Bo Melton’s appearance at CB for the Packers surprised everyone, including his family

Paul Bretl | 6/11/2025

GREEN BAY, Wis. — Bo Melton going through cornerback drills and then playing some cornerback during the team portion of Tuesday’s minicamp practice was a surprise to just about everyone, including his own family.

Melton’s parents had no idea, and neither did his brother Max, a cornerback, who was a second-round pick in the 2024 NFL draft by the Arizona Cardinals.

“He kind of was shocked,” Melton said of Max’s reaction after Wednesday’s practice. “I didn’t tell him. So when he saw it, he called me and was like, ‘What the hell are you doing?’ I didn’t tell him, just because I’ve been playing wideout. It’s just something that came up. I want to give it a shot.”

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Even within the building, very few knew that the plan on Tuesday was for Melton to go through cornerback drills and take some cornerback snaps during the team portion of practice. As Carrington Valentine recalled, he first learned about Melton taking cornerback snaps when he was on the practice field, and Melton joined the cornerbacks for the one-line drill and was backpedaling.

The decision to have Melton play some cornerback during minicamp happened last Thursday when OTAs were wrapping up and Matt LaFleur approached Melton with this idea. However, while this is the first time that we are seeing Melton on the practice field at cornerback, the conversation between him and LaFleur last week wasn’t the first one they’ve had about playing the cornerback position.

Melton joined the Packers late in the 2022 season after being signed to the 53-man roster after being on the Seattle practice squad originally during his rookie year. In 2023, Melton began the season on the Packers’ practice squad, and it was at that time that LaFleur originally approached Melton about playing some cornerback, although nothing ever came from those conversations.

This idea that LaFleur had wasn’t sparked by what Melton had showcased while playing the receiver position, but rather how he looked and performed on special teams.

“It’s something that Matt was talking about,” said Melton, “something that off special teams, he’d seen me on – we call it CAT, punt return – he saw me at corner and how I move and said, ‘Let’s try you out.’”

Melton played both wide receiver and cornerback in high school and originally was set to play cornerback when he arrived at Rutgers before switching to receiver very early on in his career.

So, Melton does have a foundation to pull from at the cornerback position. He also brings a unique perspective to the defensive side of the ball with his experience as a wide receiver and his understanding of routes and offensive tendencies.

“I like it because I know concepts. I know routes,” Melton said. “When I see certain stems and certain things, the nature of jumping routes. It was kind of fun the last couple of days, I’m going to joke with my brother today and be like, ‘Yeah, I’m doing a little something.’ That’s the part I do like about playing corner. Tackling and stuff like that, I do play gunner, so tackling in the open field and stuff like that, I’ve been doing it for a little bit.”

With that said, and as Melton acknowledged, playing cornerback at the NFL level is very different than any past experiences that he has had. In addition to making sure that he’s playing with the proper fundamentals and technique, he’s also learning a second playbook and the terminology on that side of the ball as well.

Melton has spent additional time meeting with defensive backs coach Derrick Ansley to help facilitate the transition, but also part of this equation is trial by fire and simply going out to the practice field to go through the drills and get as many reps as he can.

“I feel like it was pretty good,” Melton said of his performance at cornerback. “It just felt natural, not to say anything, going on the defensive side of the ball, the movement, the skill of playing a skill position just felt natural. That’s the most I can say about it. Going out there, it felt good to do that.”

While this is an unusual situation, to see a player taking reps with the first team offense, throw a penny on, and then take reps with the first team defense, Melton made it clear multiple times that he is still a wide receiver.

As Melton put it, he is a “team-first guy” and will do whatever he can to help the Packers win. But, when it comes to playing cornerback at this point, nothing is set in stone. When the team breaks following minicamp, Melton will continue to work out at wide receiver on his own, and see what comes of it at the cornerback position when training camp arrives.

“So right now it’s just a feel thing right now,” said Melton. “I still don’t know if it’s going to be true or not. Coach Matt, we’ll figure that out. When I meet with Coach, we’ll see what’s going on. Right now I’m just going to go train for wideout. I feel like that’s where I thrive at, that’s where I make plays at. And defense, if it comes, it comes. And we’ll see.”

Missed time and contract at root of Packers’ decision to move on from CB Jaire Alexander

Paul Bretl | 6/10/2025

GREEN BAY, Wis. — After releasing cornerback Jaire Alexander on Monday, Packers’ general manager Brian Gutekunst met with reporters during Tuesday’s minicamp practice to answer questions about the roster move.

“Really appreciative of what Jaire gave our organization,” Gutekunst began by saying. “Obviously he was a great player. Always tough to see those guys move on, but it’s kind of part of the business. We wish him well. He’ll be missed.”

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While Alexander not being a member of the Packers for the 2025 season was always the expected outcome, it obviously took some time to get to this point. But Gutekunst’s reasoning behind this ultimate decision seemed to be pretty straightforward: Alexander’s contract value relative to the number of games he had played in recent seasons didn’t align.

Over the last four seasons, Alexander has appeared in only 34 out of a possible 68 games during that span. This includes playing in just seven games in each of the last two seasons. But contract-wise, Alexander was due a base salary of $16.15 million this season, and his cap hit of $24.63 million was the third-largest on the team.

“I think over the last four years, there’s been a lot of games missed,” Gutekunst said. “I just think for what that amount of money is, I think that’s a lot to pay for a guy who hasn’t been able to get on the field. Again, it’s not his fault. It’s just something that kind of transpired, so we just kind of were looking for something different.”

When on the field, Alexander has still played at a high level. During the 2020 and 2022 seasons, he was an All-Pro. Before suffering a knee injury in Week 8 of last season against Jacksonville, Alexander had allowed a completion rate of just 56% on 25 targets with a pick-six and three pass breakups. 

Gutekunst and the Packers did entertain the idea of trading Alexander earlier this offseason, but nothing ever came to fruition. That largely goes back to Alexander’s deal that the new team would have to inherit and the uncertainty around his availability.

It was also reported by The Athletic’s Matt Schneidman that the Packers had offered to restructure Alexander’s deal, but the two sides were unable to agree to terms, and it’s not known how much negotiating took place.

