The Green Bay Packers are about to make their final cutdowns next week after the team plays its final preseason game in Buffalo. The Packers are a deep and talented team as they gear up for what could be the final season before some of their key players may head elsewhere.

Because of the depth on this team, the Packers will be unable to keep some very talented football players on their final 53-man roster. Several of these players are clearly good enough to play in the NFL. The Packers will try to stash some of these players on the practice squad where they can provide depth and develop their talents to someday, hopefully, become regular contributors to the team.

Here are five players who will probably not make the final roster but who the Packers should try to keep on the practice squad this year. Obviously, these players will have to pass through waivers first but they can also be elevated to the active roster for up to two regular season games once they are on the practice squad.

Injuries suffered in the final preseason game or in practice before the start of the season could change these projections.

1. QB Kurt Benkert

The Packers will need to keep one quarterback on the practice squad in case of injury or as insurance in case of a Covid outbreak in the quarterback room.

Benkert has more experience than most third-string quarterbacks and he has a good arm and a solid understanding of the playbook.

Benkert has shown flashes of ability in the first two preseason games.  He has also shown good leadership skills and appears to be well liked in the locker room. If the Packers can squeeze him through waivers, he would make a good addition to the practice squad.

2. RB Dexter Williams

Everybody is talking about Kylin Hill and the job he did in training camp, but Dexter Williams has once again shown he can run the football well during this preseason. The former Notre Dame star has been part of three Packers training camps and knows the offense well.

If the Packers need to plug in a running back due to injuries, they know they can count on Dexter Williams to fill in.

The thing that has kept Williams from making the roster thus far is his pass blocking and route running. He seems to have improved enough in those areas in training camp this year to at least earn a spot on the practice squad.

3. WR Juwann Winfree

Even after releasing Devin Funchess, the Packers will have to let go some talented receivers. Winfree was a standout at OTAs before suffering an injury that has kept him out of action during the preseason.

The former Colorado star has played five NFL games over two seasons, three with Denver and two with Green Bay. Assuming he’s healthy enough to start the season, the Packers should keep him on the practice squad as Winfree can fill in as a depth receiver and on special teams if injuries strike or the right matchups present themselves.

4. LB Isaiah McDuffie

McDuffie is on the bubble right now and may make the final roster if he has a strong showing against Buffalo. Injuries slowed the progress of the sixth-round pick out of Boston College and prevented him from participating in the first few weeks of training camp.

The Packers have four inside linebackers who will make the team ahead of McDuffie, but McDuffie likely has more long-term upside than some of the reserves.

In limited reps, McDuffie has showed enough potential that the team should want to keep him around on the practice squad.

5. Innis Gaines or Christian Uphoff

Gaines and Uphoff are likely battling for one roster spot at safety. Whichever player does not make the final roster should be kept on the practice squad.

Both players have made some good plays during the preseason and both can be valuable contributors on special teams.

Uphoff has better size than Gaines but Gaines has more experience. This will be a tough decision for GM Brian Gutekunst but he should do his best to try to keep both players in the Packers organization.