Hi, everybody. Welcome to another edition of Packers Unscripted from Packers dot Com. I am Mike Spoffer, joined as always by my partner in crime, Weston Hodkowitz. We're coming to you here from our studios at lambeau Field and Wes with plenty to talk about. We skipped our earlier episode this week because of all of the roster dust that
needed to settle. And Wow, this might have been the most active and interesting roster cutdown time in Green Bay in a while because the Packers emerged from it not only with their initial fifty three man roster, but a new kicker, a new backup quarterback. Both of the them came from the Tennessee Titans. It's been an interesting last few days around.
I was joking with a friend of mine because you know, obviously we're in the two cycle week show for the Unscripted, and I made a crack about whether we would have tried to shoot the show on Monday or Tuesday. We would have had to reshoot it like three times.
Yeah, exactly, based.
On every single thing that happened, beginning with the rumors, not the rumors, but the reports of the Malik Willis trade on Monday night. Then Andre's Carlson is released. You have Greg Joseph make it to Wednesday, but then the packers claim Brandon Narvissen from the Tennessee Titans, and on and on and on the things go. But I'll say this too, I got I do my own informal roster selection. I got forty nine, correct. I really there was just some things that definitely threw me for a whirl a
little bit. Yeah, I see not so much the guys that made it, but like the Anthony Johnson juniors, you know, being released, and you know a couple of the different decisions that happen, and it just again goes to show you, Mike, for as much as we watch these practices and watch these games, you cannot get into the minds and into the meeting rooms of the NFL Scouts of Brian Goode Kunst. They had to make some very very tough calls. Brian even said it during his news conference earlier this week.
They felt like there was more than fifty three guys on this rasa deserve to be here. I think the fact that three of them got claimed on waiver sort of speaks to that. And now the Green Bay Packers with what I would argue is probably their most talent rich team they've had at least during this era of Brian Goodecunk's ten years GM. They are stacked and ready to get into the season.
Yeah, I want to get back to those three released players by the Packers getting claimed by other teams. But first, let's talk about these two new arrivals a little bit. At quarterback, Malik Willis. A couple of years ago, he was a third round draft pick of the Tennessee Titans. He was the third quarterback taken in that draft. It was it was not the typical quarterback draft. In twenty twenty two that spring, Willis was the third quarterback taken.
He had begun his college career at Auburn, had ultimately transferred to Liberty University in Virginia, had a couple of highly successful seasons there, and then with the Titans, he ended up getting sort of three emergency starts as a rookie, and then things just didn't really work out for him in Tennessee and there's been a coaching change now and you know, quite obviously the Packers felt after the way things went through this training camp in preseason with Sean
Clifford and Michael Pratt felt they needed to upgrade at backup quarterback, and so Brian Gudakunz traded a seventh round pick to the Titans to get a new quarterback in here. It's a very interesting situation with the opener coming up so quickly, you wonder how fast can Willis get up to speed? Can he really be the number two quarterback
for the opener in Brazil against the Eagles. The fallback is that Sean Clifford is back on the practice squad, so the Packers will have that option as they set the roster for the game in Brazil, depending on how all that shakes out. But a different type of quarterback, a dual threat guy, the kind of guy that the Packers haven't really had around here. A whole heck of
a lot. But it's a new lease on life. And Summer speaks from in some measure of speaking for Malik Willis, and he's going to help out the Packers at a spot that they need, they need some assurance.
Yeah. I was really big on Willis in twenty twenty two. I don't know how much the average fan of members, but I mean his draft stock just soared in the weeks in the months leading up to that, whether it was the NFL Scout Scouting Combine or just the fact that you know, it wasn't the most talent rich draft. So I mean, we really perseverated a lot on the quarterbacks that were available. Kenny Pickett goes at number twenty to Pittsburgh Desmond Ritter, who also got released this past weekend.
He went in the third round to Atlanta, and then you had Tennessee, I believe trade up to get Willis. Now. The one thing about his tenuere in Tennessee that I never quite understood was I didn't really see what the vision was for him there right they had Ryan Tannehill. To me, it almost kind of felt like they got to the third round and he was still there, and they we're just, yeah, let's take this kid and we'll see what we get. When we developed, they never really
committed to it. As you said, there was three spot starts. They didn't go great his rookie year. He talked at his locker on Wednesday about how he's a much different quarterback today than he went when he got those opportunities. They drafted Will Levis last season, so then he's basically the number de facto number three.