By releasing Alexander, he will leave behind a $17.04 million dead cap hit that the Packers will have to absorb. According to Tom Silverstein, Green Bay has chosen to take on that entire dead cap amount this season, rather than spreading the dead cap hit out between the 2025 and 2026 seasons, so Alexander’s contract will not be on the books next season, providing the Packers with added cap flexibility at that time.

“I think as we went through it, we went through a lot of different angles that might be right for the club, and this is kind of where we ended up,” Gutekunst said. “Again, it was no bad blood. It was just kind of one of those things where over the last couple years, it hasn’t worked out exactly like we’d wanted to, through no fault of anybody, just the injuries kind of took some games away from him.”

Without Alexander, the Packers have their share of unknowns at the cornerback position. At the top of the depth chart is Keisean Nixon, Nate Hobbs, and Carrington Valentine. While beyond that trio, there is very little experience.

Of the other seven cornerbacks on the roster, Isaiah Dunn’s 116 career defensive snaps are the fourth-most on the team, and none of those seven cornerbacks played an NFL snap in 2024. But even with that being the case, as Gutekunst’s offseason moves–or lack thereof–illustrate, he remains bullish in this group.

“Those guys have got to come through, right?,” Gutekunst said of the cornerback room. “I think that’s like every team. Some guys don’t even have two. We’ve got three really good starting corners that we really like quite a bit. Again, I think we have more depth than most. But in those back, some of those guys are young guys who haven’t played a lot of football, but that’s usually the case. I’m excited to see, get those guys opportunities and see what they can do.”

Packers WR Bo Melton gets opportunity to play CB during first minicamp practice

Paul Bretl | 6/10/2025

GREEN BAY, Wis. — On Day 1 of Packers minicamp, there was a new face working out with the cornerback group during individual drills. And no, GM Brian Gutekunst didn’t make an addition; rather, it was wide receiver Bo Melton.

As practice unfolded and moved to the team portion, Melton would play on both sides of the football. Wearing his white jersey when with the offense as a wide receiver, and then quickly throwing on a green penny when he moved to the cornerback position.

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At least for today’s practice, Melton was the fourth Packers’ cornerback, playing behind Keisean Nixon, Nate Hobbs, and Carrington Valentine. When Nixon and Hobbs weren’t on the field, it was Valentine and Melton who lined up outside. We saw Melton matched up with Matthew Golden at one point and in a position to make a “tackle” on Tucker Kraft.

“I think the first thing you always look at from a corner is, can they play man-to-man?” Matt LaFleur said after Tuesday’s practice. “But you need multiple people that can play man-to-man, so whether it’s safeties and backers, there’s always matchups that you’ve got to account for. But one of the first things you look at when you’re evaluating a guy is their ability to go out and play man coverage because that’s arguably the toughest thing to do.”

This is now the third practice that has been open to the media, and that fourth cornerback role has been rotated often up to this point. In the first OTA practice, it was Gregory Junior who filled that role. In OTA practice No. 2, it was Kamal Hadden, and today it was Melton’s job.

As Matt LaFleur mentioned, in part, this move for Melton was out of necessity with Jaire Alexander no longer on the team and Kalen King sidelined due to injury. But the team also believes that Melton has the versatility and skill set to play that position as well

“Obviously he’s real talented player,” LaFleur said. “And has produced. I just love everything about the guy. How he shows up every day ready to compete and give his best effort — matter of fact, I showed some clips of him in the team meeting this morning, just of what he does, and you can always expect a lot of great things when he’s, whatever it is he’s doing.”

Melton doesn’t have any cornerback experience in the NFL or even in college while at Rutgers. Instead, it was his play on special teams over the last two seasons, more so than what he’s done on offense, that played a key role in facilitating this move.

“I think it’s more, again his play on special teams, more so than maybe something we saw from the offensive side of the ball,” said LaFleur. “Again, you don’t have too many wideouts in this league that are as effective as he is on teams.”

Beyond Hobbs, Nixon, and Valentine, the Packers have very little experience on the cornerback depth chart. In fact, of the other seven cornerbacks on the roster, Isaiah Dunn’s 116 career defensive snaps are the fourth-most on the team, and none of those seven cornerbacks played an NFL snap in 2024.

“I would say it’s kind of a work in progress right now,” LaFleur said. “I mean, we don’t have pads on or anything like that. and there’s a lot of limitations in regards to what you can and can’t do, so I think there’s a lot of wait-and-see in terms of who are going to be the other guys. I think we know that three of those guys have gone out and played significant snaps, and then we’ve got of young guys that are just kind of unknown.”

Potentially, this could create an opportunity for Melton to fill some sort of role. All we know right now is that at a position group where teams typically roster five or six players on the 53-man, only three of those spots are currently accounted for.

However, having said that, this situation with Melton and playing some snaps at cornerback will remain fluid. Whether this is more of an experiment or if there’s something more to it will be uncovered once we get to training camp.

“I think it’s just kind of, it’s going to be pretty fluid, I would say” added LaFleur. “I kind of presented it to him and I know obviously there’s a lot of attention with (Travis) Hunter down there in Jacksonville with what he’s doing, so we just kind of presented it to him and he said he was up for the challenge.”

Keisean Nixon will do whatever Packers need, but he’s here to play outside cornerback

Paul Bretl | 6/9/2025

GREEN BAY, Wis.– If the Packers decide that Keisean Nixon continuing to return kickoffs is what’s best for the team, then he will continue to do that. “I’m always going to do what the team needs,” said Nixon after last Tuesday’s OTA practice.

However, after emerging last season as one of the defense’s top outside cornerback options, that is where Nixon wants to continue to prove that he can make the greatest impact on this Packers’ team.

“I’m here to work and show I am who I am and what I can do outside,” Nixon said. “I showed that last year and just complete my resume. Everything they’ve asked me to do, I did it at a high level whether it was just play kick return – I went All-Pro in that. I played nickel. I got paid at that. I’m here to play corner. That’s just what I want to do.”

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Nixon was the Packers’ starting nickel cornerback during the 2023 season. While he took some reps lined up outside during last summer, the nickel, again, was Nixon’s primary position throughout last offseason and through the first three games of the 2024 season.

