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As has been customary during General Manager Ted Thompson's tenure, Saturday’s mandatory roster reduction to 53 players won’t be the last moves the Green Bay Packers make.
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Since Thompson put together his first roster for the Packers in 2005, he has made at least one move after the cutdown date and before the regular-season opener every year.
Given that the Packers' current roster does not include a long snapper – J.J. Jansen was placed on season-ending injured reserve – it is almost certain that there is at least one move forthcoming before Packers play the Minnesota Vikings on Sept. 8.
So there should be a few nervous players among those who were spared in the cut from 75 players to 53. The players with the shakiest status include offensive lineman Breno Giacomini, cornerback Jarrett Bush, safety Charlie Peprah and linebacker Tracy White.
Giacomini didn’t show much during training camp. Bush and Peprah – while special teams core players – were among 10 defensive backs retained. No other position has more than nine players. Also, Peprah missed the latter half of training camp due to a hamstring injury. White, another special teams core player, was one of seven linebackers to be retained. That’s an unusually high number at that position.
They should consider that last season running back Noah Herron was initially kept on the roster but was later placed on injured reserve when fullback John Kuhn was claimed off waivers. Herron had a knee injury and would not have been able to play early in the season but probably could have returned by the midway point of the season, but the Packers were not willing to wait that long.
In 2006, Thompson made three late additions to the roster by picking up Bush, Peprah and offensive lineman Tony Palmer from waivers. That year, he had to waive only one additional player – cornerback Jason Horton – because he kept just 51 players in the final cuts.
In 2005, Thompson added a pair of players – free agent tight end Donald Lee (who had been released by Miami and cleared waivers) and fullback Vonta Leach from the practice squad – and released tight end Ben Steele and fullback Nick Luchey.
This year, the Packers will almost certainly have to sign a snapper to replace Jansen, who sustained a torn lateral collateral ligament in his left knee in Thursday’s preseason finale against the Tennessee Titans.
Jansen’s agent, Paul Sheehy, expressed optimism that his client would be healthy enough to play against the Vikings, but the Packers apparently felt otherwise. They likely figured that they did not have room on their roster for two long snappers and releasing Jansen would allow another team to claim him. This way, they can keep Jansen all season if they want and let him compete for the job next season.
Jansen had been the Packers’ handpicked successor to the retired Rob Davis. They signed Jansen as a free agent out of Notre Dame shortly after the draft. They gave him the job on Aug. 3, when they released journeyman Thomas Gafford, who eventually signed with the Bears but was released on Saturday. The Packers could put in a waiver claim for Gafford by 11 a.m. Sunday, but because of their 13-3 record last season, they will be near the bottom of the priority list for waiver claims.
The Packers also have tryouts scheduled with several snappers this week and could sign one of them.
There appears to be little chance the Packers will try to use one of their position players to snap. Guard Tony Moll started practicing long snaps on the sideline after Jansen was injured Thursday, but he has never done it in an NFL game.
The only other players to try any long snaps during training camp practices were defensive tackle Johnny Jolly and offensive lineman Ryan Considine. Jolly’s snaps were inconsistent, and Considine didn’t make the team.
