The Green Bay Packers have one of the best young rosters in the entire NFL, so you can bet that teams are going to be circling them like vultures when it comes time for roster cutdown day. The problem is that most of the players the Packers might subject to waivers are likely to be claimed by teams with higher waiver priority, so we could see general manager Brian Gutekunst getting flooded with trade requests in the next couple of weeks.
But which Packers players are ultimately the most likely to be traded?
There are certain positions on this roster for Green Bay right now where trading some of the depth and getting actual value in return would be far more preferable than just cutting guys and letting them hit waivers for free. So which players could we see traded?
1. Emanuel Wilson, running back
As of right now, the Green Bay Packers have more depth at the running back position than they can probably afford to keep on their 53-man roster. It's not impossible that they could keep four running backs, but where are carries going to come from for Emanuel Wilson?
The Packers signed Josh Jacobs to a big-money contract in free agency. They followed up that move by surprisingly figuring out a way to re-sign AJ Dillon, who has had a good offseason with the team. They then tripled down at the position by taking USC star MarShawn Lloyd in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft.
Emanuel Wilson was featured in the Packers' most recent game against the Denver Broncos. He got an opportunity to put a bunch of stuff on tape as a runner and receiver against Denver's top defense, and he made some plays. Wilson also put plenty of good stuff on tape last year during the regular season for the Packers after he made the team as an undrafted free agent.
There are running back-needy teams around the NFL that might be willing to send a late-round pick for Wilson. You're telling me this guy couldn't thrive with the Dallas Cowboys right now?
2. Bo Melton/Grant DuBose/Malik Heath, Wide Receiver
There's no law in the NFL that states you can't keep more than six wide receivers on a roster, but when you typically see the construction of 53-man rosters around the league, teams aren't keeping more than five or six guys.
The Green Bay Packers could end up being an exception thanks to their talent at receiver right now, which is absolutely ridiculous.
The Packers have no issues at the top of their depth chart with four spots solidified and four players very clearly in the mix to contribute heavily this season. Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs, Jayden Reed, and Dontayvion Wicks will all be in the plans for Matt LaFleur's offense and all of those guys will play significant snaps.
The question is, who are the Packers keeping behind them? Going off of last year's group, it would be Bo Melton and Malik Heath, who each had significant contributions of their own in the regular season. The issue now is, the Packers have seen progression from 2023 seventh-round pick Grant DuBose.
So how do the Packers maximize the value of all these receivers? They can't keep them all and they certainly can't all play this year. They probably need to trade one of the guys they maybe feel will have a better shot at having long-term success elsewhere. Or maybe they've seen some things from one of these players to lead them to believe that they might regress after a strong showing last season.
Whatever the case, the wide receiver position is going to be one of the position groups in focus for the Packers as it relates to potential trades in the near future.
3. Kingsley Enagbare, EDGE
I wanted to go with a little bit of a surprise name for this third option here, but hear me out. Of course, I'm not suggesting the Packers dump Kingsley Enagbare. He's a very talented player off the edge, one of the more premium position groups in today's NFL.
When you have a good stable of pass rushers, you don't just trade a guy just for the sake of trading him.
The Packers have gotten significant contributions from Enagbare over the last two years with 14 quarterback hits in his first two seasons combined as well as 13 tackles for loss and 5.0 sacks. He's also logged nearly 300 special teams snaps.
Needless to say, the Packers would have to get a significant offer to trade him away, but let's talk it out. Enagbare was playing into the third quarter of Green Bay's recent preseason game against Denver, a sign of a player potentially being showcased a little bit. There's also the fact that Green Bay is going to be getting an expanded role for Lukas Van Ness this year, and Brenton Cox Jr. has continued to impress.
What is the long-term plan for Enagbare? It might be a situation where you "do right" by the player by trading him away to a situation where he could actually log significant snaps. The Packers might not be that situation for him, even though he's a good player.
I could see a team making Green Bay an offer they can't refuse, maybe sending a fourth-round pick, to get Enagbare off their hands.