But with injuries at the cornerback position and Jeff Hafley wanting to get Javon Bullard closer to the line of scrimmage, the Packers needed help outside, which led to Nixon seeing his first extensive playing time on the boundary in Week 4. From there, Nixon’s playing time outside increased into a full-time role.

When the Packers were facing injuries in the secondary, we saw Nixon back at the nickel for some games here and there, but for much of last season, he was one of their starting outside cornerbacks.

On the year, Nixon allowed a completion rate of 66% on 86 targets and held opponents to just 9.3 yards per catch with six pass breakups and an interception. Among cornerbacks who played at least 375 coverage snaps, only six had a lower yards per catch allowed than Nixon.

“Not really learn nothing about myself,” said Nixon. “I always knew what I was capable of doing. I just needed the opps to do it. Just me showing I am the type of player I say I am and show it on the field. I proved last year I can play inside/outside consistently against whoever’s the type guy on the other team.

“The confidence level for me is through the roof. Coach DA and Haf have put all the confidence in me to go out there and compete and show that I am who I am. Me knowing myself, I just know what God gave me, and I’m blessed to have that.”

As Hafley described last season, Nixon brings a level of physicality to the Packers’ cornerback spot and an aggressiveness to the run game from that position. As the season progressed and Nixon continued to get more reps outside, Hafley also noted how he continued to improve in man coverage situations.

Moving from the nickel to outside cornerback on the fly last season speaks to Nixon’s versatility. While both of those positions are considered cornerbacks, they are very different from one another. From the slot, the fight comes to you a lot more quickly, and there is less time to react, while on the outside, that player his often on an island.

This offseason, however, unlike the last two where Nixon was preparing to line up in the nickel, he’s been able to devote his time to the outside cornerback position, preparing specifically for that role.

“I think it hit my goals on a different level,” Nixon said. “At first I came into play nickel when I got here and then they moved me outside and I got comfortable. That’s what I came in the league as. I’ve never played nickel until I got to the Packers. I probably played like a game or two with the Raiders. Just honing on the technique of corner, that’s what I want to do.”

Through the two OTA practices that have been open to the media, Nixon has been a mainstay at the outside cornerback position, while we’ve seen Nate Hobbs play both outside and in the nickel, with Valentine coming off the bench.

With the recent news that the Packers are moving on from Jaire Alexander, the cornerback depth chart becomes much clearer, and at the top of it at the outside position is Nixon, continuing to prove that’s where he belongs.

“To his credit, he’s shown a lot of versatility, in terms of how we’ve used him in the past, being switching him from inside to outside,” said Matt LaFleur of Nixon. “So, I think he did a lot of great things last year, primarily playing on the outside.”

Report: Packers releasing CB Jaire Alexander with minicamp on horizon

Paul Bretl | 6/9/2025

GREEN BAY, Wis. — The Packers are reportedly releasing star cornerback Jaire Alexander, according to Ian Rapoport.

Alexander’s future with the team has been uncertain since the 2024 season ended. During locker room cleanout following Green Bay’s season-ending loss to Philadelphia, Alexander told members of the media that he didn’t know if he was going to be with the team this season and had “nothing good to say.”

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Then, throughout the offseason, GM Brian Gutekunst was also very non-committal about Alexander’s future with the team.

“We invested a lot in Jaire and want to make sure, if he’s not gonna be on our football team helping us win games, that we get something back for that investment,” Gutekunst said in late March. “So we’ll see where it goes, but again, working with him weekly and trying to figure out what’s best for both Jaire and the Packers.”

Rapoport would go on to say that the Packers and Alexander agreed to explore trade options earlier this offseason, but nothing was able to materialize prior to the NFL draft. A likely hurdle that the Packers and Alexander had to overcome in those talks with other teams was his contract.

Alexander is due $16.15 million this season and $18.15 million in 2026, which are hefty amounts for a team to take on with him having played a combined 14 games over the last two seasons, and less than seven games in three of the last four years.

A restructured deal was going to have to be a part of that trade equation when it came to getting a deal done and agreed upon by Alexander. However, in doing so, Alexander not only takes a pay cut, but he also doesn’t get to decide where he wants to go either.

With the trade option off the table, The Athletic’s Matt Schneidman would then report recently that the Packers offered Alexander a restructured contract, but obviously, the two sides were unable to agree to terms, and it’s not known if Alexander even entertained the idea of taking a pay cut.

Alexander, who was Gutekunst’s very first draft pick as GM back in 2018, was an All-Pro during the 2020 and 2022 seasons, and when on the field, has continued to play at a high level. This includes this past season, where Alexander allowed a completion rate of just 56% on 25 targets with a pick-six and three pass breakups. 

Unfortunately, Alexander has played in only 34 out of a possible 68 games since 2021. In 2023, knee and shoulder injuries, along with a one-game suspension for conduct detrimental to the team, limited him to just seven games.

In this most recent season, Alexander played in seven games after suffering a knee injury in Week 8. He tried to return in Week 11 against the Bears, but exited after 10 plays. He would return to practice a few weeks later, but not to game action, and ended up undergoing surgery late in the year.

“I know it’s been really, really frustrating for not only him as a player, but us as a club,” said Gutekunst in his season-ending press conference. “Just when you have a player, who’s done what he’s done for us in the past, and then not being able to get him out on the field consistently, that’s tough.”

From a contract standpoint, there was no hard deadline for when a decision had to be made by the Packers and Alexander, but mandatory minicamp, which for the Packers begins on Tuesday, sure felt like a soft deadline for a decision to be made. If talks between the two hadn’t progressed at this point after months having the opportunity to do so, then that probably wasn’t ever going to happen.

By moving on from Alexander, the Packers will take on just over $17 million in dead salary cap. With this being a post-June 1st release, $7.5 million of that dead cap will hit the books in 2025, and $9.5 million will hit the 2026 salary cap. In total, the Packers save $17.2 million on the cap in 2025 and $17.5 million in 2026.

The Packers will head into the 2025 season with Keisean Nixon, Nate Hobbs, and Carrington Valentine as their top three outside cornerback options on the depth chart.