And Levis was a second round pick, someone they invested a higher draft pick in than they had invested in Willis.
Yeah, and now for him to you know, he had a really strong preseason, the best preseason of his career so far, led them in rushing. You know, was a guy that had one hundred and seven passer rating. I watched the final clips of those ten minutes in that game against the Saints. I mean, he made some extraordinary throws. The pass that he had down the right sideline, which if you go back and look at his draft right up, that was something they felt was really strong with him.
His downfield accuracy, particularly to the sidelines. That thirty four yard touchdown came off of him leading the receiver in one on one coverage. So it's not like he's just a guy that just is gonna run, No, I mean, he had a lot of arm talent. He's super intelligent, and you can sense that at this locker just the way he carries himself in his composure, and I actually think from a personality perspective, is going to fit really
well with Jordan Love. The challenge is the fact that we are at the time that we're taping this eight days away from the regular season Oprah in Brazil. How quickly he can digest this playbook after spending the last three years working in Tennessee system. That's going to be
the number one thing he has to figure out. But that being said athletically, in tangible wise, there's a lot to like about Malik will Is still only twenty five years old, and I really feel like you really haven't even opened the box yet of what his potential could be in this league.
Well, it sounds like there is some carryover in terms of the playbook the scheme from what Willis was learning his rookie year in Tennessee before some things with the offense and the coaching and whatnot started to change there.
But the other thing I thought was interesting is Brian Gudacunz specifically made the comment and talking about Willis that in their evaluation of Willis, as they were keeping their eye out for quarterbacks who might who might come available for all to talk about Willis and his running ability and being a dual threat guy, Brian Gudacunz said they felt there was a lot of progress made in making plays from the pocket and not just tuck and run and take off with the ball. That the kind of
stuff he was doing early in his career. That progress of becoming a pocket passer while still maintaining that dual threat, that type of growth is what really interested the Packers in making this move. So be interesting to see. Obviously, if all goes well, Malik Willis will not be playing for the Green Bay Packers in twenty twenty four. That's not the idea here, but the Packers certainly feel they've
upgraded themselves at backup quarterback. When it comes to kicker Anders Carlson, Greg Joseph a tire offseason, all of training camp. Other third kickers at various times brought in to be part of the competition as well, it ends up being none of them. The Packers decide to move on Alex hale Is on the practice squad with the international player exemption,
so there is a second kicker in Green Bay. But Braden Narvison, undrafted rookie, went to Tennessee, was not able to beat out Nick Folk, the veteran, for the job there, and the Packers end up making the claim of Narvison on waivers. He had a very successful preseason. He only missed one field goal out of seven tries, and I believe that was a fifty eight yarder. He made a fifty nine yarder. He also a walk off. I believe it was forty six yards a walk off kick to
win a preseason game. So the Packers liked the fact that, you know, he's kind of been in some pressure situations as a rookie in the preseason when he's competing with a veteran to try to to try to unseat a guy for the job. And you know, we're not going to know exactly what the Packers thought of, you know, Carlson and Joseph and how all this thing went. Joseph, I thought, started out training camp really strong. Then he hit a rough patch. He seemed to kind of recover
towards the end. Carlson in some respects was a little steadier in terms of the consistency maybe than Joseph, But the consistent level wasn't a high enough consistent level really when the Packers looked at it, and quite frankly, wess it's not about just one kick. But when Carlson went out and missed the thirty two yarder at the in the fourth quarter of the final preseason game against Baltimore.
I felt what I said in insider inboxes that just felt like a declaration that Anders Carlson was not any better as a kicker in year two than he was in year one, and the Packers felt they needed to get better at that position. So if he's not going to prove that he's better that, then they're going to look elsewhere to upgrade. So narvisin is the move.
