Paul from Minneapolis, MN

I'm curious how agents leak information. I imagine it's not via whispered conversations in the darkened shadows under the Mason St. Bridge. Or is it?

It's done with this crazy method called text messaging.

Jeremy from De Soto, KS

My mom has been sending me a daily text with scripture since our family has been going through a tough situation. Recently, she had a typo in her text. It read, "If Hod is for us, who could be against us?" Of course I laughed and thought of II. Peace and love to all the Insiders out there.

All the best you and your family. Hod says so, too.

David from Janesville, WI

Gents, what a tough tightrope act to weigh immediate versus long-term contributions, waiver claim likelihood, salary cap ramifications, special teams versus offensive or defensive capabilities, etc., when cutting down to 53. I know the coaches get some input but the decision is Gutey's. Do you know if he has his staff gathered at this point similar to the draft? Or is it just him and a few trusted folks hashing through the final decisions?

I know it's a collaborative effort, but who exactly is involved I can't be sure. Most of the college scouts are out at campuses this time of year. The pro scouts and personnel execs all have roles to play in presenting information and discussing options.

Jeremiah from Middleton, WI

I am cautiously optimistic about our kicker results this year. I will say, hearing Brian Gutekunst openly admit he's not as patient as he should be with specialists is concerning. I was of the opinion we should just stick with Carlson, especially since his brother was the perfect example of how cutting a kicker too early can backfire. But I am more than happy to be proven wrong with a winning kick on Feb. 9.

Personally, I think Gutey was being a little too harsh on himself there. He mentioned punter JK Scott turning out pretty good. Well, he gave Scott three full seasons here before moving on, and while Scott has indeed turned out to be pretty good with the Chargers, he also went from Green Bay to LA weather-wise. It's a different animal being a specialist in this climate, which factors in, too. While the Carlson comparison to his older brother is natural, the Vikings gave up on Daniel after just two games his rookie year. Two games! Anders got a full season plus another offseason and training camp. As I said the other day, the 32-yard miss on Saturday afternoon confirmed a lack of consistency that Gutekunst couldn't ignore.

Dave from Emmalena, KY

So, if Brayden Narveson makes it until next Friday does that continue the streak of UDFAs?

Yes and no. Yes if the criteria is any undrafted rookie on the Week 1 roster. No if it's required to be an undrafted rookie the Packers signed themselves, not one they got from another club.

Shel from New York City, NY

A brief commentary and a question. I think the Packers made a big mistake in letting DuBose get away. He will have a much more impressive and impactful career than the ninth and tenth offensive linemen that they chose to keep ( Kadeem Telfort & Travis Glover). Regarding those two linemen I doubt very much that either one would have been claimed had they been exposed. Thus I would have kept DuBose and cut one of them. My question is, did the Bears choose Toure over DuBose? If so, hard to believe.

I believe the choice to keep two linemen over a receiver comes down to the positions they play and how much more difficult linemen are to find. Telfort is 6-7, 322. Glover is 6-6, 317. Guys like that are not as readily available as receivers, who are everywhere, and if you feel you've got big guys who might turn into something, you hang onto them because everybody's looking for them. That said, the Packers invested a lot of time in linemen like Caleb Jones and Luke Tenuta, and nothing came to fruition. It happens, but I don't blame them for trying. Nobody thought much of Lucas Patrick or Lane Taylor early on, either, so it can cut both ways. I'm guessing the Packers thought they'd get DuBose back, but kudos to him for being the only receiver claimed in the league. I think his special-teams film might've been crucial in that regard, and Miami's situation was unique, keeping just four receivers on the initial 53 with OBJ on PUP and another on IR/DTR. That's a strange confluence of circumstances. Finally, the Bears did not put in a claim for DuBose because they would've been awarded him over the Dolphins. They signed Toure to their practice squad.

Craig from Tulsa, OK

Do players placed in IR receive their regular salary and does that salary count against the team's salary cap?

As long as the player doesn't have split-salary language in his contract, he'll collect his full salary if placed on season-ending IR. It won't all count against the cap, though, if veteran salary benefits were applied in negotiating the contract itself.

Dennis from Parrish, FL

I am not an expert on National Football League labor contracts, but because he is a veteran, doesn't Greg Joseph get paid for the 2024 season by making the original 53-man roster?

No. Vested veteran salaries become guaranteed if they are on the 53 for Week 1.

Robert from Salem, WI

Is there a limit to the number of players that a team can have on injured reserve that are designated for return? And why is there a distinction of those designated to return and not?

Teams can return up to eight players from injured reserve during the season, and any given the DTR tag on cutdown day count toward those eight. But players placed on IR from here on out don't have to be designated as such. They just count against the team's limit when they're activated to return to practice.

Ric from Longmont, CO

Hello II! Which team had the most waived players end up on other teams' rosters this year? In Gute we trust!

The 49ers and Packers each had three players claimed, tied for most in the league.

Paul from Las Vegas, NV

The three Packer players who were claimed off waivers were signed to the 53-man rosters of the teams who claimed them. However, Pratt and Toure were signed to the practice squads of their respective teams. Were Pratt and Toure not subject to waivers? What did I miss?

They cleared waivers and were free to sign any practice-squad offer they chose.

Joe from Danville, KY

With the Packers placing AJ Dillon on season-ending IR and the draft pick MarShawn Lloyd appearing to still be "hobbled," will Josh Jacobs assume all the snaps in the backfield or will Emanuel Wilson really play a big role in the backfield?