“I love 2-3 to death. That’s my boy,” Keisean Nixon said. “If he comes back and he’s here, we’d love to have him. I love to play with Jaire. That’s just what it is since I’ve been here. Whatever happens, happens. We don’t have control over that. If he’s here, we’re going to rock out. If he’s not, we’re still going to rock out. That’s just how it goes.”

With confidence high, a pivotal third NFL season awaits Packers’ DE Lukas Van Ness

Paul Bretl | 6/6/2025

GREEN BAY, Wis. — The current year is always the most important year in the NFL. However, that sentiment feels particularly true for Lukas Van Ness, a former 13th overall pick in the draft, who is now entering his third NFL season after not taking that proverbial Year 2 jump in 2024.

Production-wise, Van Ness finished last season with 22 pressures, which were just two more than he had as a rookie, and three sacks–one less than he had in 2023. Compared to the rest of his position group league-wide, Van Ness ranked 90th in pressures. As the pressure numbers indicate, the consistency was lacking as well, with him ranking 78th in PFF’s pass rush win rate.

“I think it comes down to consistency,” Van Ness said after Tuesday’s OTA practice. “Being the same guy every single day, doing what’s asked of you with minimal mistakes and I think that confidence comes from trust and if you can get your teammates to trust you, you can get your coaches to trust you, and you have confidence in yourself then you’ll be able to go out there and play free.”

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When the Packers selected Van Ness in the first round of the 2023 draft, it was known that he was more of a raw prospect. He had played fewer than 1,000 career defensive snaps at Iowa, and the majority of his playing time, until that final season, had come at defensive tackle and not defensive end.

The upside and physical traits that Van Ness possessed were too good for GM Brian Gutekunst to pass up, but reps were needed. Along with navigating the learning curve that comes with being a rookie, Van Ness was also playing a relatively new position and was seeing a lot of looks, formations, and techniques for the first time.

Time to develop, gain experience, and grow was always going to have to be a part of the equation when it came to Van Ness making the transition to the NFL. But now, on the cusp of Year 3, time is becoming less of an asset with each passing season, and the need for results becomes more prominent.

“Just reflecting back on 2024, going into Year 3, again, the expectations are always going to be highest for myself,” Van Ness said. “I push myself very hard, and there’s got to be stronger, faster, more sound with my fundamentals, and ultimately impact the game as much as possible.”

Injuries won’t be an excuse, but they are a reality of playing in the NFL and have an impact. Van Ness revealed on Tuesday that he played through the first 10-11 games of last season with a broken thumb. As Rashan Gary described, “hands are everything” for a defensive lineman, and without them, “you don’t have nothing.”

Although Van Ness’ overall production last season was lackluster, he did improve over the second half of the season, which also happens to be when his thumb was in better shape. Of his 22 pressures, 13 of them came from Weeks 12 through 18. He also showcased more consistency, ranking 27th in win rate during that span, and he was 19th in pass rush productivity, an efficiency metric weighted more heavily towards sacks, or finishing the job.

“I think it’s just trial-and-error,” said Van Ness about improving. “As you said, it’s been a lot of adversity, coaching changes, broken thumb, and I think you just learn through those challenges and again, going into Year 3, having my first OTAs, a lot of learning, I’ve just been able to find some confidence in myself and my abilities and this is a mental game so youv’e got to keep that strong throughout the whole season.

While production can often be the ultimate litmus test for whether or not strides are being made, processes and how a player sees the game unfolding in real time are perhaps an accurate portrayal of what’s to come long-term. Production can ebb and flow at times, but having an understanding of the game and what’s coming will consistently put a player in a position to make plays.

An example of this for Van Ness came in the Packers’ Week 12 matchup against San Francisco. In that game, Van Ness caused a forced fumble, but that result is not what’s noteworthy. Instead, it’s the process to get to that point.

In the locker room afterward, Rashan Gary mentioned that a few series prior to the fumble, Van Ness had noticed something in how the offensive line was blocking off of play-action and how the defensive front should then attack it. Then, when San Francisco presented that look again, Van Ness knew exactly how to respond; he took advantage, won his rep, and finished the play.

“I just think there’s a different confidence level with him,” Matt LaFleur said of Van Ness this offseason, “and I think the whole group as a whole, just our ability to get off the football. I think we spent a lot of time on that, and those guys have taken the coaching and embraced it and have really worked at it.”

This season, compared to last, we could see a lot more movement from Van Ness. Due to his thumb injury last season, he was forced to line up primarily on the right side of the defensive line. In the two OTA practices that we’ve been able to attend, during the two-minute portion and with the second team defense, we’ve seen Van Ness lined up inside at defensive tackle. In those obvious passing situations, this is one way for the Packers to get more pass rushers on the field.

“It is a very different game from the inside to the outside,” Van Ness said, “but I like to take my mechanics from the edge and kind of bring them inside and use them to my advantage. So while there are some changes it’s more just a mental flip going inside and you kind of just know you’ve got a little bit less space to work with, your moves have to be a little bit quicker.”

It’s not only with Van Ness, but across the Packers’ entire defensive front, more steady pass rush production is needed this season. To help cultivate that improved play, as both Kenny Clark and Rashan Gary described, the defensive linemen have been gathering at Clark’s house during OTAs for film study.

Matt LaFleur also made an offseason move at defensive line coach to bring in DeMarcus Covington, who is bringing new ideas after getting his “master’s degree” in football while in New England under Bill Belichick.

“More than anything it’s just mentality,” Van Ness said of Covington. “Teaching us that we’ve got to be aggressive. Teaching us, up front, it all starts with, he always says it’s three things: It’s the start, it’s the fight zone, it’s the finish. And if you can do all those at a very high level, and he does say that effort can take away from those mistakes, so we’re just priding ourselves on playing fast and make plays in the backfield.

There will also be a tweak in technique up front regarding what the defensive line is asked to do. Instead of being all about pinning their ears back and getting off the ball, as Clark mentioned, things will more so resemble what we saw from this unit a few seasons ago, when the emphasis was on reading and reacting.

