Most Important Packers – 40 to 44: Can Veteran Additions Win Jobs?

Posted by Admin July 7, 2024 Jobs

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers will take a 90-man roster to the field for the first practice of training camp on July 22.

Here is Part 7 of our ranking of the most important players on the Packers’ roster. This isn’t just a listing of the team’s best players. These rankings consider talent, importance of the position, depth at the position, salary and draft history. More than anything, we hope you learn something about each player.

No. 44: OT Andre Dillard

Dillard was a first-round pick by the Eagles in 2019. After four disappointing seasons in Philadelphia, he signed a three-year, $29 million contract with the Titans in free agency last year. After one miserable season in Tennessee, he was released and signed by the Packers.

On the bright side, he’s still an athletic prospect – which makes him a good reclamation project. He’s also versatile; while most of his snaps have come at left tackle, he’s also played left guard, right guard and right tackle.

On the other hand, there’s a reason why he’s already on this third team. Last year was supposed to be a fresh start. Instead, it was a disaster. No offensive tackle allowed more sacks than Dillard’s 12, according to Pro Football Focus, which is quite a feat considering he started only 10 of 17 games and ranked 64th in pass-protecting snaps.

“Things just didn’t quite pan out the way that me and the coaches would have liked,” Dillard said at minicamp. “It wasn’t a great fit all around for everybody. Things happen. This is a crazy league. You never know. Whatever happens, just got to put one foot in front of the other and just keep going.”

Dillard’s trajectory and track record shows this Hail Mary won’t be answered. But, given right tackle Zach Tom’s torn pectoral, there’s a chance Dillard could be in the starting lineup against the Eagles in Week 1. Offensive line coach Luke Butkus helped turn former seventh-round pick Rasheed Walker into a more-than-capable starting left tackle. Perhaps he is the right man for this job, too.

“They said that there’s one thing guaranteed right now and that’s an opportunity for you to come and compete,” Dillard said. “So, it’s a falls-into-your-court kind of thing. They gave me the opportunity and I’m going to take it and do with it to the best of my ability.”

No. 43: DE Brenton Cox

One of the three undrafted free agents who earned a spot on the 53-man roster last year, Cox didn’t play much as a rookie. That’s not fully his fault. After all, Rashan Gary, Preston Smith, Lukas Van Ness and Kingsley Enagbare were ahead of him on the depth chart, so opportunity wasn’t knocking on his door.

However, after Enagbare suffered an injured ACL in the playoff win at Dallas, the Packers elevated Keshawn Banks from the practice squad and made Cox an inactive for the playoff loss at San Francisco. So, Cox’s season ended with him playing in four games and logging just four snaps on defense.

Gary, Smith, Van Ness and Enagbare (assuming he’s fully healthy) are back again, so Cox is going to have to earn his spot on the roster.

“One thing that he could always do is he can rush the passer,” coach Matt LaFleur said at minicamp. “We don’t have pads on, so it will really show itself as we get into training camp. But that’s why he made such a great impression on us a year ago. Certainly, the scheme’s a little bit different, and we’re just letting him pin his ears back and go and he’s embraced that.”

Cox is the clear front-runner for a potential fifth spot on the 53. When LaFleur split into two groups, with the starters and key backups on the north end of the practice field and everyone else on the south end, Cox was with Gary and Co. on the north side.

“He has a group of guys that just want to see him win,” Gary said. “I told him, ‘Closed mouths don’t get fed,’ so if he has any type of question to me, Preston, KC, there’s a lot of experience, a lot of guys who played ball at a high level. He’s been doing it and it’s been coming to light.”

No. 42: DT Colby Wooden

The Packers drafted two defensive tackles last year, Wooden in the fourth round and Karl Brooks in the sixth. It was Brooks who emerged as the impact player while Wooden sort of fell into the background.

After playing 36 snaps in each of the first two games, he played 20-plus only once the rest of the season. During the three-game winning streak to close the regular season, Wooden played a total of 27 snaps. He finished the season with 17 tackles and a half-sack.

