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5 Packers and position battles to watch in preseason game vs. Denver

Paul Bretl | 8/18/2024

GREEN BAY, Wis. — From the sounds of it, after a joint practice in Denver on Friday, most of the Packers’ starters aren’t going to suit up for the preseason game with the Broncos. However, with roster cuts looming, there will still be plenty to watch for with playing time and roster spots up for grabs.

Here are the key positional battles that I’ll have my eyes on as Sunday’s game unfolds:

Backup quarterback: Both Sean Clifford and Michael Pratt are in a critical stretch right now, in the midst of playing three preseason games and two joint practices in a two week span. While experience is what perhaps mainly gave Clifford the edge early on, that window does seem to be closing, with Pratt seemingly making up ground.

Although Matt LaFleur was quick to dismiss it, during Tuesday’s practice, after a pair of interceptions from Clifford, Pratt ran the red zone and two minute periods with the second team offense. On Wednesday, it was back to Clifford taking those reps with LaFleur saying he expected Clifford to start against Denver with Jordan Love not playing.

Clifford has a gamer quality to him–playing his best when it matters most. Two of Clifford’s better days this summer have come during Family Night and in Cleveland. LaFleur has also often used the word resilient to describe Clifford with his ability to bounce back after a negative play. Those abilities are his superpowers, but a lack of consistency in practice, which sparked by being out of rhythm and trying to making things happen, has resulted in an overall up and down training camp.

Whether it’s LaFleur, Tom Clements or Adam Stenavich being asked about Pratt, there is always this initial pause before they respond. The pause is not a negative or a knock on Pratt, who is doing all the right things and continuing to make plays on the practice field. The pause comes from him being a first year quarterback, who is learning a new offense, which LaFleur equates to drinking water out of a fire hose.

Although navigating that learning curve, you can see Pratt’s comfort and understanding of the offense growing with his decision-making, timely throws, and ball placement. With the installs now in, Pratt is going through it all for a second, third, and fourth time, which is only going to help his comfort level grow.

“For Mike and I, it’s about battling every single day,” Clifford said. “We know we’re in a competition. It’s super-healthy. I respect him so much. He’s a great quarterback, so it’s awesome for me because, if I slip up, he’s going to come back and make a play. It’s balancing that back and forth and just knowing the situation, too. We know what’s at stake but you can still be friendly and have a good, competitive room and just want to win, because that’s what we’re here to do.”

Emanuel Wilson: There’s no question that Wilson has real playmaking abilities with the ball in his hands. We saw it last preseason when he averaged 5.9 yards per carry. We saw it in a small sample size during the 2023 regular season when he averaged 6.1 yards per carry. And we saw it in Cleveland when Wilson averaged 5.2 yards per carry.

However, to make the team over AJ Dillon–who is still getting the backup running back reps–pass-blocking and the ability to be a reliable pass-catcher very much matter. The pass-blocking specifically, is still an area for Wilson that, while improving, is a work in progress.

“We’re still working on that part of it,” said running backs coach Ben Sirmans about Wilson being a three-down back. “He has shown whether it’s 1-on-1s that when he does attack things with the proper technique that he can block people, and I think the other thing besides that is he’s shown whether it’s a walkthrough or different phases we’ve put him in where we’ve brought pressure that he’s much more I guess educated at what his assignment is and making really good decisions.

“So I think that’s something that we’re working towards, but we’ve just got to continue to put him in those situations to get a full answer on that. but my trust level is growing with him.”

If we assume the running back room is healthy, with Josh Jacobs handling the workload at the position and then MarShawn Lloyd’s ability to make defenders miss, it’s not as if there are going to be many–if any–opportunities each week for the third running back to touch the ball. So in what other ways can that player impact the game? Special teams and being a capable blocker in obvious passing situations are likely Wilson or Dillon’s best avenue to seeing snaps, especially with Lloyd still learning in that regard.

Can Grant DuBose do it again? In the preseason opener, DuBose caught 5-of-6 passes for 66 yards. Afterwards, Jordan Love said he wasn’t surprised by this performance from DuBose, and frankly, I wasn’t either because he’s been regularly making plays in practice since OTAs began in April.

Not only is DuBose making an impact in the passing game, but he’s been praised for his ability in the run game as well, with LaFleur even showing clips of DuBose blocking to the entire team as an example of the effort he wants to see.