Not to be overlooked either, is the continuity that comes with being in Jeff Hafley’s defense for a second season. A year ago at this time, the new scheme was being implemented. Now, there is a far deeper understanding of the system, and not only from each player regarding what their individual responsibilities are, but what the roles are of everyone around them, how those different responsibilities intertwine, and how offenses may attack this Packers’ front based on how they are aligned.

The ceiling for this Packers’ defense will be determined by how good the pass rush is. When a quarterback is under regular duress, every level of the defense benefits from that, and moving the ball steadily becomes a real chore. So as GM Brian Gutekunst put it earlier this offseason, if the Packers are going to accomplish the goals that they have in 2025, more consistency up front is a requirement, and big step forward from Van Ness is going to be a key factor in that equation.

“Everything seems a lot cleaner,” Van Ness said of being in Hafley’s defense for a second year. “A lot more crisp, just having some consistency with the coaching, and then obviously bringing Coach Covington in and getting a little new flavor in there with him. But you can tell. I think again, we’ve still got a couple more weeks left of OTAs but I’ve been really proud of the way we’ve come together and we’ve played and it’s making me excited for this fall.”

Healthy Kenny Clark ‘excited’ for what’s ahead with Packers needing resurgent season

Paul Bretl | 6/5/2025

GREEN BAY, Wis. — During the two OTA practices that have been open to the media, Kenny Clark wasn’t going through the team drills in either portion. In fact, with OTAs two weeks in, he had just returned to individual drills over the last few days.

Following Tuesday’s practice, Clark revealed that he had surgery on his foot back in January and was still rehabbing from it–hence why he wasn’t going through the full portion of practices. As Clark described, the injury issue was due to “bunion, bone spurs.”

Clark would play just about the entire 2024 season with the foot injury. He suffered the toe injury in the Packers’ season opener in Brazil against the Philadelphia Eagles, where his toe got caught in the turf.

“I always had a little toe thing going on,” Clark said. “It was really just the turf out there, like the turf pretty much, yeah.”

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Injuries in the NFL won’t be used as an excuse, but they are a reality of this game and have an impact. While Clark would start in all 18 games last season, including the NFC Wildcard round, we didn’t see the usual level of play from Clark that we’ve grown accustomed to over the last almost-decade.

According to PFF’s metrics, Clark would record 34 pressures and just one sack. In 2023, for some context, Clark posted 66 pressures and 10 sacks. Outside of Clark’s rookie year, when he made two starts, and in 2020, when he played in only 13 games, this was his least productive season as a pass rusher of his career.

“I wouldn’t even say it’s the speed,” Clark said of navigating the injury, “it’s just the, every step, you know what I’m saying. You’re taking every step, and the toe is busting. It’s something you’ve got to deal with, but it is what it is. That’s done. I got the surgery done, and yeah, we’re moving forward.”

As we know, when Clark is playing at a high level, he can fill his own stat sheet up with production. But from the defensive tackle spot, he is a force multiplier as well, meaning that everyone around Clark benefits when he’s making an impact.

The best way to slow any offensive play, whether it be a run or a pass, is with a quick push from up the middle, and when that’s happening, the other 10 defenders all benefit from it. Pressure disrupts the timing of the play, which means less coverage time for the secondary, and the attention Clark draws from blockers helps keep other defenders clean or can create advantageous matchups for others to exploit.

So when Clark’s production takes a big step back, like it did last season, there is a ripple effect through the front seven.

“I’m so excited,” said Clark about the upcoming season. “It’s going to be a huge year for all of us. We’ve been really putting in a lot of work. We’ve always been a hard-working group, and we’ve got to just keep that same mentality, that same mindset that we come in every day and push each other.”

The Packers had one of the better run defense units in the NFL last season. But where this defensive front faltered was against the pass, where the unit’s ability to generate pressure was inconsistent at best. We often saw this group posting big pressure and sack totals against lesser competition, but struggle to get home against the NFC’s best.

To remedy this, as both Clark and Rashan Gary described, the defensive linemen have been gathering at Clark’s house during OTAs for film study. Matt LaFleur also made an offseason move at defensive line coach to bring in DeMarcus Covington, who is bringing new ideas after getting his “master’s degree” in football while in New England under Bill Belichick.

We are also going to see a technique change in terms of what the defensive front is asked to do. Rather than being all about pinning their ears back and getting off the ball, as Clark mentioned, things will more so resemble what we saw from this unit a few seasons ago, when the emphasis was on reading and reacting.

“It’s back to more, like I would say, our old stuff,” Clark said. “Last year we pretty much were going up the field, like jetting up the field, stopping the run on the way to the quarterback, pretty much. This year playing more technique.”

Throughout the offseason, as many–including myself–have pontificated on how the Packers get more production from their pass rush unit, a key part of that equation is Clark returning to his previous form. This, again, will carry an impact that goes well beyond Clark’s column in the stat sheet.

Clark will continue to focus on his individual drills as he continues to work his way back from foot surgery, but hopes that by training camp he can be in a position to practice and train how he wants to.

“The game plan is just really just getting healthy enough to be able to train how I want to once the summer hits and training during the summer and hopefully when I get back I’m full go and there’s no issues,” said Clark. “But my main focus is doing this individual work, finishing out the rest of these two weeks and I’ll be in a good spot going into the summer and really being able to train how I want to train.”

How a tight-knit DL unit can get the Packers’ pass rush back on track

Paul Bretl | 6/4/2025

GREEN BAY, Wis. — This portion of the NFL offseason, OTAs, is voluntary. It is not mandatory that the players be at the facility or participate in the practices. Each offseason, there is always an element of starting from scratch that takes place, with the emphasis at this time of the year being on fundamentals, technique, and communication, as the Packers begin ramping up towards Week 1.

So, after Tuesday’s OTA practice, when Rashan Gary and Kenny Clark are discussing weekend film study sessions with the defensive line unit, that catches your attention because at this time of the year, that’s outside the norm.

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These film sessions take place at Kenny Clark’s house and began during the Phase III portion of OTAs, as Gary recalled. It’s an opportunity for the defensive linemen to watch each other’s individual film together from practice and to provide each other with any insights to improve their game. As Clark mentioned, there are also more big picture conversations around different formations and fronts, and how to play blocks from different alignments.

