It’s hard to believe it’s over already, but the 2025 preseason is in the books. The Packers concluded their preseason play last Saturday against the Seahawks. With 15 practices and three preseason games under their belt, the Packers are ready for the regular season. There will be a lot of action over the next several days. The Packers will cut their roster from 90 to 53 by tomorrow afternoon. Over 1,000 players across the league will be without jobs. The Packers will start to scour the free agency pool and waivers while finalizing their practice squad. Before they know it, it’ll be time to kick off against Detroit.

Throughout the preseason, many bold proclamations and hot takes were made. The purpose of this article is to analyze several of those statements and determine if they were overreactions or not. It’s easy to get caught up in the moment and react with emotion. Some statements are spot on, others are far-fetched. Below are five buzzy headlines that have been discussed throughout the preseason, followed by a breakdown of why they are overreactions or not.

Also, in the spirit of overreactions, this piece shares another 53-man roster and 17-man practice squad prediction. After Saturday’s game against the Seahawks, a few players played their way onto the final roster, while others cost themselves a job. Most roster predictions are fun games and complete guesses, but this one is set to be exactly what Brian Gutekunst is planning to do. (Don’t worry, it’s just a joke.) Nevertheless, let’s dive in.

"Jordan Morgan is the Real Deal"

Not an Overreaction.

The second-year offensive lineman has had an outstanding preseason thus far. His lackluster rookie season left many questioning Morgan’s long-term outlook. For Morgan, he’s just getting comfortable. “I’m just going out there and playing my game. I’m not going out there every day and thinking, ‘oh, I gotta beat him now,’” Morgan said via Paul Bretl of ESPN La Crosse. “I’m going out there thinking, ‘how am I going to win this rep? How am I going to win this set? How am I going to perform in this team period? It’s really just focusing on my technique and myself. How can I better the team?”

The Packers are known for cross-training their offensive linemen. They love having players who can play multiple spots. It can be a blessing, but it can sometimes be a curse. Coming out of the draft, Morgan still wasn’t polished in certain aspects of his game. The Packers arguably did Morgan a disservice by asking him to learn multiple positions right away, making it difficult to feel comfortable with one position. 

Morgan isn’t new to the left tackle position. He played over 2,000 snaps at left tackle in college, but in his first season with the Packers, he didn’t take any reps at left tackle. Morgan played 65 snaps at left guard and 120 snaps at right guard before missing the rest of the season due to injury. Morgan was unable to get comfortable and hone his craft at one position because he was bouncing back and forth between left tackle and right guard.

Another strong performance for Jordan Morgan at LT pic.twitter.com/IwB43mdUfF

— Eli Berkovits (@BookOfEli_NFL) August 17, 2025

Now fully healthy and with a full offseason under his belt, Morgan has really settled in at his old position (left tackle). When Rasheed Walker missed time due to injury, Morgan took all of the reps at left tackle. All of these reps have proven to be very helpful. He started two of the three preseason games at left tackle and performed very well. He has the highest pass blocking grade of all offensive linemen this preseason per PFF (91.0).

Constantly switching positions isn’t the easiest thing for every player to do. Morgan shared, “There is a little bit of rust. When you go from the inside, everything happens quicker to getting out there. Setting, you just gotta wait on the guy, or they’re quicker outside, so you just gotta get used to their speed. Get used to the rushes out there, so just knocking off the rust.” Now that he’s gotten a legit opportunity, he’s taking full advantage.

Another strong performance for Jordan Morgan at LT pic.twitter.com/IwB43mdUfF

— Eli Berkovits (@BookOfEli_NFL) August 17, 2025

Morgan is still in a competition with Walker to win the left tackle position. Walker has 35 starts under his belt and has performed well over the last two seasons. Regardless of how well Morgan plays, he still might not beat out Walker. But the Packers have a legit NFL offensive lineman in Morgan. “Way more comfortable, way more confident out there. I feel really good out there,” Morgan shared. “Everybody tells me that. All the coaches tell me I look confident out there, and I feel confident, so it adds up.”

Bottom line: The hype is warranted. Jordan Morgan is the real deal.

"The Offensive Line Doesn’t Have Enough Depth"

Overreaction.

Watching the Packers’ second-string offensive line this preseason has raised some angst amongst the fan base. The Packers have six strong options along their offensive line: Elgton Jenkins, Zach Tom, Rasheed Walker, Sean Rhyan, Aaron Banks, and Jordan Morgan. After that, there is a lot of unknown. The Packers are likely keeping nine or ten offensive linemen on their initial 53-man roster. The most likely candidates to fill the remaining spots are Anthony Belton, Donovan Jennings, Jacob Monk, and Kadeem Telfort. All four have worked extensively with the second-string offensive line this preseason. Unfortunately, they have all had some pretty low moments. It seems they are taking turns to see who has a bad performance.

Monk pic.twitter.com/yv9tZv4yg9

— Justis Mosqueda (@JuMosq) August 11, 2025

Despite the less-than-encouraging performance throughout the preseason by the backup linemen, the Packers still have solid depth at the position. Every team would love to have ten competent offensive linemen on its roster that they can plug and play without skipping a beat. The reality is that most teams don’t even have five quality offensive linemen. To sit here and complain that the Packers only have six or seven starting-caliber linemen is a champagne problem.

