Paul Bretl | 8/29/2024
GREEN BAY, Wis. — There were several difficult decisions that the Packers had to make during roster cuts on Tuesday. As GM Brian Gutekunst said when speaking to the media on Wednesday, he thought that they had more than 53 players deserving of a roster spot.
But perhaps the toughest decision of the bunch came at wide receiver and who to keep on the back end of the depth chart–Malik Heath, Grant DuBose, or even both.
“That was a great competition throughout the entire camp with those guys, they all had their moments,” said Gutekunst. “And at some point you’re debating a lot of things. Do you keep six? Do you keep seven? And how does it look—offense, defense, special teams? All those things go into it.”
Throughout what can be a long training camp process, DuBose and Heath each seemed to peak at different times. DuBose would have a really strong start to the training camp practices, becoming a favorite target of both Sean Clifford and Michael Pratt’s, and caught 5-of-6 passes in the preseason opener for 66 yards. However, in the final two games, he had three targets and no receptions.
Heath, meanwhile, dealt with some drops early on in camp and by his own admission at his locker on Wednesday, didn’t have as strong of a camp this summer as he did in 2023. He did, however, remain a steady target, catching 9-of-15 passes over the three preseason games for 83 yards and a score.
Heath would also finish out the summer strong with four receptions in the preseason finale, including a touchdown, he put together some really nice routes in the joint practice against Baltimore against the starting defense, and in the Denver game, while the quarterbacks were unable to connect with Heath, he beat his defender twice on deep balls.
“Me just, you know, controlling what I can control,” said Heath about his play at the end of camp. “Doing my job, that’s all I can do. That’s the only thing that flipped. I just honed in on controlling what I can control. Making the play when it’s called. Getting open when my name being called on. It coming down to plays and that’s all you can control.”
As LaFleur mentioned last week, when it comes to determining these roster spots, everything is under a microscope. While the performance in games and the production carries weight, it’s not always the be-all-end-all either.
It’s also being able to contribute on special teams as a back end roster player–an area where Heath and his experience had the advantage. It’s about being able to block in the run game, which both Heath and DuBose have proven to be very good at it.
Beyond the production, it’s the process component for the players that we often hear LaFleur refer to. For a receiver, that includes the crispness of the routes, the releases at the line of scrimmage, the ability to create space, and the ability to win. Basically everything that goes into the end result of coming down with the catch–and that is where Heath distinguished himself from DuBose.
“Malik’s got a very unique ability to make plays when it matters,” said Gutekunst. “When the ball’s in the air, it’s kind of his. He has a great ability to go attack the football, make tough catches. He’s been a playmaker from college to the moment he got there. I think he’s just a very reliable player when it matters.”
The good and the bad about having to make these types of decisions is that it means there is a lot of talent at a position group. The downside is the difficult decisions it can create and knowing that a good player might end up elsewhere, as DuBose did, being claimed off waivers by Miami.
“I’m super fired up for Grant. Obviously, it was a blessing and a curse to have so many tough decisions,” said LaFleur.
“I know a year ago at this time he wasn’t happy he was on the p-squad. But a lot of times you’re handed circumstances that you’re not always happy with, and it’s how you respond to them, and I thought especially as the year went along, his just attention to detail, his work ethic, everything really, he was busting his butt in practice and I think he saw the benefits of that.”
It’s often time in a player’s second season that we see the biggest developmental leap from them. They have a full year of experience in the NFL–adjusting to the speed and what it takes day-to-day to be prepared for Sundays. There is the added comfortability of being in the same system for a second year, and they’ve had a full offseason to work on their craft rather than preparing for the pre-draft process.
In what was arguably the most competitive positional battle on the roster this summer, Heath rose to the occasion and emerged as the winner of it. Which for the Packers, is a good sign that Heath is ready to make that Year 2 jump.
“Like I said, like I told them, Grant, he gave me a run for my money, for sure,” said Heath. “He balled out in training camp and like I said, I’m happy for him. He gave me a run for my money though. It was competitive the whole camp.”