‘We’ve been able to get able Friday, Saturday for guys that staying in town,” said Gary after Tuesday’s practice. “For some guys that’s away we’ve been able to Zoom in, getting them locked in. Going over Indy, making sure our Indy reps have been able to translate to team and like I said that’s something that we haven’t yet to do up to this point in my time being here, so I feel like we off to a fast start.”

While everyone contributes to the conversation, Gary leads the discussion with the defensive ends and Clark the defensive tackles. These regular film sessions at Clark’s house is another opportunity to hone in on finer details of playing along the defensive line, but it’s a bonding opportunity for this group as well.

‘That’s the main thing is just getting the bonding,” Clark said. “Just building as a team. We’re going to need everybody, and need everybody to be playing at a high level to start the season, and so forth, so just make sure we’re hitting on all cylinders.”

The Packers made two additions this offseason to the defensive line unit, but that didn’t happen until Day 3 of the NFL draft when the team took Barryn Sorrell and Collin Oliver, who Jeff Hafley believes can make an impact in their first seasons. However, that approach at this position group–bypassing free agency and waiting until Day 3 of the draft–wasn’t what many on the outside had hoped for or even expected after the pass rush underwhelmed in 2024.

The catalyst behind improved pass rush play up front was always going to have to be internal growth from those already on the roster, and there are several new factors compared to last offseason that are now in play for this unit that can potentially lead to more consistent play when it comes to getting after the quarterback.

For one, there is the comfort of being in Hafley’s system for a second season. A year ago at this time, the new scheme was being implemented. Now, there is a far deeper understanding of the system, and not only from each player regarding what their individual responsibilities are, but what the roles are of everyone around them, how those different responsibilities intertwine, and how offenses may attack this Packers’ front based on how they are aligned.

“You got a whole year of understanding what the defense is,” Gary said. “Understanding our in and outs and understanding how he wants to attack it. So we had a whole year to get better at our techniques and he had a whole year to refine our system, tweaking and tune things.

“Just going into Year 2, the confidence, man, just how we flying around. Understanding play calls. Understanding where people need to roll down, the strengths of the defense, and just communicating at a different level right now.”

Along with the added comfort of playing within the same scheme, there is a new voice in the defensive line room with the Packers adding DeMarcus Covinginton to the coaching staff earlier this offseason. Covington joins the Packers after spending eight seasons in New England, which includes coaching under Bill Belichick, where, as Covington put it, he got his “master’s degree” in football.

Covington brings defensive coordinator experience to the defensive line coaching position, which adds a different and more big-picture perspective to defensive line play. Hafley also mentioned that he’s coached in a variety of schemes and fronts. With those past experiences, Covington brings new ideas to a defensive line unit that is searching for more.

“I love the confidence that he has as coach,” Gary said. “Just how he coaches from the individual to how he’s intense on the details and just how he focus right now and is detail oriented, really getting coached up on different techniques and things like that to make us play fast.”

Within the ever-evolving Hafley system, the Packers’ defensive front is switching up how they get after the quarterback this season. A year ago, we talked a lot about the play-style up front, which was all about getting off the ball and getting upfield. This year, however, LaFleur mentioned still wanting to incorporate blitzes and simulated pressures, like we saw from this defense late in the season, because it puts more on the plate of opposing offenses than just rushing four does.

Technique-wise, we are going to see the pendulum swing back to more of what we saw a few seasons ago, where the defensive front’s job was to read and react.

“It’s back to more, like I would say, our old stuff,” Clark said. “Last year we pretty much were going up the field, like jetting up the field, stopping the run on the way to the quarterback, pretty much. This year playing more technique.”

Injuries will never be an excuse, but they are a reality of playing football, and both Clark and Lukas Van Ness navigated various injuries for a large portion of last season. Clark sustained a foot injury in Week 1 against Philadelphia that eventually required surgery in January, while Van Ness played the first half of last season with a broken thumb.

“It was tough. It was a tough year for me,” Clark said. “I had surgery on my foot in January, so yeah, it was a tough year. But I’m excited. I’m back out practicing, back doing indy, so today was my second day doing indy with the team, and just have to keep building forward.”

Despite a feast or famine pass rush last season, the Packers’ defense in several key categories was a top 10 unit in 2024. But when it comes to getting to that next level, that all starts with an improved pass rush. As I’ve said, I believe it is that facet of the game that will determine the ceiling for the Green Bay defense because when someone is able to generate a steady push or apply pressure, the other 10 defenders on the field all benefit.

“Just sticking together,” Clark said of the pass rush, “and rushing as a unit and just being relentless. Haf does a great job of calling pressures and getting Coop and all those guys on the run. We do a lot of things with that stuff. I think also just getting better at rushing the passer play-action wise. Play-action is a spot that we definitely got to get better at as a unit. Didn’t do a good enough job with that last year, and just quick game.”

Packers OTAs notebook: Key observations from second open practice

Paul Bretl | 6/3/2025

GREEN BAY, Wis. — Tuesday was the Packers’ fifth OTA practice and the second that the media was able to observe.

As has been the case, these practices have been on the lighter side. Even with the continuity that the Packers’ roster has, there is always an element of starting over that comes this early in the season. So the focus right now is on building a strong foundation by making sure that everyone is playing with the right fundamentals, technique, and that the communication component is clean.

“We don’t even have any pads on,” LaFleur said after Tuesday’s practice, “and I mean most of it’s just the majority of our practice, as you guys have seen, is mostly jog through. And that’s just kind of like where we’re limited now, and so what we’re looking for is these guys being able to line up, communicate, know what to do, and then you would think, with a slower pace, that their fundamentals will be flawless.

“The problem is, you got guys going at different tempos, and then it kind of gets messy at times. So, but that’s really what we’re trying to get done.”

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So with that in mind, here is what you need to know from Tuesday’s practice.

Taking attendance. Not at today’s voluntary practice were Nate Hobbs, who was away due to a personal matter, Quay Walker, Jaire Alexander, Trey Hill, John Williams, and Elgton Jenkins. In the rehab group were Christian Watson, Collin Oliver, Nesta Jade Silvera, and Warren Brinson.