Now, the next step for DuBose is build off the very strong foundation he’s already established.

“You know, you just got to go out there and do the things that you’ve been taught,” said DuBose about repeating last week’s performance. “Do the things that you’ve been coached to. Not let the moment get too big for you because that’s when you play out of whack I guess, whatever you want to call it.

“Try to make the plays, just doing what you’ve been coached to do. The ball finds good energy. That’s the mentality. Did it last week now just got to do it again this week and the week after.”

What about right guard? The first question here is, will Jordan Morgan play? Talking with Morgan at his locker after Wednesday’s practice, at that time he was uncertain about if he would be available or not. While it’s being called a competition at right guard by the coaching staff, when Morgan is healthy, this doesn’t appear to be a competition at all, with him taking all of the first team reps at this position.

Not only is Morgan making the jump from college to the NFL, but he’s also moving from tackle to guard and from the left side of the line to the right side. A transition that certainly came with a learning curve, but one that Morgan is now much more comfortable with.

“I’d say just technique,” Morgan said when asked about playing guard. “I mean, the footwork and the hand placement. I’m used to punching with my left then getting out there and having to punch with my right. It’s so different and you’ve got to get used to the timing and pick up everything quicker.

“It’s been going smooth now,” Morgan added. “I picked it up pretty well the past couple of weeks.”

If Morgan can’t play, then we will likely see Sean Rhyan–although Jacob Monk did take some starting snaps during Friday’s joint practice. Rhyan is Morgan’s primary competitor for the starting right guard job, but is being cross-trained to play all three interior positions in the event that he ends up as a backup. Consistency and improved condition are what the Packers are looking for from Rhyan. Monk, meanwhile, has seen more opportunities with the ones as of late, and brings a ‘rip your lips off’ mentality to the football field.

“I’m just trying to get crackerjack at both,” said Rhyan. “Trying to minimize that lag just so that I can flip both sides real quick. So that whether something happens, left, right or center, I can just be able to–they can be like ‘alright go in,’ and I don’t have to worry about ‘is this pass set gonna’–you know? Are his hips aligned? Are his hands good? It’s all of that type of stuff. Just trying to minimalize that lag.”

The cornerback depth chart: We know who the first four spots on the cornerback depth chart belong to, but after that, things become a bit more murky. Realistically, at best, there are two roster spots up for grabs if the Packers choose to keep six. However, keeping five cornerbacks is also in the cards, which would mean only slot is available for either Corey Ballentine, Kalen King, and Robert Rochell.

From what we can glean in practice, both Ballentine and King are working out of the slot during individual drills. However, when the second defense is lined up in nickel, Ballentine and Rochell are on the boundary with King inside. Of the three, Ballentine appears to be the first boundary option, taking some starting snaps here and there when Jaire Alexander or Eric Stokes need a breather. I would categorize Javon Bullard as the true backup nickel at this time–not King.

Defensively, Ballentine proved to be a capable boundary starter last season. King has acclimated well to the slot, bringing a level of physicality to the position, and has made some splash plays, including two interceptions in practice, a “sack,” and a tackle for loss against the Browns.

“He’s just really instinctive,” said LaFleur about King. “He’s a really good football player. The more opportunities he gets the more he seems to show up and make plays.”

Rochell, who did have a nice performance against Cleveland, would be more of a special teams contributor, which is going to matter at the back-end of this position group. Rochell and Ballentine have both been core special teams contributors during their time with the Packers, while King got a lot of work there in Week 1, playing the third-most snaps on the team.

Who is starting at safety and what does the rotation look like? If you ask LaFleur, the competition to find Xavier McKinney’s running mate is still unfolding. However, it’s been a number of practices in a row where Bullard has been the “starting” safety, with Evan Williams being rotated in after him.

“I think that all those guys are doing a pretty good job,” said LaFleur. “So I think we’ll let them play out. I know you guys want to know like yesterday, but I told you, don’t pay attention to those depth charts. They don’t mean squat right now.”

Bullard is a very physical player and when not at safety, has seen his share of snaps in the slot as of late. Williams was all over the field in Cleveland making tackles, and continues to come up with the splash plays, having totaled four interceptions in training camp and a forced fumble in the preseason game.

