Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst answered questions from the media for about 18 minutes after cutting the roster and forming the initial 53-man roster on Wednesday.
Here are the most significant things to know:
— On adding Malik Willis at quarterback: “Some disappointing performances (by Sean Clifford and Michael Pratt)” this summer. He believes Willis has shown “a lot of improvement” under Titans coach Brian Callahan this preseason, especially playing in the pocket. There’s some carryover between Callahan’s offense and Matt LaFleur’s.
— Gutekunst believes Willis will be ready to become the No. 2 quarterback as early as Week 1.
— On Brayden Narveson: “Brayden was a kid we liked coming out and then he had an excellent preseason at Tennessee,” and he thinks he’s “a really good young kicker.”
— Gutekunst said Narveson will be on the 53-man roster and Alex Hale will be on the practice squad. No other kickers.
— On Aaron Mosby: Mosby has “taken off” when he could play as a 4-3 defensive end in the recent scheme. The Packers also believe he can be a key special-player.
— Gutekunst admitted he probably isn’t patient enough with the specialists. “I probably need to be a little more patient.” He said he’s “very confident” in the Packers in 2024 and doesn’t want to take any chances with an incompetent kicker.
— On AJ Dillon’s injury: Team won’t risk head, neck or heart. ‘Something we weren’t comfortable with at this point.’ He said he won’t be with the Packers this year. Dillon is on injured reserve.
— Gutekunst said Carlson’s 32-yard miss in the final preseason game wasn’t a deciding factor.
— Gutekunst was confident he had more than 53 players who had earned a spot on the roster. Built for tough, tough decisions with players like Grant DuBose, Anthony Johnson Jr. and Kristian Welch.
— The next step will be to review and evaluate the men who were released after filing lawsuits.
— The Packers have a few deals in the works for other practice squad signings. Sounds like a few of them are external transfers.
— On Michael Pratt: “It could work here in Green Bay.” He said the signing of Malik Willis made it harder to keep Pratt. He didn’t want to keep four quarterbacks. “I think Michael has a bright future in this league.”
— on Malik Willis: “He’s always shown the traits. He’s a really good athlete. He can make all the throws.” He compared his path to the NFL to Jordan Love’s. The Packers believe he’s taken a massive step forward this year in the preseason.
LIVE: CEO Brian Gutekunst meets with the media. 🎙️ https://t.co/3NcAUhmT7S
— Green Bay Packers (@packers) August 28, 2024