Back on the practice field was MarShawn Lloyd, who missed last week’s practice that we were able to attend. Emanuel Wilson and Chris Brooks were still ahead of Lloyd in terms of reps with the first and second team offenses, but it’s easy to spot the burst he has with the ball, and in the past, Matt LaFleur has mentioned that the Packers view him as a pass-catching option out of the backfield as well.

“I think we have a feel for what he’s certainly capable of,” LaFleur said. “I mean, we’ve seen enough. He’s an explosive player. I’m really excited about the player. Again, I think he’s in a lot better spot. He trained his butt off before, like, from the day the season ended to coming back here and he worked really hard to get back, and then he had another thing pop up. So, but he’s in a lot better spot right now, and we’ll give him more as tolerated.”

Kenny Clark did not participate in team drills but recently returned to individual drills. As Clark described after practice, he suffered a foot injury in Week 1 of last season that eventually required surgery in January.

“It was tough,” Clark said of his play in 2024.. “It was a tough year for me. I had surgery on my foot in January, so it was a tough year. But I’m excited. I’m back out practicing, back doing indy, so today was my second day doing indy with the team, and just have to keep building forward.”

The offensive line configuration. With Jenkins not present, we saw a similar offensive line configuration as last week with the starters, which included Rasheed Walker at left tackle (initially), followed by Aaron Banks, Jacob Monk, Sean Rhyan, and Zach Tom. Jordan Morgan would rotate in with the ones at left tackle, but Walker still took the initial reps. On the second unit during the two-minute period, Morgan was at left tackle, followed by Kadeem Telfort, Donovan Jennings, Tyler Cooper, and Anthony Belton.

Other lineup notes: Chris Brooks and Emanuel Wilson each had their own opportunities to take the RB2 reps behind Josh Jacobs. Zayne Anderson was the third safety behind Xavier McKinney and Evan Williams.

What about at cornerback? With Hobbs not present, Carrington Valentine lined up opposite of Keisean Nixon with Javon Bullard in the slot. Kalen King and UDFA Johnathan Baldwin–who played safety–each had some backup nickel snaps. Kamal Hadden was the third outside cornerback today. Gregory Junior held that role last week.

Without Quay Walker last week, we saw a lot of Ty’Ron Hopper with Isaiah McDuffie and Edgerrin Cooper. Hopper still had some opportunities today in that middle linebacker role, but we saw more of Isaiah Simmons than we did a week ago. Simmons is an impressive athlete and brings a unique skill set to both the defense and special teams units, where he’s gotten reps as a flier on the punt coverage unit.

“He’s extremely athletic,” LaFleur said of Simmons, “and we kind of knew that coming in, bringing him in here, and he’s doing a better job, I would say, of learning our scheme and again, showing improvement.”

Brandon McManus got the opportunity to kick today. On six field goal attempts ranging from extra points to 44 yards, he was 5-for-6. His lone miss came on a 44-yarder that went left.

After practice, we got the opportunity to speak with Romeo Doubs, who has put on some muscle this offseason. He’s also continued to be a steady presence in the passing game for Jordan Love.

“Every day is how he comes in the building and watching him work and, I mean, he looks great out there,” LaFleur said of Doubs. “I don’t know if you guys can tell a difference in his physique, he does look like a specimen out there. But he does, he does a great job. He just, he’s come in, and he’s just worked, and obviously he’s played a lot of snaps for us and has had a lot of production. So I’m excited about where he’s at.”

The wide receiver rotation continued. We again saw a heavy rotation at the wide receiver position. Doubs, Matthew Golden, Jayden Reed, Dontayvion Wicks, Malik Heath, and Bo Melton all saw varying first-team opportunities. One difference from last week was that Mecole Hardman got some one-rep reps as well, and he also came up with some receptions from Malik Willis during the two-minute portion. With so many players being cycled in and out, making the most of the reps each player gets will be a must as playing time is sorted out. I would say Doubs, Golden, and Reed had the most opportunities.

“The kid’s playing fast right now,” Doubs said of Golden. “So I’m excited to see him.”

The defensive linemen have been gathering at Kenny Clark’s house during OTAs to watch film together from the individual drills they go through in practice. Along with making a change at defensive line coach by hiring DeMarcus Covington, the Packers front is also going to be playing more technique this season, rather than simply pinning their ears back.

“We’ve been doing it pretty much this whole offseason,” Clark said of watching film at his house. “We did it a little bit last year, get together and watch indy and all that kind of stuff. But we’ve been more consistent with it, just picking each other’s brain, talking about different formations, fronts. The main thing with them, I’m trying to get all the younger guys to understand formations and how to play the blocks. We’re going back to more playing technique so it’s huge for them to understand formations and how people are going to try to block the front.”

Two-minute drills: The scenario was that the offense had the ball at their own 25-yard line and were down by a touchdown with 1:40 left on the clock. Up first was Willis, who was 4-for-7 passing, which included–as mentioned–two completions to Hardman, but the drive stalled out in the opponent’s territory. The key play was a dropped pass over the middle by recently signed wide receiver Sam Brown. Also of note, Colby Wooden–who has been playing some nose tackle–had a pressure and a batted pass.

The first team offense faced the same situation, and just like last week, Jordan Love was incredibly crisp out there. He finished the drive 6-for-7 passing, which included a terrific 30-yard touchdown pass to Jayden Reed in the back right corner of the end zone. The ball was dropped right over Reed’s right shoulder, where only he could get it. The offense then went for two and the win, and Love connected with Doubs on a slant.

During the two-minute drill, with the second team defense, Lukas Van Ness was on the field at defensive tackle once again. In those obvious passing situations, the opportunity to move Van Ness inside–where he played at Iowa–in order to get three defensive ends on the field could be something the Packers attempt to utilize more this season.

“I think situationally, you can do that,” LaFleur said of Van Ness playing inside. “I think in known passing situations there’s some thought around that. A lot of it’s going to be just dependent upon everybody else as well. So Lukas has shown a lot of growth, and I’m excited to see him once we get pads on, and really all those guys, how they compete.

We again saw a lot of two tight end sets out of this Packers team, which included Luke Musgrave hauling in a few receptions over the middle. While he’s dealt with injuries, he brings a different dynamic to the tight end position with his speed, which can create mismatches for him and others to exploit.

