Whose Bubble Will Burst?

With less than two weeks until the Green Bay Packers kick off the regular season against the New Orleans Saints on September 8th, it is the time of year where General Manager Ted Thompson and Coach Mike McCarthy are nearing their final cut-downs in reaching the 53-man roster that will hopefully re-punch Green Bay’s ticket to the Super Bowl.

But before those cut-downs take place on September 3rd, it is time to begin speculation on a few of the Packers on the bubble of making this year’s squad.

RB Dmitri Nance, 2nd season, Arizona State

Nance was picked up early in the 2010 season off the Atlanta Falcons’ practice squad after Ryan Grant was placed on injured reserve. He played sparingly in 12 games, rushing 36 times for 95 yards (2.6 average) and catching three passes. Though he was not expected to make the team coming into training camp, Nance has had a very good camp and appears to be the best running back on the current Green Bay roster to fill in the void as a third-down back left by the departure of Brandon Jackson in free agency. Nance’s superior pass blocking and ability to catch screens just might help him make a squad that already features James Starks, Ryan Grant, and third-round pick Alex Green. Do not forget that the Packers will probably only keep one to two fullbacks this season, compared to three in 2010, so an additional roster spot in the backfield is open if needed.

QB Graham Harrell, 1st season, Texas Tech

Harrell was placed on the practice squad last season after signing as an undrafted free agent and was elevated to the 53-man roster for several games after Aaron Rodgers suffered concussion injuries. Harrell has arguably improved the most out of any second-year player and Coach McCarthy, a quarterback guru, must have seen enough last season to justify keeping him around on a team that already features an All-Pro in Rodgers and a top NFL backup in Matt Flynn. With Flynn’s contract up after this season and Matt almost certainly looking for a starting role elsewhere, is Harrell developing enough to become the number two quarterback spot next season? More importantly, if the Packers release him, is there any way they could hope to retain him for the practice squad among other NFL teams searching for a backup quarterback?

WR Chastin West, 1st season, Fresno State

A member of the Green Bay practice squad in 2010, West has impressed coaches and analysts alike with a strong camp and excellent performance last week against the Arizona Cardinals in which he caught five passes for 134 yards, including a 97-yard touchdown reception from Matt Flynn that got his name circulating in the Green Bay community. Last year, the Packers kept five wide receivers – Greg Jennings, Donald Driver, Jordy Nelson, James Jones, and Brett Swain – and have added Randall Cobb to the mix via a second-round pick this offseason. Swain has not stood out this preseason and will most likely not make the team, while Cobb is a lock and has looked promising this camp in five receiver sets. West could be a sixth receiver and, with his experience last season, could make the team depending upon whether or not Green Bay sees Jordy Nelson in its future after this season.

TE Andrew Quarless, 2nd season, Penn State

Quarless filled in as a starter for Jermichael Finley last season and had his share of ups and downs in terms of dropped passes, but also made some big catches. What did not seem to be his forte was catching the quick slant patterns that Finley excelled at and is a big part of the Packer offense. There is certainly a learning curve in a rookie season, but it was peculiar when Green Bay drafted two tight ends in the offseason – Ryan Taylor and D.J. Williams. Williams, who has stood out among all rookies in training camp, is a pass-catching tight end in the mold of a better Tory Humphrey of a few years ago. Taylor has shown the potential to be an H-back at some point and is on nearly all of the first team special teams units. With Finley a lock to start, the statuses of Quarless and Tom Crabtree are in doubt. Quarless showed up late to camp after failing his physical and struggled as a blocker last season. Meanwhile, Crabtree was valuable as a run blocker and special teams performer. How many tight ends will the Packers keep? Three, four, five? Though all are talented enough to make the opening day roster, my guess is only four will do so for the Green and Gold.

DB Pat Lee, 4th season, Auburn

The former second-round pick Lee has been injury prone throughout his tenure in Green Bay and is without a doubt in jeopardy of losing his spot on the roster. A fourth cornerback at best the past few seasons, he had a surprisingly solid Super Bowl performance when Charles Woodson and Sam Shields went down with injuries. However, Lee was burned badly against the Cleveland Browns this preseason and he has received competition in camp from Josh Gordy, who recorded a sack and interception against the Browns and was the fourth cornerback against the Cardinals last week. It seems almost certain that Lee will be released, especially since his value as a returner has diminished with Cobb’s emergence in training camp.