A lot of focus gets put on the negative plays, and that’s understandable. But all of the backup linemen have also displayed some impressive moments throughout the preseason. For instance, Anthony Belton was called for five penalties in the first half versus the Colts. Obviously, that’s not good. But for every negative play he had, he also had a positive play that showed why the Packers were enamored with him. It’s important to keep in mind that none of these young guys are going to be perfect.

Wasn't a perfect game, but really liked what I saw from Anthony Belton in his first NFL action pic.twitter.com/6wPPVETmGt

— Eli Berkovits (@BookOfEli_NFL) August 14, 2025

The Packers also helped bolster their offensive line depth on Sunday evening by trading a future seventh-round pick to the Philadelphia Eagles for G/T Darian Kinnard. The versatile offensive lineman was a fifth-round pick back in 2022. Kinnard isn't a guy you want to come in and start 17 games, but he can certainly fill in if needed. He will be seventh or eighth on the offensive line depth chart, and that's a perfect fit for him. Kinnard also has three Super Bowl rings from his time in Kansas City and Philadelphia.

There’s no denying that Jennings, Monk, Belton, and Telfort had some tough moments throughout the preseason, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be serviceable if other starters surround them. For example, Donovan Jennings got the call to be the starting right guard on Saturday against Seattle. He performed poorly against Indianapolis, but he looked just fine with the first unit against Seattle. If they surround him with other talented players, he might do just fine. That could be the case for any of these guys.

Bottom line: The offensive line depth has room for growth, but it’s still much better than most teams.

"Lukas Van Ness Will Make a Big Jump"

Unfortunately, this is an overreaction.

There has been a ton of buzz surrounding Lukas Van Ness this preseason. By all accounts, he’s having the best camp of his young career. "This is football, and it's an imperfect game,” Van Ness said. “Sometimes you gotta make the wrong play to go make a play. Not overthink. I've opened up my mind to that. It's worked out well so far." Both his coaches and his teammates are expecting him to make a sizeable jump. He seems primed for a breakout 2025 campaign. That said, it’s too soon to assume he’s going to break out.

"You can tell his confidence is on a different level... He's a baller.."

Packers DT Kenny Clark on DE Lukas Van Ness

pic.twitter.com/AnA3dSn13e

— Kay Adams (@heykayadams) August 22, 2025

Everyone inside and outside the Packers’ organization wants Van Ness to succeed. The hype this preseason is warranted. He’s had an outstanding preseason. But it would be silly to jump to any conclusions before he plays in a real game. He’s slated to face Taylor Decker and Laramy Tunsil in the first two weeks of the season. That won’t be a walk in the park. He should have some easier matchups after week two, but to declare Van Ness a legit player, he needs to perform against quality competition. V

an Ness has performed well in practices against his teammates, but there shouldn’t be too much stock put into one-on-ones or predictable team situations. In one-on-ones, Van Ness doesn’t have to read or react; the job is simply to use his best pass rush move. He won’t have that luxury very often in an actual game. There have been some head-scratching moments in practices, too. In the joint practice against Seattle, Van Ness was completely stonewalled by a tight end. That should never happen.

even as an optimist, it’s hard for me to get excited over this clip when lukas van ness is at the bottom of my screen getting abused by a tight end pic.twitter.com/Jtm58D91kS

— zach jacobson (@zacobson) August 21, 2025

Van Ness might be a different player this season. He could increase his sack total and perform well against the run. But is he going to take the third-year jump that many people are banking on? That’s unlikely. The odds of him turning in a double-digit sack season are small. He may even be replaced on pass rush downs by Kingsley Enagbare or Brenton Cox. Let’s hope this analysis ends up being incorrect.

Bottom line: the Van Ness hype is more of a wish than a reality. He needs to show it before anyone believes it.

"Isaiah Simmons Should Be Cut"

Overreaction.

Whether fans like it or not, Isaiah Simmons is probably going to make the team. Let’s face it - the first two preseason games were (insert negative adjective). He was, without a doubt, the hardest player to watch against both New York and Indianapolis. He looked lost, he was out of position, and his tackling was suspect. But despite all of the negative plays, Simmons should make the team.

Consider Josh Jacobs impressed with new #Packers linebacker Isaiah Simmons.

“He’s a unicorn.” pic.twitter.com/8iy8YBZyfz

— Ryan Wood (@ByRyanWood) July 23, 2025

The Packers clearly have a stronger belief in Simmons than the general public. All throughout training camp, he has continued to get defensive reps ahead of Kristian Welch. Early on, he was even seeing some reps with the first team. Simmons’ best asset isn’t on defense, though. His best asset is on special teams. His unique size, athleticism, and versatility give the Packers a number of options. He has continued to get first-team reps with the special teams units, including as a flyer on punt coverage.

