The Green Bay Packers will want to put Saturday night's 30-10 loss to the Jets behind them quickly. It was the epitome of an "it's just the preseason" game. At least the the Packers hope so after a sloppy, subpar performance across the board.
A few Packers hopefuls made the most of their opportunities, perhaps giving themselves a chance to make the cut. However, too many players on the roster bubble did the opposite of fortifying their position. A few who might have been considered safe, now have giant question marks hanging over their head.
Hurt: Jacob Monk
Jacob Monk wasn't supposed to be on the roster bubble, but the Packers might have to put him there after his first preseason showing of the year. The second-year interior lineman was a mess on Saturday. His night included three holding penalties and a third-down sack. That was against the second Jets' second-team, mind you.
The fact that the Packers aren't deploying Monk as the second-team center, giving that role to Sean Rhyan instead, says a lot about how much faith they have in him. He did little to reassure them in this one.
Jacob Monk has gotten a lot of first-team reps with #Packers offensive line with Elgton Jenkins out this offseason. He now has three holding penalties and allowed a sack tonight.
— Ryan Wood (@ByRyanWood) August 10, 2025
Helped: Kingsley Enagbare and Brenton Cox
Since the Packers used two draft picks on defensive ends, Kingsley Enagbare and Brenton Cox are fighting for their roster spots in camp. Enagbare has started 18 games over the last three years for Green Bay while Cox had four sacks in seven games in the second half of last season. So it would be a shame if they found themselves on the outside looking in. But the NFL is a business, so the only thing they could do is give the Packers every reason not to find them expendable.
Both Enagbare and Cox passed their first test on Saturday with standout performances in a game short on those from the Packers perspective. The former had a tackle for loss and a fourth-down stuff. The latter also logged a TFL while demonstrating that last seasons' flashes weren't a mirage.
Rare bright spot in that first half was Kingsley Enagbare. Stuffed a fourth-down run, spun off a block for a tackle for no gain, pressured the QB into an incompletion and had another TFL against the run.
— Matt Schneidman (@mattschneidman) August 10, 2025
Brenton Cox is an extremely instinctive football player!
— Tazim Wajid Wajed (@NFLHitman33) August 10, 2025
Hurt: Isaiah Simmons
Isaiah Simmons is supposed to be competing for a spot in the Packers' linebacker rotation, not just one on the roster. But he looked like a player on the roster bubble during his extended playing time on Saturday.
Once the No. 8 overall pick of the Cardinals, Simmons gave Packers fans a taste of why he was traded to the Giants in 2023 for a seventh-round pick. He looked lost, uncertain of his role in pass defense and unconvincing as a tackler.
This clip says it all really:
Isaiah Simmons…
— The Packer Backer Tracker (@BackerofPack) August 10, 2025
That’s as bad of a rep as you’re going to see. pic.twitter.com/SuHNzOQMf5
Helped: Amar Johnson
Undrafted rookie Amar Johnson is fighting an uphill battle to make the Packers roster, but more showings like he had against the Jets would give him quite the boost. The former South Dakota State star led Green Bay with seven carries for 67 yards and a touchdown. He broke free for a 39-yard score after absorbing a hit, bouncing off the defender and showing some burst to the pylon.
Head coach Matt LaFleur acknowledged how the rookie caught his eye after the game.
Packers HC Matt LaFleur on Amar Johnson:
— Jason B. Hirschhorn (@by_JBH) August 10, 2025
"I thought it was a good showing for him. I thought he ran hard and flashed some playmaking ability. He'll probably earn some more opportunities next week."
Hurt: Mecole Hardman and Malik Heath
The Packers wide receiver corps has fans pulling their hair out at times in 2024 and unfortunately it looks like there may be another wave of premature balding in the state of Wisconsin in 2025. Maybe it was just preseason rust, but GB's pass catchers couldn't, well, catch passes on Saturday night. There were more than half a dozen drops on the night. Romeo Daubs had one. So did Julian Hicks and Israel Abanikanda. But the ones that may have the biggest impact on coming roster cuts could be those by Mecole Hardman and Malik Heath.
Hardman and Heath are competing directly with each other for a roster spot with hopes of contributing on special teams at the very least. But Hardman did little to convince he's worthy of a special teams spot by muffing one punt and fielding another at the five-yard line. And Heath didn't do much better on the receiving end, dropping not one, but two passes.
Helped: Kalen King
The Packers drafted Kalen King in the seventh round last year. While he didn't make the roster, he did land on GB's practice squad and found himself elevated to the roster late in the season. He may be a fringe player, but he's clearly one Green Bay sees some potential in. He showed that potential against the Jets with a night full of playmaking. He made the stop that forced one Jets punt and had two pass breakups in the end zone.
King is one of several cornerbacks vying for a roster spot and he made the first big statement of that group in the preseason.