Green Bay’s preseason trip to Denver should tell the Packers plenty about where a few key roster fights are headed.
The first exhibition already gave the team a rough opening, a 28-9 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Now the Broncos are next, and this one looks like more than just another tune-up.
It’s a chance for young players and roster hopefuls to keep climbing, but it also matters for veterans trying to hold off challengers. With spots still up for grabs, what happens in Denver could shape Matt LaFleur’s Week 1 depth chart in a real way.
One of the clearest battles is at wide receiver, where the top three are set. Matthew Golden, Christian Watson and Jayden Reed are locked in at the X, Z and slot spots, respectively.
The question now is who comes next. Savion Williams, Bo Melton and Skyy Moore are fighting for what’s left, and a strong night against a Broncos defense and secondary that can make life difficult would go a long way.
Williams, in particular, seems to be pulling ahead for now, and Denver will show whether that momentum sticks.
Cornerback is just as unsettled, maybe more so. Keisean Nixon has drawn attention for the wrong reasons, while Carrington Valentine is trying to work back from a hamstring injury.
That opens the door for Brandon Cisse and Benjamin St-Juste. Nixon has been taking reps with the second and third units, and Valentine’s health has clearly put him behind.
Cisse has recently been working "exclusively" with the first unit, per Matt Schneidman of The Athletic, and St-Juste has also earned praise from teammates. Another clean outing from those two could be enough to move them past Nixon and Valentine.
The right guard competition is the other spot worth watching, especially with Aaron Banks back from a knee issue. He’s expected to reclaim his role at left guard, which pushes the focus to the other side of the interior.
Jacob Monk has turned his summer around and gone from looking like the odd man out to making a real push to start. Fifth-round rookie Jager Burton has also made a strong case while filling in for Banks, setting up a battle that looks like it could go either way.
Anthony Belton adds another layer to it all. He has been moved back to tackle, where the 2025 second-round pick almost always lined up in college. He shifted inside out of necessity, but that no longer seems as pressing with Burton and Monk both making things crowded for LaFleur.
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