Eventually, a starter next to McKinney is going to be named, but both Bullard and Williams are going to have fairly big roles this season. I anticipate there being quite a bit of movement, with the weekly game-plan dictating who is lining up where and how often. Right now the emphasis for the Packers is to put the rookies in as many different situations as possible to get them acclimated to the variety of hats they may have to wear in season.

Having this level of versatility among multiple players to the safety position generates a layer of unpredictability to the Packers’ defense. Pre-snap, opposing offenses won’t be able to necessarily get a beat on what responsibility each player has or where they might end up as the play unfolds based solely upon who is on the field or where each safety is initially lined up.

Don’t forget about special teams: During the preseason, always keep your eyes on who is starting on special teams. While this may not be everything, it can provide us with some insight into where things stand at some of those back end roster battles, particularly at linebacker, cornerback, and safety–heavy special teams positions.

Return of Tucker Kraft sets stage for Packers’ offense to feel full effects of him and Luke Musgrave

Paul Bretl | 8/17/2024

GREEN BAY, Wis. — We saw individually last season the potential that both Luke Musgrave and Tucker Kraft possess, but what we didn’t see a lot of were those powers being harnessed on the field together–or at least not with the full capabilities that are now available. That ability can help unlock a whole new world of potential for the Packers’ offense.

“No, I don’t,” said Matt LaFleur when asked if the offense had the best versions of Musgrave and Kraft together in 2023. “It seemed like they were all kind of like going out at different times. Obviously, Luke missed quite a bit towards the end of the season, so yeah, to have both of those guys at full strength I think can definitely change the complexion of our offense.”

Early on in 2023, when both Musgrave and Kraft were healthy, Kraft’s role on offense was fairly small. He was frequently used as a blocker, and averaged just over 12 snaps per contest through five weeks. However, as Kraft got more acclimated to his role, his playing time began to increase before he was regularly playing 80-plus percent of the offensive snaps following Musgrave’s kidney injury in Week 11. Musgrave would then return for Week 18 and the Packers’ two playoff games.

Even without Musgrave and Kraft firing on all cylinders at the same time last season, the Packers still used 12 personnel–or two tight end sets–at a relatively high rate. According to Sumer Sports, the Packers had two tight ends on the field on 32 percent of their snaps. This was the second-most utilized personnel package for the Packers and only two teams–Atlanta and New England–used 12 personnel more often.

In terms of their skill-sets, Kraft and Musgrave each bring a different element to the Packers’ offense. Musgrave with his elite speed at the position, can stretch the field as we saw last season, with 16 percent of his targets coming 20-plus yards downfield–the fifth-highest rate of any tight end. Kraft, meanwhile, is excellent after the catch with the ball in his hands, ranking sixth among all tight ends in YAC from Week 12 though the playoffs.

However, while both can impact the passing game in different ways, the Packers believe that both are also more than capable blockers, and it’s those two elements when coupled together that can help unlock an offense’s full potential.

“I set a precedent for myself,” said Kraft upon his return to the practice field, “a large goal of mine this year, I want to be the best tight end in the outside zone. That’s a huge ask, especially in our offense, and I want people to feel confident putting me out there to pass protect, putting me out there to run block, putting me out there to run routes.”

For Matt LaFleur as the play-caller, having two tight ends who can impact both the running and passing games helps open up the playbook for him, allowing the Packers to get much more creative, particularly from 12 personnel, when both tight ends are on field.

Having one tight end, but especially two, who can make plays in the passing game and be a capable as a blocker further adds the unpredictability element to the offense. Pre-snap, defenses can’t decipher as easily whether a run or pass is coming simply based on where the tight ends are lined up. There are also the mismatches Kraft and Musgrave can create with their abilities to line up across the formation.

This then forces defenses to respect both the run and the pass on any given play, thus having to defend the entire field, which creates better spacing and more room for the offense to operate in.

“I think it just adds to the complexity of your offense, in terms of having multiple personnel groupings,” said Matt LaFleur. “I think both those guys can do it all. I think they both will end up becoming complete tight ends in this league in terms of their ability to run block and then what they can do for you in the passing game.

“And I think they both have a little bit different flavor to them, which for us, allows for more flexibility on the offensive side of the ball. They’re both great dudes that love the game of football, and I think just to see where they are from a year ago, it’s night and day.”