A lot of different things in play here. The one thing I will say, and again I thought, Anders is the way you handle himself in Green Bay just you know, total professional from day one. But the fact is is he makes a fifty four yard field goal early in that preseason game and then in the fourth quarter you
miss a thirty two yarder. As you venture into the NFL season, and as Matt Lafloor said, he knows how close that razor thin line is between victory and defeat and how sometimes the kicking position is factoring into that. You can't have that type of fluctuation. You have to be more consistent. Greg Joseph, I thought, showed an NFL caliber leg. It was a little disconcerning the middle of that camp where he sort of lost the way a
little bit. I thought he did finish strong. I'd be curious to see what opportunities are out for him this season. Still and ultimately a position battle that lasted more than
four months, it really didn't have a conclusive winner. So what does Brian goodekuins do You look at the situation in Tennessee where you had two guys and Nick Folk at thirty nine years old, still holding on and still holding strong, and you had Narvison who was the upstar challenger who kind of is in the same mold of a Christian welch and that I don't know what more that kid could have done to win the job other than maybe making the fifty eight yarder. But I mean
he made a fifty nine yarder. If you look into his bio, he made a fifty eight yarder in high school. I mean, this guy has been around, and he's been a pretty highly touted kicker for a long time and worked his way up the college ladder to finish things out at NC State, you take a risk bringing in a kicker this late. Matt Lafleur said, this is kind of uncharted waters for him in that regard and as an undres a rookie, you're not sure how he's going
to respond to. Okay, now these are all must make situations. But all that being said, Packers had to go a different direction. They had the waiver wire at their disposal, they had free agency at their disposal. It's a position where you don't have a playbook, and they felt like Narvusen is the right fit for them right now.
Yeah, it's interesting how it unfolded that the Packers ended up making both of these moves with players coming from the same team, and you know, you just wonder exactly how the discussions unfolded. Were the Packers trying to get both in the trade, but then maybe the Titans were asking for too high of a draft pick, So then they just settled, Okay, we'll keep the quarterback things separate.
We'll just get that done. We'll we'll see what else happens, and Narvis and the Packers end up getting him for free essentially off of off of the waiver wear. So kind of interesting how how that unfolded. With regard to the Packers and getting down to the fifty three. You mentioned that Brian Gudokun said there were more than fifty three guys who were deserving of roster spots, and as it turned out, for the first time in seven years, not only did the Packers have a released player get claimed,
they had three of them get claimed. Safety Anthony Johnson Junior was claimed by the Giants, receiver Grant Dubos by the Mammy Dolphins, and offensive lineman Royce Newman by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. And that really speaks to the depth the Packers had on this ninety man offseason roster because there were only I believe the final number was twenty six players claimed across the league, twenty six across the entire league out of eight hundred plus. Carolina took half
of them that were on the waiver. Yeah, Carolina took a bunch. They took advantage of being at the top of the waiver claim list. I mean, that's what you have to do. If you feel there are better players
out there, you got to upgrade your team. But only twenty six were claimed across the league, and three of them were claimed off of the from the Green Bay Packers cut list, So that says something about what the Packers had in this locker room throughout the offseason, throughout training camp, and let's be honest too, I mean that fifty three that did make it for Green Bay did not include two players who all of us thought would be on the fifty three. And I'm talking about running
back AJ Dillon and tight end Tyler Davis. Both of them unfortunately end up on season ending injured reserve Dylan with the stinger injury the recurrence of the next stinger that kept him out of the regular season finale and
the playoffs last year. Tyler Davis, after an entire basically a year's worth of rehab from the ACL from the preseason opener in Cincinnati last year, he gets back out on the field in Denver in preseason action, plays roughly a dozen snaps and injured his shoulder and now he's out for another season once again. So that was really the bad news and the sad news with regard to
the roster decisions. But again, those are two players everybody thought would be on the fifty three, all else being equal, and they weren't, and the Packers filled those spots, so they still have their fifty three, and three guys still got claimed by other teams. So I just in the bigger picture. You look at that this offseason roster was very deep and very talented.
