Building The 53 - Robinson & Dorsey In, Mulumba & Taylor Out

Green Bay Packers general manager Ted Thompson made some interesting moves in Building The 53 so far this season.  The most curious decision was keeping just 52 healthy guys on The 53 for almost two weeks.  This all started when outside linebacker Andy Mulumba suffered a season ending injury in the Packers/Jets game.  Thompson waited five days to place Mulumba on injured reserve, which opened a spot on The 53 just a few days before the Packers traveled to Detroit to face the Lions.  Despite having 10 guys on the practice squad, Thompson left an open spot not only for the Lions game but also for the next week on the road against the Chicago Bears.

Thompson finally filled every spot on The 53 when he promoted defensive lineman Luther Robinson from the practice squad to The 53 just hours before the Packers hosted the Minnesota Vikings on Thursday Night Football.  Thompson was essentially forced to promote Robinson to The 53 from the practice squad because he only had five true 3-4 defensive lineman on The 53 and defensive Josh Boyd was not healthy enough to play against the Vikings.  That meant that if Thompson didn't add Robinson to The 53, they would have faced the Vikings with just four healthy defensive lineman.

I've long advocated for a better short-term injured reserve set-up, for The 53 in the NFL because without it there is a negative waterfall effect on The 53.  A perfect illustration of that phenomenon is Thompson's most recent change to The 53.  Thompson cut tight end and former special teams standout Ryan Taylor in order to add wide receiver Kevin Dorsey to The 53.  With Taylor no longer on The 53 that leaves just three guys drafted in the 2011 NFL Draft still on The 53: offensive tackle Derek Sherrod, wide receiver Randall Cobb, and cornerback Davon House.  That also leaves the Packers with just three tight ends and six wide receivers.

Some might find that odd that Thompson would decrease the number of tight ends on The 53 but that is all due to wide receiver Jarrett Boykin's health.  With Boykin hobbled the last few games that left the Packers with just four healthy wide receivers.  There is chance that Boykin will be back next week but given that the tight end position has been marginalized this season without Jermichael Finley, clearly Thompson wanted to add a wide receiver to The 53 even if it came at the expense of a tight end.  Besides Dorsey, Thompson also had the option to add wide Myles White from the practice squad to The 53.  I am sure that White is bummed to lose out to Dorsey but I would have a hard time choosing between Dorsey and White too.  Back to my original point.  If the Packers could have put Boykin on a short-term injured list they would have promoted Dorsey to The 53 till Boykin was healthy and then tried to pass Dorsey through waivers to resign him to the practice squad again.  Instead Thompson was forced to cut Taylor, which hurt the depth that the Packers had at the tight end position The 53.

With the moves to The 53 out of the way, let's close with my thoughts on the practice squad.  The Packers lost cornerback Jumal Rolle off the practice squad when the Houston Texans added Rolle to their 53.  You could make the argument that Rolle deserved a spot on The 53 ahead of rookie cornerback Demetri Goodson.  Leaving that aside, even though Thompson signed cornerback Tay Glover-Wright to the practice squad to fill Rolle's spot, the Packers still only have eight of their ten practice squad spots filled.  I am not sure if Thompson is becoming a penny pincher but I would hope that he keeps The 53 and 10-man practice squad filled for the rest of the season.

The 53 - 2014 Green Bay Packers Initial Practice Squad

Green Bay Packers general manager Ted Thompson finalized the first incarnation of The 53 for the 2014 NFL season. 

Review of The 53

Initial Review of the Roster Initial Review of the Practice Squad Five Most Overpaid Five Most Underpaid Initial Rankings of the Roster

As I discussed in my initial look at the practice squad last year, after Thompson picked The 53, he had to sift through all the other practice squad eligible players to put together the initial practice squad.  Those that follow the NFL closely know that the NFL increased the size of the practice squads from eight to ten this season.  The rule change is very helpful for the Packers given that I've always thought Thompson could fill three practice squads with how well he identifies undrafted rookie free agents that could play in the NFL down the road.  As a preview of how The 53 post is going look each week, whenever I rank players, I am going to only write about the most notable from the group.  Here are my thoughts on a couple of the players on the initial 10-man practice squad for the 2014 Green Bay Packers:

1. Chris Banjo: This might feel like a slap in the face to Banjo given that he was on The 53 for the Packers all last season but in just a few months the Packers went from thin to flush at safety after they moved Micah Hyde from cornerback to safety and drafted Ha Ha Clinton-Dix in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft. 

Practice Squad

1. Chris Banjo (S) 2. Myles White (WR) 3. Jumal Rolle (CB) 4. Michael Hill (RB) 5. Garth Gerhart (C) 6. Adrian Hubbard (LB) 7. Kevin Dorsey (WR) 8. Justin Perillo (TE) 9. Luther Robinson (DE) 10. Jeremy Vujnovich (OT)

Early this season I could see a safety needy team attempting to scoop Banjo off the practice squad, which will present a tough choice for Thompson.  Whether to add Banjo to The 53 or let him leave.

3. Jumal Rolle: What a 24 hours it has been for Rolle.  Some were surprised that cornerback rookie Demetri Goodson made The 53 over Rolle given how well Rolle played in the preseason and the fact that Goodson is dealing with a concussion.  After Rolle was cut, somehow Thompson did not sign him to the original practice squad.  Thankfully Thompson rectified that error by releasing wide receiver Alex Gillet from the practice squad after less than a day to make room for Rolle.  If Goodson is out long with a concussion, look for Thompson to place Goodson on injured reserve and promote Rolle from the practice squad.