“He’s another guy that I’m excited about,” LaFleur said. “The whole key is we have to keep him on the field and keep him healthy. I just think both of those guys (Musgrave and Kraft) are unique in their own ways, and they both bring a little something different. But I’m really excited about both those players in our system.”

With strength in numbers, Packers’ WRs embracing competition

Paul Bretl | 5/30/2025

GREEN BAY, Wis. — At a position group, wide receiver, where the Packers already had quite a few players that they could get involved on a weekly basis, the team went out and added two more players to that mix by taking Matthew Golden in the first round of this year’s NFL draft and Savion Williams in the third round, which only adds to the competition for targets that already existed.

The Packers’ offense would sputter late last season. In the game of football, whether it be good or bad, there are always a number of contributing factors to any result. But one of the bigger issues experienced on offense was the inconsistent play of the receiver position.

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For much of the year, this included dropped passes, which Green Bay had the third most of in all of the NFL. There was also a lack of detailed route running at times, something Matt LaFleur noted on two of the interceptions that took place during the playoff loss to Philadelphia, along with receivers simply not winning their routes often enough, as was the case in Week 17 against Minnesota.

So, in what could have already been considered a crowded receiver room with only so many targets and snaps to go around each week, it’s not a surprise–in fact, it was expected–that the Packers not only made additions, but spent premium draft capital to do so.

“I think they’re doing great right now,” said Jordan Love of the receiver room. “They’re all here, they’ve been working really hard. But I think anytime you draft guys in your room, that’s the nature of it, to feel that way, but at the end of the day, I think that’s every position group, every year. New guys get drafted in. It’s one of those things you’ve got to control what you can control, come to work, handle business, be the best player you can be, find ways to get better.

“At the end of the day, there’s always going to be competition. I don’t think any of those guys are shying away from competition. They all want to be the best and be out there on the field. The vibes are good right now.”

With the addition of Golden, as well as Williams, there is now greater uncertainty for the Packers’ receivers who were already on the roster. There are now fewer roster spots, snaps, and targets available than what there was presumed to be at this time a season ago. One would assume that the hope internally for Green Bay is that added competition raises the level of urgency and therefore the level of play within that room.

However, while competition is always a good thing and having a variety of skill sets for Matt LaFleur to build the weekly game plans around is a good thing for the team, there is also a human element to this as well that still exists.

Following the NFL draft, it was reported by ESPN that Jayden Reed’s agent, Drew Rosenhaus, had reached out to GM Brian Gutekunst to see where Reed’s standing was within the offense. But as Reed described following last Wednesday’s OTA practice, that report was misinterpreted. In fact, Reed said that even before the draft, he knew the team was going to take a wide receiver early on.

“A lot of people misinterpreted that,” Reed said of the report. “I hired a new agent and we talked about it before even the draft, really, that he said he was going to talk to the front office and everybody here to just catch up and make sure everybody’s on the same page. As a new client, he told me that’s the way he was going to do it, and he did it.”

While the competition element is ever-present in the wide receiver room, Reed, along with Romeo Doubs, Christian Watson, Bo Melton, and Malik Heath–the experienced players at this position–have further embraced a leadership role this season. On a young team, one of the points of emphasis this offseason for LaFleur was ensuring that, throughout the roster, the Packers are developing leaders.

One way in which this has manifested in the wide receiver room is the help that the veterans are providing Golden and Williams, both on the practice field and off. Vrable recently mentioned that during practices, Reed can often be found behind Golden as he goes through his reps, providing pointers along the way. LaFleur also described that during one practice, he was going to discuss something that he saw with one of Golden’s reps, but Doubs had already approached the rookie and was having that conversation.

“He’s been outstanding,” LaFleur said of Reed. “I’ll tell you what, it’s a special group. Not only the rooks that we have coming in here, just being around them now for a couple of weeks, I think it’s a high-character group, which is always important to us. And they approach it the right way. But I’ve been really impressed with our veterans taking these guys under their wings and kind of showing them the way and really helping them, coaching them.”

Although we didn’t see the desired growth and development from the Packers’ wide receiver room as a whole last season, this is still a position with a lot of talent, depth, and a variety of skill sets–and with that, can be a group that is difficult to game plan for and defend.

On a weekly basis, LaFleur can really tailor the game plan to the opponent because of the depth the Packers have but also the different skill sets that are on the roster as well. For a defense, during the week, there is a lot to prepare for with the number of looks the Packers can throw at opponents and a litany of pass-catching options they have.

In game, knowing the ball could go to any player at really any time, the defense cannot hone in on one or even two receivers, which forces them to spread out, defend the entire field, which creates more space for the offense to operate in. Schematically, this can give the Packers an edge, but for a handful of receivers who are eyeing their second contract, it can lead to inconsistent targets over the course of the season.

“That’s always the tricky part, trying to get everybody involved,” said Love. “But like I said, we’ve got a great group of guys. They all know what the main objective is that we’re trying to get done here, and they know they’re going to get those opps that are going to come their way. Some days, some guys might catch more passes than the other guys. That just might be the way it is. It’s all at the end of the day predicated on what the defense is doing, trying to stop our offense. I always tell guys I’m going to throw it to the guy who’s open. I’m going to try to find the guy who’s open. They all know that.”

This is a Packers team that has Super Bowl aspirations, and rising to that level will have to include improved play from the wide receiver position. A catalyst behind accomplishing that will be the competition that is currently being cultivated.

Naturally, given how last season ended, there has been a lot of talk about ‘WR1,’ whether it be who that player is on the team currently or if Gutekunst should have made that type of addition this offseason. However, as has been the case the last two seasons, the strength of this unit still lies in its numbers.

“I just think we’ve got a lot of playmakers in the room and on any given day, anybody can go off,” Reed said. “All that wide receiver one stuff, I don’t look at it as that. It’s like we’ve got a lot of different playmakers in the room that can make plays and at the end of the day, it’s about a team coming together and getting a job done and winning. So all that stuff, I don’t take that stuff too much seriously, I just think we’ve got a lot of young guys in the room that can ball. That’s what we’re going to try to continue to do and try to continue to get better.”

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