Very deep, very talented, and so many guys rose up to the challenge. I think a guy like Christian Welch again, you could look at him as somebody that was a long shot, even though he was a veteran, and he put himself into the conversation with how he performed in the preseason. Royce Newman, I think everybody would probably agree Royce, it was time for a change of venue for him and see what can happen now that he gets down
in Tampa with kind of a fresh start. You know that the opportunity for the offensive line, the where the depth is, it didn't really wasn't conducive I think for him making the roster. But then you have granted Bo's, who was the only receiver claims and I think again speaks not only to the depth a receiver, but honestly, Mike, the strength of these last two draft classes. The Packers don't find them in a situation of having to release
a due Bo's or an Anthony Johnson junior. If there isn't Evan Williams, if there isn't Javon Bullard if there isn't Malik Heath and I certainly Bow Melton. Those type of players are the ones that made this decision very difficult. And on the other side of it, you have guys like Heath, who I thought got stronger throughout the preseason. I thought Brian Gudokuntz made a very salient observation when he said, this is a guy that just has a
unique ability to make the big play. And when you're looking at long term potential, those type of players, there's something to be said for that, because you can have all the tools, but you might not have that it's factor when it's winning time. Malik has that. You saw it last year with Bou Melton, Mike. I mean, Bow needed to have a good camp. It wasn't like he
just guaranteed a roster spot. But you don't have the performance that he had down the stretch last season if you're not talented and if you're not ready for the moment. So for the Green Bay Packers to have this much depth at receiver that a guy like grandtu Bos who performed so well throughout camp it really didn't have very
many off days. If he's not able to make this roster again, I think is another reminder of just how talented, how deep, and how young the Packers are at many spots on this team.
Yeah, that clutch comment that Gudakuns made about Malie Keith in terms of, you know, being able to make you a key play at a key time. We saw it last year as a game the Packers lost, unfortunately, But the Monday night game against the Giants, the guy who catches the touchdown pass in the final couple of minutes that gave the Packers a chance to win that game was maliek Keith. It was a tough play at the pylon.
The previous play, he had just had what he thought was going to be the touchdown catch and had just got knocked out of his hands by the defender. Came right back on the next play it was fourth, it was either third or fourth down. Jordan Love went right back to him and and he makes that touchdown. Those are the kinds of things that stick with decision makers right when it comes to you're trying to decide between this guy and that guy. And Grant Dubo's he did
everything he could. He also he was performing on special teams quite well, putting some really good special teams film out there as well as what he was doing at receiver. Unique situation in Miami for him because Miami initially only
kept four wide receivers on it's fifty three. They have Odell Beckham Junior, who is on the pup list, they have another wide receiver who was put on injured reserve with the designation to return, and then they went and claimed Dubos to essentially be their number five receiver for right now depending on how long it takes those other guys to come back. So a big time opportunity for him and hope it goes well, but it's one of those things that you just never know exactly what everybody
else's situation is around the league. I think in a perfect world, the Packers would love to have brought Grant Dubo's back to the practice squad, but the claim pro is out there for reason. It's for players to get opportunities with other teams, and do Bo's is going to get that now.
And I think the one thing that you could tell even when Brian was talking about is Matt Lafleur as well is probably as disappointed as they were not to be able to have Grant, you could have cut Malie Keith or bow Melt and both of those guys are getting claimed too. I firmly believe that there are no what IFFs at that position. We know how talented they are, and there would have been a team like Miami there that is looking for someone when they are that banged
up to augment their current roster. And the other aspect of it, too is it's not like this is a team with several older players where Okay, well Grant, if it doesn't happen this year, could be he was continually going to be fighting this uphill climb against the same exact players for the next two seasons. Get Lord willing health wise. So it is what it is. But again, the fun part about that day, Mike is a fact,
like Mulik Keith telling people at his locker. You know, Jason Vrabel, the Packers passing game coordinator, his position coach last year, was the one that called him to let him know made the team. You know, we talk about an Aaron Moseby on the defensive line that was on the practice squad all of last season. He has not appeared in an actual NFL regular season game in almost two years. Those are the stories that make you feel
good about this. And you know, as much as it hurts to see some guys end up leaving, being able to have that knowledge of how talented this roster is, paired with the guys that have some pretty inspiring stories, you know, it makes for a pretty special day.
