The Packers’ Week 3 game-day roster looks a lot cleaner than the usual puzzle, and that’s because the injury report has already done most of the sorting for them.
Green Bay has ruled out four players for Thursday Night Football against the Atlanta Falcons, and those absences hit spots where the team was already carrying extra bodies. That means the roster can absorb those losses without much drama.
The real question is whether the Packers use their final inactive spot, or whether both questionable defensive linemen - Anthony Campbell and Javon Hargrave - end up sitting out. If both miss, Green Bay would likely have to elevate Eric Johnson II from the practice squad, even though he just got to town last week.
At receiver, the setup is straightforward. Jayden Reed is out with an injury, and the Packers are expected to roll with Christian Watson, Matthew Golden, Skyy Moore, Bo Melton and J.
Michael Sturdivant. Moore is the next man up in the slot and should handle the snaps Reed would normally take.
Still, there’s a chance Green Bay mixes things up a bit more than that. Bo Melton usually backs up Golden at X, but he could also chip in on slot work if the Packers want to spread those reps around.
Up front, the offensive line group should include Jorgan Morgan at left tackle, Donovan Jennings at left guard, Sean Rhyan at center, Jacob Monk at right guard, Anthony Belton at right tackle, along with Jager Burton, John Williams and Travis Glover as depth pieces. Zach Bako-Bewele and Aaron Banks are both out with injuries.
This should be Travis Glover’s first active game of the 2026 season. John Williams was active in Week 1 when Banks was unavailable, then sat as a healthy scratch in Week 2 when Banks was able to play before later going down with a toe injury.
The most interesting call on the night comes on the defensive line, where the Packers really only have one spot that still needs sorting out. There are just four sure things on the 53-man roster there, which leaves Green Bay with only one reserve available when it lines up in base defense. That makes the fifth defensive lineman the key decision.
Elsewhere, the picture is set. The Packers are expected to go with Keisean Nixon, Brandon Cisse, Carrington Valentine, Benjamin St-Juste and Kamal Hadden at cornerback, with no one listed out there. At safety, Xavier McKinney, Evan Williams, Javon Bullard and Kitan Oladapo are all in, and there are no specialists listed.
For now, the injuries have made this one of the easiest Packers roster projections of the season. The whole thing really does come down to one last defensive lineman.
In Other News...
Packers May Have Found Pass Rush Help At The Perfect Time
Rookie edge rusher Dani Dennis-Sutton is already making the kind of first impression that can matter for a defense looking for answers. In a recent game against the New York Jets, he finished with six tackles, half a sack and two quarterback hits, and his work in pressuring the quarterback showed up beyond the box score. Through two games, he has also climbed to 15th among edge defenders in pass-rush win rate, a notable early mark for a player taken 120th in the draft.
For a Packers front that can always use another reliable source of heat off the edge, that kind of start stands out even more because it has come from a late pick outplaying several rookies selected before him. Early production is one thing, but the bigger question is whether Dennis-Sutton can keep forcing his way into the pass-rush conversation as the competition gets stiffer and the league gets more of a book on him. [Read more 🡒]
Packers Suddenly Have A Huge NFC North Opening Before Chicago
The Packers win over the Jets gave them a little breathing room, but the bigger picture in the NFC North still looks unsettled as they head into matchups with the Falcons and Buccaneers. Injuries have thinned out key spots around the division, and that has kept the race from taking shape the way it usually does this time of year. Green Bay has dealt with its own health concerns, but the door is still open for a team that can stay upright and take advantage of the chaos.
Chicago looms next, and that game could end up carrying extra weight if the division keeps wobbling. The Bears, Vikings and Lions are all dealing with issues of their own, which makes every week feel a little more consequential than usual for the Packers. Even before the matchup with Chicago arrives, Green Bay has a chance to keep stacking wins and put itself in position to make the most of an NFC North that has yet to settle into place. [Read more 🡒]
Packers Suddenly Face A Receiver Problem Bigger Than Week 3
Jayden Reeds injury quickly became the kind of scare that lingers well beyond one Sunday, because the Packers are now waiting on what tests in Green Bay will say after he was taken off the field on a stretcher against the Jets. Matt LaFleur said the receiver is back home for evaluation, and while it is still too early to pin down a recovery timeline, the immediate outlook already points to Reed missing Week 3 against the Falcons.
For a Green Bay offense that has leaned on Reeds presence, the bigger concern is how long this absence could last and what it means for a receiver room trying to keep its footing. The Packers can manage one game without him, but the uncertainty around a neck injury has a way of changing the conversation fast, especially when the next step is no longer about one matchup but about how the team will cover for him if the tests lead to a longer pause. [Read more 🡒]