NFL Training Camp 2021: 5 Green Bay Packers players on the roster bubble
Reigning NFC North champions Green Bay Packers have high hopes entering the 2021 NFL season. They've made back-to-back NFC Championship games over the past two seasons and will be looking at another Super Bowl appearance in 2022.
Spots on the Packers roster will be hotly contested during this year’s training camp with some of last season’s contributors likely to miss out.
Packers players who need big training camp performances
#1 - Josh Jackson
The 25-year-old cornerback has not lived up to his potential since he was drafted 45th overall by the Green Bay Packers in the 2018 NFL Draft. He recorded just 21 tackles last season, doing so in limited game time.
Green Bay drafted another cornerback, Eric Stokes, in the first round of this year’s draft, which means Jackson’s time in Green Bay may be nearly up. The Packers could look for a late-round draft pick for the young cornerback.
#2 - Malik Taylor
Wide receiver Malik Taylor needs a big training camp to solidify his spot on the Packers active roster. The six-foot-one, 220-pound Taylor has yet to make his mark at Lambeau Field, starting just one game last season.
The 25-year-old backup wideout had only five receptions for 66 yards in 2020 in limited game time. The arrival of rookie slot receiver Amari Rodgers puts even more pressure on Taylor to stand out at training camp.
#3 - Jace Sternberger
Backup tight end Jace Sternberger could be on his way out of Lambeau Field this year. On June 10, he was suspended for two games after violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy.
The suspension, added to a lack of production when he was given the opportunity, sees him on the Packers roster bubble. Over his two seasons with Green Bay, he has played in 13 games with 114 yards receiving and one touchdown.
#4 - Dexter Williams
Running back Dexter Williams has seen very little game time since being drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the sixth round of the 2019 NFL Draft. He only carried the ball twice last season for the Packers for eight total yards.
Green Bay drafted another running back, Kylin Hill, this year and Williams will be under immense pressure to hold onto his active roster spot.
#5 - Blake Bortles
If star quarterback Aaron Rodgers decides to end his holdout and return to Lambeau for this year’s training camp, Blake Bortles could be cut or traded. The veteran NFL quarterback was signed by the Packers this off-season before mini-camp.
Green Bay has also signed backup quarterback Kurt Benkert, and it seems unlikely that Blake Bortles will be needed if Rodgers returns. The Packers could look to trade the 29-year-old QB to a team like the New York Jets, who are short of a veteran play-caller.
The former Jacksonville Jaguars starting QB led the franchise to the NFL playoffs in 2017.