Yeah, it's It's funny because we talked before the you know, the preseason finale against Baltimore. You know, I wouldn't say it's every year, but there are years where somebody in that final preseason game plays his way onto the fifty three man roster. This year, the answer to that question was Aaron Mosby. He went out there, he got the strip sack, which his teammate Anthony Johnson Junior scooped up and ran for a touchdown. He also dropped into coverage
and intercepted a pass. Packers loaded up on the defensive line. They have a lot of depth at both interior d line and on the edges, and but that you know, at a premier position at edge rusher, you show that kind of promise, in that kind of potential, and the Packers knew, you know, they know the growth that Mosby has made that entire first year is spending his entire undrafted rookie year on the practice squad. He makes it now and and hats off to bow Melton, his third
crack at trying to make an initial fifty three. Obviously, he's played in NFL games, he's got statistics to his name, made some big plays for the Packers down the stretch last year, but this was the time of year that he was always getting the bad news and end up, you know, going onto a practice squad or making his way from Seattle to Green Bay, whatever the case might be. He's on the fifty three now to start the season, and that's pretty exciting for that young man.
Yeah, and you could just see what it means to that locker room to have bow Melton in there. I think I've used the analogy a couple times before. I mean, he is the heartbeat of that receiving core. He might not be the guy that's getting the fifty snaps a game, but you know, he's one of these straws that stir that drink and make what this team is pretty special. And you know, just the way he's dealt with us and his professionalism since the day he got the day
he signed off of Seattle's practice squad. I'll never forget that, talking to him for the first time in the locker room and just basically just being hopeful for an opportunity, understanding he's a on paper, he has four three four speed, but he has to play that out and on an actual playing surface. And I thought last year he did that.
You know, he mentioned when I talked to him after the game on Saturday, you know, he got the eighteen yard touchdown and had been a training camp filled with some ups and downs, but he felt like there were more ups and I think the Packers agreed with that as well. And there are certain intangibles with him that I think just make it so that you just you can't. You can't. You can't risk losing that player again like the Packers did last season. They were fortunate he lasted
as long as he's done the practice squad. They were able to elevate him and then sign him in December, and you know, it was a big part of them having the run that they had. So, yeah, Kudo's the bow. He's gone about it the right way and ultimately I got a huge reward from it.
Yeah, no doubt about it. Well, I've waited a little too long to take care of sponsors.
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The kickoff in Brazil against the Philadelphia Eagles is eight days away, which is hard to process right now. But that being said, the Packers are turning the page. They are starting their full fledged prep for the season opener, and that includes a practice. Actually, Matt Lafuer informed the media the Packers will be practicing Thursday night under the lights at lambeau Field, sort of spending their Thursday mimicking what game day next Friday in Brazil is going to be.
They're going to have some morning meetings and and you know, sort of like that walk through type of stuff. Then the players will get a little bit of a break and then they're going to come out under the lights for what sounds like it's going to be a pretty high intensity practice at lambeau Field. It's a close practice. We won't be there, there won't be any cameras or
photographers there. But this is what's always so interesting to me, is that is that you know, you go through that last preseason game, you've still got the ninety guys on the roster. You have to make all these decisions. This year it included a trade and a waiver claim, both at very very significant spots on the roster. And then with the Packers not having until that first Sunday of the regular season, the fact that their first game is on a Friday, and we'll be traveling to Brazil a
couple of days before that. It's all happening pretty fast here, Wes, and that opening night kickoff for Green Bay against the Eagles is going to be here before we know.
There are so many things I've taken issue with the seventeen game schedule and all these different things the NFL has done with tinkering with the league and the outlook the last few years. I will put on record, I will be on video saying I absolutely love the fact that they have this mini buy or whatever you want to call it before the opener. Absolutely, it adds so much to not only trying to keep rosters healthy, but it allows coaches like Matt Lafleur to try to do
some interesting stuff this week. You would never do this if the Green Bay Packers were playing in six or seven days. You would do this if you have an extra day or two to kind of, you know, see where you're at with your roster, get guys comfortable, and also get them acclimated to not necessarily the time change or any of those type of things, but the fact that you now need to prepare a young football team for primetime action in an international site in week one. Yeah,
that's what the Green Bay Packers are doing. And I think you know, as many chain eges is this is going to be and we're going to have to get through it. In a lot of ways, the Packers are the guinea pig for this thing in terms of just the amount of travel that is going to go into this before playing a high stakes matchup where you only have seventeen of them. That is going to be a
huge challenge, but it also is a major opportunity. I think it's a major opportunity to put this team on display for the entire country, the entire viewing public, and also a guy like Jordan Love who is now really put himself out there now is one of the faces of this league. With the contract that he got and the way that he played down the stretch last season, that's all very exciting, and honestly, Mike, so much of this is going to be a day to day just
how is this going to play out? What is this going to be like? In Matt Lflour and his coaching staff are trying to do their best they can to sort of predict that.
