charlottesville, VA

You've written the role of GM is to take the long view for organizational success when making personnel decisions. I'm curious how much that role gets shifted when there's an influential owner getting involved. Have the Packers been lucky recently with personnel development because of high quality GMs (or GM-HC relationships) or because there isn't "an owner" calling the shots?

As it relates to personnel, the absence of an owner here has proven beneficial more so during the draft than with any decisions made this time of year.

Jason from Austin, TX

When a coach calls timeout, sometimes the refs announce that it's a 30-second timeout. Other times, it's a full blown three-minute commercial break. Who decides if it's 30 seconds or longer and do the coaches know the length of the timeout before they call it? Taking a timeout to give your defense a rest doesn't help as much if it's 30 seconds rather than three minutes.

My understanding (which may be faulty) is TV dictates timeout length, and a 30-second timeout is either part of a rotation or the default when all scheduled breaks in a given half of the game have already been taken. Are the coaches aware when the next timeout might be only 30 seconds? I have no idea.

John from Twin Peaks, CA

I'm not sure if this has hit the Inbox yet. During my Las Vegas weekend, I went to the 49ers vs. Raiders preseason final game. Which, BTW, was tremendously entertaining with back-to-back long returns in the kicking game and a game-ending, multiple-lateral play that came up just short. But, what REALLY caught my attention was a measurement on a play that was CLOSE to a first down. They did NOT bring out the chains. They used a computer graphic to determine if it was a first down. Is that a THING?

The NFL said it would experiment with the technology during the preseason, but it hasn't been implemented for the regular season. Yet.

Luke from Holcombe, WI

"I'd expect the hip-drop tackle is something we'll see more in the form of reported fines than actual flags." I'm really dreading when this is enforced via penalty during the last few minutes of any important game. We need fewer judgement call type rules, but the league keeps implementing more.

More safety rules without replay assistance. Can't exactly say I'm floored.

Jim from St. Pete Beach, FL

Wes's answer to Scott from Milwaukee yesterday was one of the more thought-provoking answers I've read. With the increasing limitations on team practices, squeezing the absolute most out of each practice could easily make the difference between making or missing the playoffs.

Mike McCarthy used to say if he were to ever share his training schedules/practice scripts with another team, he might as well share the playbook, too. He considered them equivalent in terms of proprietary info.

Tom from Wiesbaden, Germany

Morning II. I have two questions regarding the waiver and the practice squad. If a team places a player on waivers, can the team who selects the player negotiate their contract? If a team places a player on waivers and subsequently puts him on the practice squad, can the team negotiate their contract? Thank you for the superb coverage of the Packers; GPG!

When a player is claimed on waivers, his contract goes with him. If he clears waivers and becomes PS-eligible, his original contract has been terminated.

Mike from Grovetown, GA

I've noticed sometimes teams release players ahead of the Tuesday deadline. When does the waiver period start for this process? Are players released on Saturday able to be signed before players released on Tuesday?

Any vested veteran released at any time immediately becomes a free agent. Any players subject to waivers who are let go between the conclusion of preseason games and the roster deadline are claimable on waivers until noon ET today.

Nick from Gresham, WI

Is it too early to ask who's next for contract extensions? Romeo Doubs, Christian Watson, Walker come to mind, then there is Myers too.

Looking strictly at Packers draft picks, the following players are in a contract year: Eric Stokes, Josh Myers, T.J. Slaton and McDuffie. The following are eligible for a contract extension after this year: Quay Walker, Devonte Wyatt, Watson, Sean Rhyan, Doubs, Zach Tom, Kingsley Enagbare, Rasheed Walker. The Packers will have to make fifth-year option decisions on Q. Walker and Wyatt by early May.

Isaac from Columbia, TN

Your comment about Harbaugh being the second longest tenured head coach in the NFL made me look up the list. I was amazed to see that LaFleur is tied for seventh at five years. NFL = Not For Long?

Always.

Jeffrey from Eveleth, MN

Is Gutey scanning the waiver wire for a veteran wide receiver? Sorry.

Happy Wednesday.