GREEN BAY, Wis. – On Aug. 26, teams will have to reduce their rosters from 90 players to 53. For the Green Bay Packers, Saturday’s Family Night practice at Lambeau Field will be the first key event on the way to forming their roster and picking their starters.

“For me in a lot of those periods to watch guys make decisions with that intensity and the crowd and everything that’s going on, I think is really important,” general manager Brian Gutekunst said on Tuesday.

“What we’re doing right now, most of the time those coaches are right in their ear nonstop. When we get into Family Night and, obviously, the preseason games, those guys got to go out there and make those decisions without those guys in their ear, and I think it’s extremely important for me as an evaluator to see that and to see how they respond to that.”

In our positional previews before training camp, we hit on the X-factor, game-changer and biggest battles. Here is a fresh look at those battles.

Quarterbacks: No. 3

The battle between Sean Clifford and Taylor Elgersma has gone about how you’d expect. Clifford, who played big-time college football at Penn State and is in his third NFL training camp, has been the more productive player and accurate passer. Elgersma, an undrafted free agent who played college football in Canada, has flashed some of his intriguing potential but not with any consistency.

The reality is perhaps most evident not in 11-on-11 periods but in rudimentary drill work. During individual drills, the quarterbacks frequently are tasked with stepping over or maneuvering around dummies, escaping the pocket and throwing into nets of various colors that are shouted out on the fly by the coaches. Clifford hits the mark with some frequency. Elgersma too often misses the entire apparatus.

Ultimately, the decision will come down to how Gutekunst views where the quarterbacks stand on the production-vs.-potential spectrum. Backup Malik Willis is having another solid camp. It wouldn’t be out of the question that he’ll leave for a starting opportunity next offseason. Thus, this year’s No. 3 could be next year’s No. 2, making this an important battle.

Running Backs: Backup

Entering camp, the only real question was whether the Packers would keep Josh Jacobs, Emanuel Wilson, MarShawn Lloyd and Chris Brooks or if they’d roll with Jacobs, Wilson and Lloyd.

On Saturday, neither Lloyd nor Wilson will be on the field. Lloyd sustained a groin injury during the first day in pads and hasn’t practiced since. Wilson “tweaked” his knee while trying to catch an off-target pass on Friday. The injury isn’t serious, a source said, and he shouldn’t miss much time.

That means more opportunities for the rugged and versatile Brooks with the No. 1s, and perhaps an open door for the young trio of undrafted rookies Amar Johnson and Jalen White and former Jets draft pick Israel Abanikanda to show they deserve a spot on the roster.

Receivers: Playing Time

There’s little doubt the Week 1 receivers will be Romeo Doubs, Jayden Reed, Dontayvion Wicks, first-round pick Matthew Golden, third-round pick Savion Williams and either Malik Heath or Mecole Hardman. Heath vs. Hardman remains unsettled – Heath is the physical blocker and Hardman the proven returner – but the real battle will be who gets the snaps in Week 1.

Doubs, Reed and Wicks are proven players. How quickly would Golden acclimate to the NFL? Based on the first eight practices of training camp, he’s proven that in the equivalent of 4.29 seconds. He’s routinely been one of the more productive players on the offense. They’ll be the Big 4 to start the season.

Williams was limited for OTAs and minicamp due to end-of-season labrum surgery, and he’s missed time in training camp with a concussion. The injuries have derailed any chance to see if he can handle any niche role in the offense. Fortunately for Williams, there’s more than a month until the opener. He was a full participant at practice on Friday, a good sign that he’ll get ample opportunities on Family Night.

Tight Ends: Bottom of Depth Chart

Tucker Kraft will start and play most of the snaps, just like last year, and Luke Musgrave appears ready to reclaim a role, too.

Who will be the third tight end? Ben Sims was claimed off waivers from the Vikings at the end of training camp last year and John FitzPatrick was signed off Atlanta’s practice squad early last year. They’re the clear front-runners in the battle to be the No. 3 tight end, with FitzPatrick showing he can be more than a blocker with a couple of catches from Malik Willis on Friday.

As he told Packers.com, “I really love it here. I love the people here. When the opportunity presented itself, it was really a no-brainer. It was nice just being able to go through the whole offseason program. The OTAs and the lifting, all the meetings and practices, I think has just helped me a ton.”

Offensive Line: Jordan Morgan vs. Everyone

The coaches made clear that last year’s first-round pick, Jordan Morgan, would compete at left tackle and right guard. Injuries have helped create those opportunities. First, due to injuries that sent incumbent right guard Sean Rhyan to center, Morgan got a lot of chances at guard at the start of camp.

