The Packers’ first 53-man roster didn’t just settle a few camp battles. It delivered a handful of real head-turners.
Green Bay is still working through practice-squad additions, and there could be more movement before Week 1, but the shape of the roster already includes a trade, a couple of promotions that seemed unlikely a month ago, and one notable exit that caught plenty of attention. Here are the four biggest surprises.
The most eye-opening move might have been the decision to send Kyle McCord to the Miami Dolphins for a 2028 sixth-round pick. That’s strong value for a quarterback the Packers signed off the streets in January, but it was still a surprise to see him go. McCord had gone from seeming like the odd man out in the quarterback room to a player some fans wanted to see as QB2 ahead of Tyrod Taylor.
The Packers clearly believed McCord would draw interest if exposed to waivers, and Miami’s willingness to part with a draft pick backed that up. Rather than keep McCord in Green Bay as a possible future backup for Jordan Love, the Packers moved him out. In his place on the practice squad is Kedon Slovis, who spent training camp with the Arizona Cardinals.
Another unexpected development was the Packers keeping both Jonathan Ford and Anthony Campbell on the defensive line. At one point, it looked like only one of them would survive the final cut, but both forced the issue with their preseason play.
Ford, who is back in Green Bay for a second stint after being drafted four years ago, appeared to lock down a spot as the possible starting nose tackle. The Packers treated him that way in practice and preseason games.
Campbell, meanwhile, kept flashing with his size and length. At 6-foot-6 and over 300 pounds, he made splash plays on a near-daily basis and made it hard to imagine him getting through waivers.
With second-year DT Warren Brinson not going on injured reserve as some expected, the Packers are now carrying seven defensive linemen on the active roster.
Darian Kinnard’s release was another stunner, at least when you look at where things stood entering camp. Given his ability to move around the offensive line, plus the fact that he played all 17 games and started four last season while logging more than 350 snaps on offense and special teams, he looked like a safe bet to make the team.
Instead, the injury and the preseason changed everything. Kinnard hurt his ankle in the opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers and never recovered.
His camp performance before that didn’t help, and younger linemen like John Williams, Travis Glover and Donovan Jennings moved ahead of him. Kinnard did not join Green Bay’s practice squad and signed with the New York Giants on Tuesday.
And then there’s the one that may have changed the most on paper: Jacob Monk as the starting right guard. Monk went from looking like a strong cut candidate to sitting firmly ahead of rookie Jager Burton and second-year lineman Anthony Belton.
The Packers even stopped giving Belton guard reps, while Burton shifted late in camp to backing up Aaron Banks at left guard and cross-training at center. Monk ended up winning the job anyway. That’s a major turn, especially because he has just 57 offensive snaps on his résumé, most of them from last season’s meaningless Week 18 game.
Monk earned the promotion, but it’s also fair to say the competition didn’t exactly settle the way the Packers probably hoped. The offensive line could still change shape as the season goes on.
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Parsons also drew some extra attention with a social media photo from MetLife Stadium alongside a fellow Penn State alum, a small reminder of how closely fans are watching his progress. He is expected to be cleared to practice in Week 3, which would give him two weeks before he can return to game action, keeping the focus on when Green Bay can finally get one of its biggest names back on the field. [Read more 🡒]