Wilson is RB2 right now, and may be for quite some time depending on Lloyd's health and how soon he's ready for game action. What the RB2 workload will entail as the season begins is up to the coaches, and it may evolve as the season unfolds.

Ted from Findlay, OH

Do you guys get to attend any practices now that the roster is settled before the first game? Would be nice to get your impressions of the recent additions.

Regular-season practice access now applies, so we won't be watching any 11-on-11 in practice for the rest of the season.

Brad from Chino Hills, CA

Hi guys, being that confidence was lost with the lackluster performances of Clifford and Pratt, it seemed that Gute wanted much better than they could offer. Being that the choice is for QB2, I was hoping for a seasoned veteran. With Tannehill being available, any reason as to why he wasn't considered?

A couple. 1) Cost. 2) He's probably waiting for a situation to arise where he's going to, or more likely to, play.

Robert from Greenfield, WI

Is there a story behind Malik Willis going from No. 7 with the Titans to 2 with the Packers?

Not that he mentioned. If he wanted to stick with a single-digit number (he wore 7 at Liberty and Tennessee), No. 2 was really his only option. Nos. 3 and 4 are retired; 1 and 5 are effectively retired; 7, 8 and 9 are worn by starters; and 6 was the number Clifford took when 8 went to Jacobs.

Jerry from Des Moines, IA

Shout out to Preston Smith and man is this a young man's game. P is the only Packer north of 30. Only two are 29 and I think I counted four who are 28. Preston is like fine wine and I hope he has another vintage season.

I believe three dozen players on the 53 are 25 or under. It is indeed a young man's game.

Ross from Hudson, WI

A second-year jump by any of the teams 2023 picks would be a boon, Lukas Van Ness, Luke Musgrave, Jayden Reed, Tucker Kraft, Colby Wooden, Karl Brooks, Dontayvion Wicks – and many of these have been ballyhooed and bandied about. However, could a leap forward by Carrington Valentine prove the greatest asset of any? It would seem a rock-solid back end is crucial for this defense to stand a chance and secondary depth can be tenuous at best even when it seems flush.

I'm not sure how to rank them. Improvement from within is how teams take next steps, even though outside additions always garner more attention. Looking at the positions represented in the list of players you mentioned, this 53-man roster has no new receivers, tight ends, cornerbacks or interior defensive linemen from last year, and just one new edge rusher (Arron Mosby). Young players across the board must make strides for this team to be what it can be.

Keith from Lincoln, IL

People often refer to "a rash of injuries," referring to a person or a team. Aside from QBs and kickers, which positional group would cause you the largest amount of concern if they underwent a rash of injuries this season?

Probably the offensive line, because there's not an abundance of experience in the jars on the shelf, but frankly that's typical.

Marcus from Superior, WI

Assuming full health for our current 53-man roster, whom do you foresee as being key special-teams contributors in terms of coverage, blocking, or returning? I know Zayne Anderson and Eric Wilson have past success and experience. Who could maybe make a name for themselves heading into this year (outside of a new kicker)?

Corey Ballentine is another veteran in that realm, and I expect Keisean Nixon and Jayden Reed to be key returners. I could see Evan Williams and Kitan Oladapo playing a fair share of special teams, and I'm curious how much Arron Mosby and Brenton Cox Jr. might get involved.

Mike from Glendale, CA

Good morning, Insiders. With the NFL allowing private-equity firms to buy up to a 10 percent stake in teams, would I be correct to assume this applies to every franchise except the Packers?

I believe so, yes.

Greg from Fairbanks, AK

Do you feel the NFL owners' decision to allow teams to sell 10% of ownership to private equity firms will put Green Bay in a financial disadvantage? Washington's recent sale of $6 billion could result in a windfall of $600 million. That's a lot of cash to reinvest in a franchise without the primary owner giving up any control.

It's not something the Packers can participate in, but this organization has sold stock six times throughout its history, with the last two sales (2011 and '21) raising more than $130M. So it's hard to cry foul, and that avenue remains available for stadium improvements here. This new path other clubs can take does put that much more importance on the Packers' corporate reserve fund moving forward, though. It's just north of half a billion now and will remain a strategic corporate asset.

Rob from Orlando, FL

Hi Insiders, do you know if Jeff Hafley has a preference to be on the sidelines during the season or up in the box?

He'll be upstairs. Sounds like he appreciates the peace and quiet to think clearly when calling a game, though he mentioned there are times he wishes he could get immersed in the on-field emotion.

Julian from Gastonia, NC

Just a comment. I've been wondering why the Eagles lost so many games at the end of last season after appearing so good earlier in the season. One analyst recently said it was because defenses started to use schemes that made Jalen Hurts play from the pocket. Please advise.

I wasn't watching their late-season slide, and while Hurts wasn't lighting things up, the Eagles' defense seemed to hit the skids. They gave up 42 points to the Niners, 33 to the Cowboys and 35 to the Cardinals in December losses. Hurts was 18-of-23 with three TDs and a 118.4 passer rating in that crushing loss to Arizona (35-31) in Week 17.

John from Livermore, CA

On to the regular season. Do you see any advantages to the opener being in Brazil?

It's not in Philly.

Jeff from Janesville, WI

The baloney stops soon.

T-minus one week and counting. Happy Friday