Now that left guard Aaron Banks and center Elgton Jenkins are healthy, incumbent left tackle Rasheed Walker is out with a groin injury. Presumably, that means Morgan will get a lot of snaps as Jordan Love’s blind-side protector on Saturday night.

“I’d definitely say athleticism, timing and overall ability to re-direct,” Morgan said of the strengths of his game. “I think I’m just a natural at tackle.”

Walker has proven himself to be a solid starter at a critical position. On the other hand, given the first-round investment, the organization would like Morgan to start somewhere. The wild card is free agency.

If Walker starts again and has another good season, the Packers could let him go after the season and probably get a fourth-round compensatory pick. Having Morgan start at left tackle might take that off the table. But who’s the best player? Morgan has his chance to show it’s him.

Defensive Tackles: Replacing T.J. Slaton

T.J. Slaton started every game the last two seasons for a reason. He was a rugged run defender and the fulcrum of one of the top run defenses in the NFL in 2024. Slaton signed with the Bengals in free agency, and the Packers didn’t make any bold moves to replace him. Instead, they drafted Warren Brinson in the sixth round and signed Nazir Stackhouse as an undrafted free agent.

Kenny Clark, Devonte Wyatt and Karl Brooks are locks to make the team and play key roles. Stackhouse, however, has nudged aside veteran Colby Wooden to join Brooks on the second unit. Stackhouse has Slaton-esque size and is off to an impressive start.

“He’s earning more and more opportunities,” coach Matt LaFleur said. “I think at some point we’re going to have to see him get in there versus our ones.”

Live settings like Family Night, the preseason and joint practices will be crucial.

Defensive Ends: Bottom of Depth Chart

The players on the depth chart to end last season – Rashan Gary, Lukas Van Ness, Kingsley Enagbare, Brenton Cox and Arron Mosby – are back, and the Packers supplemented that group with fourth-round pick Barryn Sorrell and fifth-round pick Collin Oliver.

Gary and Van Ness will start, and Enagbare’s second-team snaps have come with an equal split of Cox and Sorrell. Oliver, who is dealing with a hamstring injury, still hasn’t practiced since being drafted. He is quickly running out of practices to show he’s worthy of an early-season role.

Linebackers: Last Spot on Depth Chart

Green Bay is loaded at linebacker. Last year’s starting trio of Quay Walker, Edgerrin Cooper and Isaiah McDuffie are back. Last year’s third-round pick, Ty’Ron Hopper, who had no role whatsoever on defense as a rookie, has stepped up his game this summer.

Those four are locks. Who will grab a fifth spot? With Walker limited to individual drills as he comes back from offseason ankle surgery, Isaiah Simmons has played with both the No. 1 and No. 2 defense. He’s lined up frequently on the edge, giving Green Bay sort of a 3-4 look at times.

“He’s done a lot of great things,” LaFleur said. “We’ve been lining him in a lot of different positions in regards to on the ball, off the ball. Doing a good job of setting edges. Certainly, this athleticism, it’s hard not to see that. We’ll continue to watch him grow in our system.”

If the final roster spot will be based on defense, it will belong to Simmons. If the final roster spot will be based on special teams, it could belong to Kristian Welch, whose strong track record in the kicking games includes the 2023 season in Green Bay.

Cornerbacks: The Starting Trio

The Packers have only three experienced cornerbacks. Will they line up against Detroit with Keisean Nixon and Carrington Valentine as the corners with free-agent addition Nate Hobbs in the slot? Or will they go with Nixon and Hobbs on the perimeter and safety Javon Bullard in the slot?

That battle has not materialized. Most of the time, the nickel package has consisted of Nixon, Hobbs and Bullard. Valentine has three interceptions this summer but probably has given up more catches than the others.

Really, the big battle appears to be at the bottom of the depth chart. Bo Melton is well on his way to earning a spot as he transitions from receiver. “We think he’s going to become an elite special teams player,” special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia said this week. Kalen King might have the inside track for the final spot.

Safeties: Javon Bullard vs. Evan Williams

Perhaps because of how cornerback has shaken out, the big safety battle between last year’s rookies, Javon Bullard and Evan Williams, hasn’t materialized, either.

All-Pro Xavier McKinney probably has lined up with Williams about 90 percent of the time, with a smattering of Bullard and even Zayne Anderson as his sidekick.

“Ultimately, it comes down to who are the best 11 and how can we get them on the field at the same time?” defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley said this week. “I think that’s our job, so if Evan, Bull and X, we feel, are three of the best players, we need to figure out how to get them on the field on all down and distances – on early downs, on third down. That’s why we practice. That’s why we go into these preseason games. You want guys competing.”