Wooden spent the offseason in the weight room to get ready for Year 2.

“Last year, I was about 278. Now, I’m about 290, 293,” Wooden said during OTAs. “I definitely added some muscle but I still look like me and I can play anywhere on the line.”

He added: “It was important because I’m light in the trenches. Being light down there, they’ll definitely circle you out and highlight you. I definitely needed to get stronger. It’s a grown-man world down there. I just needed to get stronger.”

This will be a big camp for Wooden. Last year, Kenny Clark, Devonte Wyatt, TJ Slaton, Brooks and Wooden played all 17 games together. All five players are back. Wooden will have to prove he’s worthy of taking someone’s playing time.

No. 41: K Greg Joseph

After Anders Carlson struggled as a rookie, Joseph, Carlson and James Turner will compete in a three-man battle in training camp.

“Me vs. me,” Joseph said of his view of the competition. “Obviously, every year’s a new year, so just focus on getting better each and every day, working on my craft. Simple as that.”

Joseph, who will turn 30 on Aug. 4, entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent in 2018 and spent the last three seasons as the Minnesota Vikings’ kicker. Really, even with most of his games indoors, he’s been no better than Carlson. With the Vikings, he made 82.2 percent of his field-goal attempts and 90.3 percent of his extra-point tries. He does have a big leg and a lot of big-kick experience.

“He’s been an indoor kicker now for a while, so being here is a little bit interesting,” special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia said before the start of OTAs. “In our conversation with him, he hasn’t played well [at Lambeau Field]. So, him playing in these conditions is a little bit different for him, as well. He’s got a tremendous leg.”

Joseph, who was Plan B in terms of adding a veteran, said he’s “excited” for the challenge of taking his game outdoors.

“Obviously, it’s one of the most historic stadiums in the league,” he said. “Happy to be here, happy to be able to kick in this stadium and continue to put one foot in front of the other and get used to the conditions and go from there.”

Interestingly, the Packers gave him longtime kicker Mason Crosby’s No. 2.

“We’ll see what happens when I make the team, jersey-wise,” Joseph said.

No. 40: S Evan Williams

In a perfect world, veteran addition Xavier McKinney and second-round pick Javon Bullard will play every snap together at safety. This isn’t a perfect world, though. Williams could be the next man up at safety if McKinney or Bullard are injured or if Bullard has to move into the slot.

“I saw a smart, tough, reliable football player,” defensive backs coach Ryan Downard said before the start of OTAs. “The last half of his senior year at Oregon, he played with a club on his hand and there was no slow down from him. He was still trying to throw it up in there. He’s a guy who could cover but showed toughness. He’s just a well-rounded guy.

“And then we had the chance to talk to him. He’s extremely smart, very good test score. And then when we interviewed him, it checked that box for us, which we want. We want guys that can process, and he certainly showed that when he came for rookie camp. You couldn’t shut the guy which is what we want, right? On the field, he’s directing traffic. As a rookie, that’s really special.”

Williams spent his first four seasons at Fresno State, where he earned all-Mountain West Conference honors in 2021 and 2022. He transferred to Oregon for his final season. While he had zero interceptions and only two passes defensed, he did have 82 tackles, 4.5 sacks and five tackles for losses.

Oregon co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach Chris Hampton called Williams “my favorite player” he’s coached.

Williams had a big-time interception at the Senior Bowl. During the last day of minicamp, he was in the perfect position to knock a receiver into the middle of next week to prevent a completion.

“Being able to play in the post, play near the line of scrimmage and make plays around the ball, I feel like that’s definitely something that sets me apart, just kind of being a do-it-all guy, being able to make those plays,” Williams said. “And once you get the chance to blitz, I feel like I was pretty effective last year and looking to maybe get some of those sack numbers up and just cause havoc in the backfield. I feel like that translates really well into this league.”