5. Garth Gerhart (C): The Packers went into training camp with JC Tretter as their starting center and Don Barclay as their backup at all five offensive line positions.  Early in camp the Packers lost Barclay for the season with a torn ACL.  Towards the end of camp the Packers lost Tretter for up to a month.  With Tretter and Barclay out, the Packers turned to rookie center Corey Linsley.  If Linsley gets hurt, the Packers will be forced to add another center to The 53.  Since Thompson cannot travel back in time to resign center Even Dietrich-Smith, instead of letting him leave via free agency.  Gerhart is the logical choice if they are going to promote from within.  If Grehart is taking first team snaps in the regular season then the Packers in trouble.

With my initial look at The 53 and ten player practice squad out of the way, make sure to check back soon for my look at the five worst contracts on The 53.

Building The 53 - Rolle In, One Spot Still Open

The Green Bay Packers received a huge boost when head coach Mike McCarthy announced yesterday that quarterback Aaron Rodgers is medically cleared to start in their pivotal Week 17 match-up on the road against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field.  The winner of the Packers/Bears game on Sunday wins the NFC North and hosts a home playoff game next weekend while the loser starts preparing for 2014.  The positive injury news on Rodgers is the headline grabber but that does not mean that all is well otherwise on The 53.

As I covered at the beginning of my review of the Packers/Steelers game last week, the Packers played the Steelers with only 51 players on The 53.  By NFL rule, only 46 players suit up for each game.  I can't remember another time over the last few seasons that the Packers went into a game with only 51 guys to choose from to fill those 46 gameday roster spots.  I am not saying that is the reason that the Packers lost to the Steelers, I am just shocked that Packers general manager Ted Thompson did not fill out The 53.

Earlier today Thompson signed cornerback Jumal Rolle to The 53 off the practice squad to fill one of the two openings on The 53.  To add injury to insult, after losing Clay Matthews against the Steelers to the same Bennett's fracture that Claymaker suffered earlier in the season against the Lions, the Packers really only have 51 viable options on The 53 for their 46-man gameday roster against the Bears since Matthews is most likely done for the season unless the Packers reach the Super Bowl.

Instead of adding Rolle to give the Packers their sixth cornerback on The 53, Thompson should have added a veteran outside linebacker.  With Matthews out, the two most logical starting outside linebackers are Mike Neal and Nick Perry but both missed practice today.  Somehow despite both missing practice, Neal and Perry are listed as probable, which means there have a 75% chance of playing against the Bears.  May be McCarthy gave both of them the day off to rest their injuries but if the Packers are without the services of their top three outside linebackers (Matthews, Neal, and Perry) that leaves just Andy Mulumba and Nate Palmer to play at outside linebacker against the Bears.

I know signing a veteran, let a lone a veteran this late in the season flies completely in the face of how Thompson operates, it worked earlier this season.  Despite having some rough patches, signing quarterback Matt Flynn to fill-in for Rodgers kept the Packers in the playoff hunt.  Thompson loves to sign undrafted rookie free agents instead of veterans but the learning curve for any player is very high when they join a new organization, let alone an inexperienced player like an undrafted rookie free agent.

There are a number of veteran defensive end/outside linebackers that are currently free agents but the best of the bunch in my opinion is defensive end/outside linebacker Mark Anderson.  Besides Claymaker, the Packers have not had another player generate a consistent pass rush this season.  After a successful college career at Alabama, the Bears drafted Anderson in the 5th round of the 2006 NFL Draft.  Anderson registered 12 sacks in his rookie season in the NFL in 2006 for the Bears and 10 sacks for the New England Patriots in 2011.

I've long been a fan of Anderson.  I wanted the the Packers to sign Anderson before the 2012 season, ultimately he signed a four-year, $20 million deal with the Buffalo Bills.  Sure Anderson was an injury riddled disappointment for the Bills, which is why they cut him after only one season, but I like his combination of speed and pass rushing skills.  That is why even after being injured and under-performing for the Bills in 2012, I advocated for the Packers to sign him earlier this year.  Even if Anderson got injured, it is potentially the last game of the season so longevity is not paramount.  Plus since Anderson played for the Bears from 2006-10, he might have been able to inflict some revenge on his former employer.  That is all moot now unless Thompson places Claymaker on injured reserve because Thompson added Rolle instead of Anderson, which leave one more open spot on The 53.

There is a very simple way to fill the last opening on The 53.  The Packers need to add a wide receiver to fill-out The 53 since they only have four healthy wide receivers (Jarrett Boykin, Chris Harper, James Jones, and Jordy Nelson) and three healthy tight ends (Andrew Quarless, Jake Stoneburner, and Ryan Taylor) currently on The 53.  Earlier today McCarthy said the Packers would see how wide receiver Randall Cobb responded tomorrow to his vigorous workout today to determine if Cobb is healthy enough to face the Bears.  If Cobb is healthy, it is a no brainer to activate him from the physically unable to perform list.  If Cobb is not healthy enough, the Packers should promote wide receiver Tyrone Walker from the practice squad.

Check back for my thoughts if Thompson adds someone other than Cobb or Walker to The 53 before the Packers face the Bears on Sunday.  If Thompson just adds Cobb or Walker to The 53, make sure to check back on Monday for my extended thoughts on the Packers/Bears game.