3 Packers playing their way off the roster after preseason Week 2

The Green Bay Packers were utterly embarrassed on national TV Sunday night, dropping their second preseason game, 27-2, to the Denver Broncos. It couldn't have gone much worse for the cheeseheads, who saw both their backup QB options falter as the defense gave up quality drive after quality drive to Bo Nix.

Green Bay's offense was completely impotent. The current iteration of the Broncos roster isn't exactly known for its stalwart defense, but Denver forced several three-and-outs in the first half. Green Bay didn't get on the scoreboard until the final minute of the third quarter, when Zach Wilson stumbled into a safety.

That was the highlight of the Packers' evening, which is a rather troubling fact for the Green Bay faithful. There are high expectations around this team after a blistering-hot end to the 2023 campaign. The Packers beat Dallas in the playoffs and gave San Francisco a nice run in the NFC semifinals. There are obvious caveats to the Packers' struggles on Sunday — Jordan Love didn't play, first and foremost — but it's hard not to get antsy when watching a team so behind on the execution front.

The Packers have a lot to clean up before Week 1 of the regular season. That much is clear. It starts at the top, with general manager Brian Gutekunst and the front office. As Green Bay attempts to trim its roster down to 53 in the weeks to come, these players are dangling dangerously on the bubble.

3. Royce Newman, G

The Packers' offensive line was a complete mess on Sunday night. That is a concerning trend, in line with Jordan Love's high sack total a season ago. It's easy to pick apart the quarterbacks or running backs, but it's much harder to execute at those positions if the pocket is in a constant state of collapse. Neither Sean Clifford nor Michael Pratt had much time to survey the field in the Packers' loss, which led to short dump-offs, incompletions, and of course, fumbles.

Green Bay's O-line depth is in the gutter. The front office will need to search for upgrades during the season. One obvious cut candidate is fourth-year left guard Royce Newman. He's scheduled for a pay raise this season, so without a clear indication of improvement, it could behoove the Packers to get that money off the books.

The chorus calling for exactly that is growing in volume.

Newman allowed the pocket to crumble on multiple occasions, moving like a stick in the mud as Denver's pass-rushers took a highway to the QB.

The Packers have better options. It's that simple. Newman has starting experience and he's somebody the coaching staff is familiar with, but it's time for the Packers to move in a new direction. A weak point at a point of weakness is never safe from the chopping block.

2. Emanuel Wilson

Emanuel Wilson led the Packers in carries (13) and rushing yards (41) on Sunday night, averaging 3.2 yards per tote. On the surface, that's a positive indicator, even if it wasn't the best performance on paper. A deeper dig, however, reveals some question marks. Primarily, it's who the Packers didn't play that will generate headlines.

The Packers effectively gave A.J. Dillon the week off after an unimpressive preseason opener. That more or less signals that his spot on the roster is safe. Should it be? Absolutely not. One could (rather convincingly) argue that Wilson is better. Even in a game where gaps were hard to come by, Wilson's physicality through contact stood out.

He was elusive out of the backfield, lightly involved as a pass-catcher (11-yard reception on two targets), and impactful in the dirty work department. While Dillon spent his week sidestepping criticism, Wilson stepped up in live action and showcased his multi-faceted skill set.

So, did Wilson "play his way off the roster" in Week 2 of the preseason? No, not in the traditional sense. But Dillon clearly has the seal of approval from the coaching staff. The Packers didn't have a ton of certainty in the RB room going into the preseason, but that is starting to change. Josh Jacob and third-round pick MarShawn Lloyd are locks, while Dillon now appears to have his spot signed, sealed, and delivered.

Dillon is on a one-year, non-guaranteed contract. Wilson has several years of team control. What the Packers should do here is rather obvious. Now it comes down to, what will the Packers do? And, unfortunately for Wilson, there doesn't seem to be much ambiguity on that front. It's now a question of whether or not Wilson has done enough for the Packers to roster and pour developmental resources into a fourth RB.

1. Sean Clifford

Michael Pratt didn't exactly win the backup QB job on Sunday night, but good golly does Sean Clifford look completely overmatched out there. We can circle back to the O-line criticism here, as Clifford was not afforded much time or comfort in the pocket. Even for an inexperienced quarterback operating under extreme duress, however, Clifford's performance was wildly underwhelming.

He completed 6-of-10 passes for 43 yards, averaging 4.3 yards per attempt. He tossed a pick, took a sack, and ended the game with an abysmal 30.4 passer rating. His pick was a boneheaded lob into traffic. The sack came after an eon untouched. Clifford made plays with his legs, including an impressive 11-yard scramble, but he simply cannot process the game fast enough in the pocket.

As Wendell Ferreira of A to Z Sports so kindly points out, a QB gets a 39.4 passer rating if he spikes the ball on every play. Clifford just does not have that it-factor you need in NFL quarterbacks. It is rather unfortunate that Pratt is essentially playing him dead even in this QB battle, but Pratt's physical tools and youth should give him the upper hand. Pratt is four years younger and can at least chalk up his poor decision-making to youthful exploration. Clifford should be approaching the prime of his career right now, even if it's his second NFL season.

The Packers really need to look for outside solutions to the backup QB quandary. Until that happens, though, look for Michael Pratt to strengthen his grip on the QB2 label unless Clifford dramatically improves his performance over the next couple weeks.