There have been few players as dynamic in the NFL’s preseason than Green Bay Packers running back Emanuel Wilson. In his first ever professional game, the Packers’ matchup with the Cincinnati Bengals, he rushed six times for 111 yards and two touchdowns and two touchdowns. Afterwards, he revealed that his debut fell on the 14th anniversary of his father’s death, making him even more of an instant fan-favorite.
Wilson followed up that performance with another solid game against the New England Patriots. In that contest, he carried the ball 15 times for 63 yards. In the final preseason game, against the Seattle Seahawks, Wilson rushed 17 times for 42 yards.
Ever since Wilson’s stellar debut, head coach Matt LaFleur has complimented his running, but has also hinted that there are aspects of the game in which he must improve. This has led many to conclude that, despite his dynamic running, Wilson will not make the 53-man roster.
Packers Hall of Famer Gilbert Brown believes this would be a huge mistake.
Gilbert Brown Says if the Green Bay Packers Cut Emanuel Wilson, He Will Be a Featured Back Somewhere Else in the NFL
Packers legend Gilbert Brown is familiar with huge roster mistakes when it comes to cutting players that turn out to be excellent elsewhere in the NFL. During his latest appearance on The Earl Ingram Show for his segment “Under the Helmet with the Gravedigger,” Brown states the the Minnesota Vikings made a BIG mistake when they cut him.
Of course, he is right, and it is the one thing Packers fans can be eternally grateful to the Vikings for. Brown also states that it is his belief that if Green Bay were to not add Wilson to their 53-man roster, that too would be a huge mistake:
“[Wilson] gets it, Earl. He knows that ‘If the Green Bay Packers let me go, I’m going to be a featured back somewhere else. So don’t y’all make that mistake and cut me, because if you do, I’m going to really put it on you.'”
Host Earl Ingram then stated that if Wilson does not make the 53-man roster, he will be added to the practice squad. Brown responded:
“No. If he gets cut by the Green Bay Packers, he’s going to be on someone’s roster. If the Green Bay Packers say, ‘We going to keep you, but we going to put you on the practice squad,’ he gone.”
Ingram said that they want to Wilson to learn how to be a better blocker, which is why the practice squad could be an option. Brown was having none of it:
“They better stop messing with that boy and find him a position. There’s somewhere on special teams where they can use that boy. He can be a blocker on there or even a backup punt returner or [kick returner] the way that boy runs.
“You do not let him get away. If you put him on practice squad, he gone.”
The other third running back option is Patrick Taylor, who was not on the initial 53-man roster at the beginning of the 2022 season, but was added later as the third running back. Taylor is a better blocker and special teams player than Wilson, but the Packers also need to be thinking about their future.
The fact of the matter is that, as good as Taylor is at doing the dirty work required of a third running back, he is not talented enough to be a first or second string back. Wilson, on the other hand, has shown this preseason that he could be.
Of course, the Packers have Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon on their roster as their top two running backs, and no one is saying Wilson is better than they are right now. However, Jones has had to rework his contract two years in a row now just to remain with the team. Given his recent stance on how running backs are being treated by the NFL, he may not be so willing to do it again.
Dillon, for his part, is in the final year of his rookie contract. While he has expressed a desire to remain in Green Bay, the Packers have not shown any indication that they even want him back after 2023.
In other words, Green Bay may be in need of a whole new running back room in 2024. Brown’s point is that the Packers would be wise to hold onto Wilson now so that they can use him in that role next season. They can let him work and improve on those other areas as a third back, just as Dillon did when he was drafted in 2020.
If they were to release him, Wilson could always refuse to sign a contract to the practice squad and look for a place on a roster elsewhere. If he were to take the practice squad spot, well, the Packers can only protect him from other teams signing him three times during the season. Eventually, someone will grab him.
And Brown says that would be a mistake on the part of the Packers, and he may be right.
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