Every NFL franchise was faced with tough decision this week as they pared their rosters down to 53 men in accordance with league rules. The Green Bay Packers faced some of the most difficult calls. It's very possible some of the players they parted ways with on Tuesday find a way to make GM Brian Gutekunst and his staff to regret letting them go.
All in all, the final cuts in Green Bay should not have surprised fans paying close attention during the preseason. Sean Clifford and Taylor Elgersma waged an intriguing battle for the No. 3 quarterback position but it was always unlikely the Packers were going to carry more than two active signal-callers heading into the regular season.
There is always a strong chance that several of the late cuts find a way onto the team's Practice Squad. That will require most of them to pass through the league's waiver process. Several young, relatively inexperienced, players on the cut list have caught the eyes of Green Bay's front office with the hopes they can stash them away for future development.
The three players on this list have the best chance of catching on somewhere else and giving the Packers real heart burn about not keeping them around. They won't suddenly blossom into Pro Bowlers for their new teams but they have enought alent to become quality contributors.
1. Kalen King
Javon Bullard's emergence as a high-quality starter at nickel corner ultimately cost Kalen King his spot on the roster. This marks the second time the Packers have cut King late during the team's preseason work.
Betting on a 22-year-old cornerback with quality speed and quickness to develop into an NFL contributor is hardly an example of groundbreaking scouting. King has the necessary physical characteristics to help a team in the slot or on the outside. All he needs to do is improve his physicality and refine his technique before he's ready to compete for a starting job.
He fits the profile of a player the Packers might want to stash on the Practice Squad but losing out to Bo Melton and potentially Micah Robinson shouldn't sit well with King and his representatives. Don't be surprised if he opts to make a move to another Practice Squad even if he's given an opportunity to stay in Green Bay.
King may never grow into a starter for a team with Super Bowl aspirations but, at worst, he looks like a defensive back who can help give a team cover at multiple cornerback spots. That versatility could cause Green Bay to regret letting him go for a second consecutive season.
2. Isaiah Simmons
Cutting a former top-10 pick always earns headlines during the preseason. That's just what the Packers did with linebacker Isaiah Simmons. Uneven play during the team's preseason games likely cost him a chance to lock down a spot on coordinator Jeff Hafley's two-deep at linebacker.
At some point, teams will give up on the idea of converting Simmons' athleticism into a productive player. The Packers should have given him more time to become an impact player on defense and special teams. They aren't bereft of other talent at linebacker but Simmons would have given the group a boost of speed they don't currently possess.
The #Packers are expected to release linebacker Isaiah Simmons, sources tell @CBSSports.
— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) August 26, 2025
The former Cardinals top-10 pick had joined Green Bay earlier this offseason after two years with the Giants. Has 329 career tackles. pic.twitter.com/ylexL8aonD
Green Bay would do well to retain Simmons on their Practice Squad, but there should be another team ready to give him a chance to immediately join their 53-man roster. One injury could cause the Packers to rue the day they let Simmons walk for nothing.
3. Mecole Hardman
The writing has been on the wall that Hardman wasn't going to make the team for most of the preseason. He signed a modest deal in free agency when the team looked short of numbers in the receiver room. Drafting Matthew Golden and Savion Williams suddenly made it a crowded position group in Green Bay.
The argument for keeping Hardman on the 53-man roster is that he could have given the team a quality kick returner who didn't require a ton of offensive snaps. Ultimately, the Packers' front office made the reasonable decision that keeping a primary kick returning on the roster was not a luxury they wanted to afford.
It's still easy to envision a scenario where an important player on the Packers roster gets injured returning kicks. That's a scenario that could ahve been avoided by keeping Hardman on the active roster. There might be another NFL team ready to bring him in as a high quality kick return specialist. That could open up Green Bay's front office to criticism if they get a bad break in the regular season.