Inbox: There's a lot to figure out in the next 50 days

[Cheesehead]

Todd from Brighton, MI


Time to get big plate of poutine and grind more tape on Chase Claypool, eh?


And by the way, how about Canada churning out the NFL prospects as of late?


Mark from Ocala, FL


Watched the LBs run their 40-yard dashes and saw Isaiah Simmons from Clemson run 4.39, Wow! But then saw Kenneth Murray and another LB (LSU's Patrick Queen), tweak their hamstrings on their second run. What concern is that for teams and their draft board positioning?


Assuming it's not a complete tear, a soft-tissue injury is not a big deal for teams. That'll be healed up by the draft and shouldn't affect the draft stock of Murray or Queen. And Simmons' 40 was incredible for a linebacker. That young man just earned himself a lot of money.


Dave from Savage, MN


How cool would it be if Austin Jackson ended up wearing No. 71 for the Pack like his grandfather, Mel. Very good player and one of my favorites when the team wasn't very good.


The number is available…and it's not '88.' That's a plus.


Tom from New Berlin, WI


The talk about increasing the size of the roster to 55 does not seem fair. Why not increase it to 60 and then have 53 be able to be active? I have done a study that shows the majority of players get hurt between the six and eighth game. Perhaps creating a larger scout team, so a team would be able to activate 5-6 players at one time may make sense. What is your opinion?


Roster expansion is my favorite part of the new CBA, especially with the possibility of two extra game-day actives. I'm not hung up on firm 56- or 60-man rosters so much as the idea of empowering the practice squad. I'd like to see practice squads mirror minor-league baseball farm systems, where players can be brought up on a week-to-week basis.


William from Newburgh, IN


During the fast flow of an NFL game, how do the coaches communicate which players should be on the field? At times, both offensively and defensively, we see players shuttle in/out with only seconds to do so. With players strung out along the sidelines, are they watching certain position coaches?


Players know the game plan and their assignments. Depending on the call, Tramon Williams knows he's entering in the nickel (in most cases) and Chandon Sullivan in the dime. Beyond that, position coaches will handle the rotations to keep players fresh, especially upfront.


Brian from Alta Vista, IA


Was Antonio Gandy-Golden invited to the combine? I've been intrigued by him ever since James Jones put him on his top 10 wide receivers to pursue in free agency/2020 draft. He has quite the highlight reel even if he is from a smaller school.


Gandy-Golden was invited and I think the Liberty receiver helped his draft stock this past week. His 4.60-second time in the 40 probably won't knock you down like DK Metcalf's 4.33 but that's not bad for a 6-foot-4, 223-pound receiver. He put up 22 reps on the bench, too, which was second only to Quintez Cephus.


Garrett from Jonesboro, AR


Do you know if the Packers are high on Quintez Cephus? I watched about every Wisconsin game this past season and he popped on the screen a lot. Not to mention he went toe-to-toe with Jeffery Okudah in the Big 10 championship. He's a big body with a great release and strong hands. I think he could be a great pick if he falls into Rounds 4-7.


I don't know what the scouting department thinks of Cephus but he passed the eye test for this Packers employee. Okudah even went out of his way to praise Cephus during his media availability on Friday. The Wisconsin receiver had a good showing in the bench press and posted a solid vertical. He's someone to keep an eye on over this next month.


Jessi from Sterling, KS


You're so gracious for not banning Julian for suggesting changing one of the oldest NFL team's uniforms (and arguably one of the richest in NFL history). Especially since it appears he wants our team to look like bumble bees flying around, or like a copycat of the Steelers. However, this did get me thinking of what you would change about design in Packers uniform if you couldn't change the colors?


I'm pretty sure I'm in the minority here – but I loved the 1980s jerseys with the stripe and 'G' on the sleeves. I'd go back to that.


James from Mount Pleasant, WI


Is Jimmy Graham going to be a Packer this year?


Gutekunst didn't want to get into discussing potential free agents and roster decisions (like Graham) when he met with the Green Bay media corps last week. Regardless, we're two weeks from the start of the new league year. As I've been saying, those answers will come soon enough.


Tom from Douglassville, PA


So what is your gut feeling on the CBA passing?


I initially had reservations about it getting done this offseason but I'm starting to feel better about it. It looks like a favorable deal for lower- and mid-tier players who make up a majority of the league (increased minimum salaries, needing one fewer season to earn the pension). The only sticking point is where the PA stands on the 17th game.


Eric from Reedsburg, WI


I just heard Tony Romo is going to get $17 million a year to announce football games for CBS. He will now be making more money than when he played football. Is this the new dream for kids playing football to get to the pro level and hope get an announcing gig?


Some might say the dream is to play college football at Eastern Illinois and the rest is just extra credit.