Simmons struggled defensively in the first couple of preseason games, but he was an entirely different player in the third game. His performance against Seattle was everything the Packers have been wanting to see. He was good in run support, he appeared to be in position on passing plays, and he made plays on special teams. Earlier this preseason, Matt LaFleur stated, “He’s got to go out there and do it within our defense for us to feel confident to put him out there and be a key contributor to our defense.” He did that on Saturday.

This is why Isaiah Simmons still has a shot to make the 53. pic.twitter.com/XZG1GG84Pj

— Brandon Carwile (@BCarwile_NFL) August 25, 2025

The uneasiness surrounding Simmons is understandable after his first couple of preseason games. But it’s important to remember that he isn’t going to be expected to be the Packers' best linebacker. In fact, he’ll probably be fifth on the Packers' linebacker depth chart. He will be expected to be one of the top special teams contributors, and that’s something he’s proven to be very good at. He might earn some defensive snaps here and there, but it won’t be much unless there are a slew of injuries.

Bottom line: Simmons has the most unique skill set of any of the linebackers and special teams experience, so it shouldn’t be a surprise to see him on the 53-man roster.

"Matthew Golden is WR1"

Not an overreaction.

Let’s cut to the chase: this kid is going to be special. It doesn’t seem to matter what day it is because he’s making a splash play every single day. His speed, route running, and acceleration have all caught people’s eyes, but it’s his ability to catch the football that stands out the most. In both joint practices, Golden made the one-on-ones look effortless.

In Indianapolis, he won both of his matchups with ease. Mike Spofford of Packers.com wrote, Golden is almost impossible to cover 1 on 1 when he makes an inside-out or outside-in move at the line. He beat Colts' top corner, Charvarius Ward, easily on his first rep. Any type of free release gives Golden all he needs.” Against Seattle, it was more of the same. He cooked Damarion Williams down the sideline for a touchdown, and then again on an out route in the end zone.

Had a fun conversation with someone about #Packers WR Matthew Golden and what he’s seen from the rook:

“Green Bay isn’t a team that uses a Round 1 pick on a WR. When they do, you know they saw something...”

Golden’s speed and route-running have been off the charts so far — and… pic.twitter.com/8qdPr2wSgW

— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) August 15, 2025

It’s becoming really hard not to have unrealistic expectations for Golden. Even his teammates are seeing something special happening before their eyes. “I don’t want to give him too much, but like, he’s going to be a dawg. I like him. I love the way he goes about practice. He finishes hard. He picks up the playbook. And he catches the ball. He got it in him. For sure,” said Josh Jacobs on the Up and Adams Show. “Every day I try to get on him. I try to push him because I see it. He’s going to be a special player.”

Golden capped off an impressive rookie training camp with an impressive catch in Saturday’s game versus the Colts. He didn’t play much, but it didn’t take him long to make his mark. The Packers needed to find someone to catch the football, and Golden does exactly that. It might be bold, but Golden will be in the conversation for rookie of the year.

Ohhh baby, that was Golden pic.twitter.com/K3z3JoYNlU

— Green Bay Packers (@packers) August 23, 2025

Bottom line: it won’t take Matthew Golden long to become WR1. He might be the first Packers’ wide receiver to reach 1,000 receiving yards since Davante Adams.

53-Man Roster Prediction

QB (2): Jordan Love, Malik Willis

RB (3): Jacob Jacobs, Emmanuel Wilson, Chris Brooks

WR (7): Romeo Doubs, Jayden Reed, Dontayvion Wicks, Matthew Golden, Savion Williams, Malik Heath, Mecole Hardman

TE (3): Tucker Kraft, Luke Musgrave, John Fitzpatrick

OL (9): Rasheed Walker, Zach Tom, Aaron Banks, Sean Rhyan, Elgton Jenkins, Jordan Morgan, Anthony Belton, Donovan Jennings, Darian Kinnard

EDGE (5): Rashan Gary, Lukas Van Ness, Kingsley Enagbare, Brenton Cox, Aaron Mosby

IDL (5): Kenny Clark, Devonte Wyatt, Karl Brooks, Colby Wooden, Warren Brinson

ILB (6): Quay Walker, Edgerrin Cooper, Isaiah McDuffie, Ty’Ron Hopper, Isaiah Simmons, Kristian Welch

CB (5): Nate Hobbs, Keisean Nixon, Carrington Valentine, Bo Melton, Kalen King

S (5): Xavier McKinney, Evan Williams, Javon Bullard, Zayne Anderson, Kitan Oladapo

ST (3): Brandon McManus, Daniel Whelan, Matt Orzech

IRDR (2): MarShawn Lloyd, Barryn Sorrell

PUP (3): Christian Watson, Collin Oliver, John Williams

IR (4): Travis Glover, Keith Randolph, Omar Brown, Jacob Monk

Practice Squad (17): Taylor Elgersma, Amar Johnson, Julian Hicks, Cornelius Johnson, Ben Sims, Tyler Cooper, Brant Banks, Nazir Stackhouse, Deslin Alexandre, Jamon Johnson, Tyron Herring, Micah Robinson, Corey Ballentine, Kamal Hadden, Johnathan Baldwin, Mark McNamee, (player signed from another team)