Yeah, it's interesting because then we'll talk about this more next week leading up to the matchup itself. But you look at these two franchises that are meeting in this inaugural game in Brazil to open the season. The Packers are a team that they made this huge transition last year, not only at quarterback, which obviously as the headliner, but with all these other young players on offense around him. It's been it's been this ongoing transition to where a
lot of struggles early in the year. Then you hit your stride late in the year, you make the playoffs, and you make a run and you come within an eyelash of getting to the NFC Championship game. And now the Packers are looking to build on that and keep their arrow pointing up right. The Philadelphia Eagles are coming into this where a couple of years ago they were the NFC champions. They were in the Super Bowl and they lose a heartbreaking Super Bowl against the Kansas City Chiefs.
They come back the following year and everybody's saying, what super Bowl hangover? The Philadelphia Eagles are ten to one. They're looking like they're going to be the number one seed in the NFC again. Then the adversity hits and things start to snowball the wrong way, and then they end up losing their division to the Dallas Cowboys. They get in as a wild card, but they are one and done in the playoffs, and now coming off of that,
everybody is wondering just where the Philadelphia Eagles headed. Two very very different narratives about two teams that, in their own way and at different times, have been standard bearers within the NFC. But the narratives around these two clubs right now heading into Week one of twenty twenty four, couldn't be more different.
No, And it's interesting too. And the Krimbit Packers are nine to eight and they squeak into the playoffs and look as good as they did in Dallas against the number one seed and then conversely number two seed. Excuse me, yeah, Then you look over on this other side of things, and it's the Philadelphia Eagles, who for a time there looked like they were going to be the number one seed. These fall off dur in the final half of the season, and now they're suddenly in a position where they have
questions answered. Nick Sirianni has questions to answer going into this year. Jason Kelcey is no longer there at center. What's the future of the Tush Push? I mean, it's all those type of things that you're going to have to have. I had to do it. I had to do it.
Bring that up, come on.
But all jokes aside, there's a lot out there yet for Philadelphia. And when you get San Francisco's going through a two man. When you get that close greatness, immortality, legacy, and you fall short, it sticks with you. And I think both of those franchises in a lot of ways, and especially with the Eagles, of how things went at the end tail end of last season. It's a very important game for them come out of the box.
And it's a reminder and we'll talk about this, i'm sure, throughout the course of the twenty twenty four season, but what happened to both the Packers and the Eagles last year and how their season's unfolded, it is a reminder of how much of a marathon this seventeen game gauntlet is because after after nine games, the Packers were three and six. After eleven games, the Eagles were ten to one, And look at where those two teams were in the
middle of January. They were in completely different, like polar opposite type of situations from where they had been just a couple of months earlier. So just a reminder, something to keep in mind, and we'll talk about it more next week.
The dangerous thing about having a seventh seed at Michael is it isn't necessarily the seventh best team in your conference, right And the Green Bay Packers, how they finished that year was very different than how they played the first six seven weeks of the year. Yeah, and Unfortunately, the Dallas Cowboys are on their seeding.
End well, fortunately for the Packers, fortunately for the Packers, fortunately for Cowboys fans and Jerry Jones. With that, we'll call it a rap on this edition of Packers Unscripted. Be sure to follow all of our coverage of the team heading into Week one and off to Brazil. We will have more show more Packers Unscripted next week as well. We've got it all for you on Packers dot com for Wesi and Mike. Thank you for tuning in everybody. We will see you next time.