Packers' biggest mistake on 53-man roster cutdown day ahead of 2026 NFL season

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Packers' biggest mistake on 53-man roster cutdown day ahead of 2026 NFL season

Josh Davis, ClutchPoints · ClutchPoints

Tue, Sep 1, 2026 ·

6 min read

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The Green Bay Packers avoided the worst possible outcome after waiving Nyjalik Kelly. The rookie edge rusher cleared waivers and returned to the Packers' practice squad Monday, keeping a promising developmental defender in the building.

That does not make the initial decision correct. Green Bay 's biggest cutdown-day mistake was failing to protect Kelly on the 53-man roster and entering the season with only four available edge rushers.

General manager Brian Gutekunst navigated an unusually complicated Sunday. Josh Jacobs landed on the Commissioner's Exempt List. The Packers traded quarterback Kyle McCord to the Miami Dolphins , acquired running back Kaleb Johnson from the Pittsburgh Steelers , and added tight end Mark Redman from the Los Angeles Rams . They also signed Jonnu Smith , placed Micah Parsons , Luke Musgrave , and Jordon Riley on reserve/PUP, and designated Savion Williams and Collin Oliver to return from injured reserve.

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Several decisions reflected smart roster management by the Packers . Undrafted receiver J. Michael Sturdivant earned his place after an impressive summer. Johnson, Redman, and Smith addressed needs at running back and tight end.

The Packers did not show the same urgency at the edge rusher spot.

Packers remain thin behind Micah Parsons

The Packers kept Lukas Van Ness , Barryn Sorrell , Brenton Cox Jr. , and rookie Dani Dennis-Sutton as their four active edge rushers.

Parsons will begin the season on reserve/PUP, while Oliver went to injured reserve with a designation to return. Neither can play during the opening four-game window.

Green Bay will prepare for Week 1 with only four edge rushers. Dennis-Sutton is a fourth-round rookie, while Sorrell has played only one NFL season. Van Ness and Cox are the only available members with multiple seasons of professional experience.

Kelly would not have started. He would have served as the fifth edge rusher, a valuable role while the best player in the room is unavailable.

A five-man rotation would have protected against injury, eased young rushers' workloads, and added a passing-down option. Instead, Green Bay has no active-roster margin at one of football's most important positions.

Kelly's return provides a contingency plan, but the practice squad offers less security than the 53-man roster. He can be elevated when needed, but another team can still sign him to its active roster.

Kelly earned protection with his late push

Kelly did not dominate camp from the start. He opened quietly, missed an August 18 practice with a knee injury, and showed inconsistent assignment discipline against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

His final two preseason performances changed the calculation.

Kelly played 29 defensive snaps against the Denver Broncos and recorded a sack, forced a fumble, and recorded three pressures. He was even more productive against the Arizona Cardinals , finishing with one sack, three tackles for loss, one interception, two quarterback hits, and four pressures.

Defensive tackle Jaden Crumedy created the interception by hitting quarterback Kedon Slovis and forcing a hurried throw. Kelly completed the play with a diving catch, displaying the awareness and athletic ability that attracted Green Bay after the draft.

Kelly finished the preseason with seven tackles, six solo stops, two sacks, one forced fumble, and one interception. He also generated seven pressures over the final two games.

Those numbers do not guarantee regular-season success. Much of his production came against reserve offensive linemen. Still, the performance justified protecting him on a roster with only four available edge rushers.

The Packers had already shown how much they valued Kelly. They gave the undrafted UCF product a $15,000 signing bonus and $247,500 in guaranteed base salary. His $262,500 guarantee was the largest Green Bay had committed to an undrafted rookie and exceeded the guaranteed money received by sixth-round kicker Trey Smack.

The investment did not entitle Kelly to a roster spot, but it showed he was more than a routine undrafted addition. Kelly then validated it with his late preseason surge.

Packers created an avoidable roster imbalance

The Packers did not necessarily keep the wrong edge rusher over Kelly. Van Ness, Sorrell, Cox, and Dennis-Sutton had established themselves ahead of him.

The mistake was failing to create a fifth spot.

Green Bay carried seven defensive tackles, 10 offensive linemen, and four tight ends. Each decision can be defended, but roster construction requires more than evaluating positions in isolation. The Packers kept extra depth elsewhere while leaving themselves one injury away from a three-man edge rotation.

Kelly's value was not based solely on potential. Parsons and Oliver are guaranteed to miss the opening portion of the schedule, giving Kelly a plausible role during the first month.

The practice-squad maneuver worked immediately. Kelly passed through waivers, and Green Bay retained access without dedicating a permanent roster spot.

That lowers the cost of the decision but does not eliminate the concern. Kelly is unprotected on the practice squad, and the active edge group remains four players deep.

Packers have a reasonable defense

The Packers can argue that Kelly's strongest work came late against preseason competition. His limited special-teams experience also reduced his value, while his Pittsburgh performance showed he remains raw with assignments and pass-rush technique.

Green Bay can use defensive tackles or off-ball linebackers in certain pressure packages until Parsons and Oliver return. Kelly's practice-squad spot provides another option if injuries strike.

Those are credible points now that Kelly has returned.

However, the Packers know Parsons and Oliver are unavailable. They cannot know whether the four remaining edge rushers will stay healthy through September. Kelly showed enough development to provide useful insurance, and protecting him would have required one roster spot near the bottom of a deeper position.

Why the other notable cuts were lesser mistakes

Darian Kinnard represented the largest financial loss. The Packers traded a sixth-round pick for him in 2025, used him in all 17 games with four starts, and gave him a $1 million signing bonus this offseason. However, they kept 10 offensive linemen, while Kinnard battled an ankle injury and struggled in the finale.

Domani Jackson was the most surprising release because Green Bay selected him in the sixth round of the 2026 NFL Draft. Jackson missed the offseason following core-muscle surgery and struggled after returning. Like Kelly, he cleared waivers and joined the practice squad.

Pierre Strong Jr . flashed as a runner and returner, but the Johnson trade left Green Bay with three active running backs while Jacobs is unavailable. Strong also returned to the practice squad. Will Sheppard scored twice during the preseason and returned a punt 81 yards for a touchdown, but Green Bay kept six receivers.

Kelly is different because leaving him off the 53-man roster directly magnified an existing shortage.

The decision will not determine the season, and Kelly is not guaranteed to become a productive NFL pass rusher. His practice-squad return gives Green Bay flexibility and prevents the gamble from becoming an immediate personnel loss.

The active roster still contains only four edge rushers while Parsons and Oliver recover. Green Bay opens September 13 at the Minnesota Vikings , and it will immediately test the wisdom of carrying such a small rotation.

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