Saturday’s Packers Roster Moves: What They Mean for Sunday at Panthers

The Green Bay Packers elevated receiver Bo Melton and safety Benny Sapp from the practice squad for Sunday’s game at the Carolina Panthers.

Sometimes, the roster moves that weren’t made are just as interesting as the moves that were made. Here’s what it all means for Sunday.

Elevated: WR Bo Melton

With Christian Watson doubtful and Jayden Reed questionable after not practicing this week, the Packers elevated Bo Melton for the third time this season. He caught one pass for 7 yards last week against Tampa Bay.

A seventh-round pick by Seattle last year, Melton’s presence will provide a legit deep threat. At the 2022 Scouting Combine, he ran his 40 in 4.34 seconds.

“Every day in practice, the competition’s open,” receivers coach Jason Vrable said. “I never tell a guy, ‘Hey, you can be the third receiver this week.’ If things aren’t going well and you’re not performing in practice, whether you’re making catches or blocking or seeing things that I need to see.

“That’s why I brought up Bo last week. He’s done a tremendous job on special teams in practice and he was doing a great job on scout team. Every time I give him a rep, he would just go out there and make a play in practice, and that’s with Jordan. Today, he caught one, as well, and I was like, ‘Man.’ I really like the way that he’s progressed.”

Elevated: S Benny Sapp

This will be the third elevation for Sapp, the undrafted rookie from Northern Iowa who was the hero of the final preseason game. The Packers could be in a bind at safety with Darnell Savage out for Sunday and Rudy Ford questionable after popping up on Friday’s injury report.

If Ford can’t go, the Packers presumably would line up with Jonathan Owens and rookie Anthony Johnson as the starters. The only other safety on the 53-man roster is Zayne Anderson. Sapp would provide depth at safety and athleticism on special teams.

In his two appearances against the Chargers and Lions last month, Sapp played three snaps on defense and 13 on special teams. He has one tackle.

Not Elevated: DT Chris Slayton

Third-year defensive tackle TJ Slaton is questionable with a knee injury. But it appears he’ll be ready to make it 15-for-15 in starts this season.

The 330-pound Slaton, who’s made as many impact plays against the run as anyone on the roster, has started all 14 games this season. His 45 tackles rank No. 1 among the team’s defensive linemen and his 21 solo tackles against the run rank fifth overall on the team. His presence would be a big help – pardon the size-related pun – given the improvement of Carolina’s run game.

“I have said it since he has been here,” defensive line coach Jerry Montgomery said of Slaton. “When he does it right, it's tough. It's tough to block him. He plays with good pad level, he plays with his hands. He can eat up two most of the time, and what that does is that allows backers to not have to play off of blocks as much and let those guys go play football. I think anytime you have a big guy inside that can eat up blocks like that, I think it helps your defense.”

Slayton is quite a story. The 27-year-old was a seventh-round pick by the Giants in 2019 and joined the Packers in May 2022. He has not played in a game in his career. It appears the wait will continue.

Not Elevated: RB Kenyan Drake

The veteran back was elevated the previous two games but not this week. That’s a pretty good sign that the Packers’ one-two punch in the backfield, Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon, will be on the field together for the first time since Jones suffered a knee injury against the Chargers on Nov. 19.

In Jones’ three-game absence, the Packers relied on Dillon and Patrick Taylor. With Dillon out last week with a broken thumb, the Packers rolled with Jones, Taylor and a bit of Drake.

On Friday, LaFleur didn’t even list Jones on the final injury report and spoke optimistically about Dillon. So, it figures to be Jones, Dillon and Taylor against a defense that ranks 11th in the league in yards allowed per carry.