My Thoughts from the Packers' Initial Roster

The cuts are in and the Packers are down to their initial 53. There's a good chance more changes will be made prior to the start of the regular season, but here are my thoughts in the meantime:

The NFL made the Packers' Josh Jacobs decision for them. The legal process needs to play itself out, so I won't make any comment about the criminal charges he is facing but the decision to put him on the commissioner's exempt list means he won't be part of the team's plans in the near future. 

Green Bay made a quick move to replace him. I was little surprised to see the Packers trade for Kaleb Johnson and waive Pierre Strong Jr. but they must see potential in him.

The Packers made the only choice they could make with Kyle McCord. In a perfect world, they would have kept him on the roster as the third-string quarterback and give him an opportunity to win the backup role from veteran Tyrod Taylor. There were just too many other needs though, and they got a draft pick for him instead of losing him to the Miami Dolphins via the waiver wire and getting nothing.

J. Michael Sturdivant was a surprise keep. It might be a bit too early to say they will have an undrafted rookie on their week 1 roster for the 22nd year in a row but his showing in the final preseason game clearly got him noticed.

It was great to see Bo Melton make the roster as a receiver again. The move to defensive back last season never sat right with me, especially when he dominated when asked to fill in at receiver because of injuries. I was glad to see the team recognize what he brings to the roster.

Luke Muskgrave got a reprieve, but I'm not convinced his career as a Packer is over. The injury issues continue for the once-promising prospect, resulting in him starting the year on the PUP list. More notably, Green Bay seems ready to move on with the Jonnu Smith signing and trade for Mark Redman.