The Packers turned cutdown day into a whirlwind.
Green Bay didn’t just trim to its initial 53-man roster on Sunday - it swung three trades, shuffled key players onto injury lists and made a handful of moves that qualified as genuine surprises. The biggest headline of all: the NFL has reportedly placed Josh Jacobs on the commissioner exempt list.
For now, Jacobs cannot practice with the team or play in games. Earlier this week, he was formally charged with two misdemeanors, and his status adds another layer of uncertainty to Green Bay’s backfield.
To help cover the position, the Packers reportedly traded for Pittsburgh Steelers running back Kaleb Johnson. He now joins MarShawn Lloyd and Chris Brooks on the 53-man roster, while Pierre Strong Jr. was waived.
Green Bay also worked two more deals. The team acquired tight end Mark Redman from the Los Angeles Rams and sent quarterback Kyle McCord to the Miami Dolphins. Redman cost the Packers a 2028 sixth-round pick, while the McCord move brought back a 2028 sixth-rounder.
That Redman addition stands out. The Packers took advantage of the Rams’ crowded tight end room, and Redman arrives as a blocker Green Bay badly needed at the position. He’ll slot in with Tucker Kraft, recent addition Jonnu Smith and Josh Whyle in a revamped tight end group.
The Packers also handled their expected injury designations. Micah Parsons, Luke Musgrave and Jordon Riley were placed on the Reserve/PUP list, which means each must sit out at least four games after being sidelined throughout training camp. Parsons has said he could be back by Week 6, though that would be on the optimistic side.
Two more players, Savion Williams and Collin Oliver, were placed on injured reserve with a designation to return. They also must miss at least four games before they can come back.
Beyond the trades and injury moves, Green Bay had a few decisions that raised eyebrows.
Brian Gutekunst does not often move on from draft picks in their first year, but he did exactly that with sixth-round cornerback Domani Jackson. If Jackson clears waivers, the rookie could return to the practice squad and continue developing there. The Alabama product drew praise this offseason from former Packer Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, but a long stretch lost to offseason surgery and a rough preseason finale left Green Bay with little choice.
There were other notable roster calls, too. The Packers kept only four edge rushers with Parsons and Oliver out, and they did not keep undrafted rookie Nyjalik Kelly after he turned heads in the preseason. Kelly could attract interest from other teams on waivers, and perhaps Green Bay still has another move coming.
On the offensive line, Travis Glover beat out Darian Kinnard for a roster spot. The Packers kept 10 linemen overall.
The defensive line numbers were just as interesting: Green Bay carried seven interior defensive linemen, even while listing only four edge rushers. Whether that balance lasts until Week 1 remains to be seen.
Two camp standouts also made the cut. Wide receiver J. Michael Sturdivant and defensive tackle Anthony Campbell both earned spots on the roster, and Sturdivant extended the Packers’ streak of keeping an undrafted rookie on the initial roster to 22 years.
In Other News...
Packers Get Another Look At A Running Back They Wanted First
Damon Bankston is back on the market, and that gives the Packers another chance to revisit a player they already spent time with before the 2026 draft. The running back originally visited Green Bay, then later signed with the Giants after going undrafted, and now his release opens the door for a team that clearly had him on its radar once already.
Bankston comes with the kind of college production and athletic profile that can keep a name in circulation even after a winding path through the spring. For the Packers, the interest is easy to understand, especially with roster and practice-squad spots always in flux this time of year, but there is no indication yet that anything has been finalized. [Read more 🡒]
Packers Clearly Won This Trade As The Other Side Unravels
When the Packers sent defensive lineman Colby Wooden to Indianapolis in exchange for linebacker Zaire Franklin, it looked like the kind of swap both sides could live with. Franklin has settled in as Green Bays starting middle linebacker and even earned a captaincy, giving the defense a veteran presence in the middle and a clear sign that the Packers viewed him as more than a short-term fix.
The Colts, meanwhile, have announced they will waive Wooden, whose 2025 role in Green Bay included starting at nose tackle. His next stop is now up in the air, and it only adds to the sense that this is one of those trades where Green Bay got the more stable part of the deal while the other side is still trying to sort out what comes next. [Read more 🡒]
Packers Just Created A New QB Depth Problem After Trading Kyle McCord
Kyle McCords strong preseason in Green Bay had started to make him look like more than just a camp arm, which is why his move to Miami stood out as more than a routine transaction. The Packers sent McCord to the Dolphins for a 2028 sixth-round pick, a deal that came after Miami had already moved backup quarterback Quinn Ewers to the Jacksonville Jaguars and turned over its own reserve depth chart.
For Green Bay, the bigger issue is what comes next. McCords departure leaves the Packers needing another quarterback for the practice squad, and it creates a small but real depth question at a spot teams prefer not to improvise with once the summer roster churn starts to settle. Even when the trade return is modest and the timing is simple enough to explain, losing a preseason performer can force a team to rethink how it wants to protect the most important position on the roster. [Read more 🡒]