When LaFleur took over as the head coach we often heard him use the phrase the ‘illusion of complexity,’ which versatile tight ends help enhance. The combination of Kraft and Musgrave allows the Packers to run a number of plays from just a few personnel packages and like-plays–or plays that begin similarly but end up being different–that build off each other throughout the game.

All of this creates mismatches for not only Kraft and Musgrave to exploit, but helps open up opportunities for others within the offense, and generally speaking, is an added stressor for opponents, keeping the defense guessing and off-balanced.

“I think tight ends are great weapons, right? Because they can really wear a bunch of different hats,” said tight ends coach John Dunn. “And so not to get into the schematics of how we use guys but you start getting two on the field and now the defense (asks), how do you match that? How do they defend that? How are you using them?

“And we talk about it in our room all the time, the more you can do, the better we’re going to be as an offense, the better we’re going to be as a unit, the better we’re going to be as a group. I think it’s exciting.”

Kraft returned to team drills this week at practice and plans on playing in the Packers’ season opener against Philadelphia. For Musgrave, it’s been a bit of a quiet training camp overall up to this point–although he’s had several receptions this week and is coming off a strong performance against Denver–but as tight ends coach John Dunn mentioned, that isn’t a reflection of Musgrave’s play, but that is sometimes just how things go this time of the year, depending on what the emphasis is that practice, how the defense defends certain plays, and what is being installed.

The true potential and ceiling that Kraft and Musgrave bring to the table when paired together isn’t going to be recognized during training camp anyways, with the foundation of the playbook being installed and vanilla schematic looks dominating preseason games.

However, once the regular season arrives and game-planning for specific opponents really begins, that is where LaFleur can enter the lab and conjure up some truly creative play designs for his dynamic tight end duo.

“It’ll be really productive,” said Musgrave following the team’s joint practice with Denver. “I think it’ll give us a lot of cool options to do as tight ends and also we got some great other depth at tight end that’s also really exciting, so really excited for that and I’m sure Tuck is as well and we’re just really excited.”

In crowded Packers’ LB room, special teams helping Kristian Welch standout

Paul Bretl | 8/16/2024

GREEN BAY, Wis. — When it comes to Packers’ GM Brian Gutekunst building out the 53-man roster in a few weeks, a big part of that equation is the numbers game–specifically, how many players does he keep at each position group. If Gutekunst goes heavy at one position the consequence of that is having to go light elsewhere.

Numbers-wise, rostering six linebackers on the initial 53-man would be outside the norm. Five is more of the standard league-wide, and if that ends up being the case for the Packers–assuming health–then the roster is pretty well set between Quay Walker, Isaiah McDuffie, Eric Wilson, and early-round rookies Edgerrin Cooper and Ty’Ron Hopper.

However, given how the last few weeks of training camp have unfolded, keeping six linebackers is a decision that seems to be more in play for the Packers than one might have thought a month ago. Particularly finding a way to get Kristian Welch on the roster, who certainly doesn’t have the upside or potential of Cooper or Hopper, and defensively he won’t be expected to see the field. But where he does have a leg up over the rookies is on special teams.

“I honestly love that part about special teams,” said Welch at his locker on Wednesday. “Each phase has it’s own challenges, right? It’s like a very unique thing in football. It’s just fun. I think it just presents a different challenge than kind of any other phase in the game and just being able to understand each little nuance and get the techniques of a punt set down. And then get the techniques of a punt coverage down. And then being able to tackle in open space. All these things kind of bring it together and that’s what I really just enjoy, honestly, especially in the NFL.”

Since entering the NFL in 2020 as an undrafted rookie out of Iowa, Welch has established himself as a core special teams contributor during that span. After spending his first three seasons with Baltimore, the Packers signed Welch to the practice squad late last summer. Then a few weeks into the regular season, he was added to the 53-man roster.

From Week 4 through the NFC divisional playoff round, Welch played 237 snaps, or nearly 49 percent of all the Packers’ special teams snaps–the fourth-highest rate on the team. Welch was a regular contributor across four different phases, finished third on the team in tackles, and among 188 eligible players across the NFL, Welch’s special teams grade from PFF ranked 39th.

“Special teams a lot of times is just being–like wanting it more than the other guy,” added Welch. “So the fundamentals, the details are all part of that, the scheme. Really it starts with your effort. Your ability to out-technique your opponent basically. It comes down to me being able to block that guy more than he wants to go make the play. And then beating them with technique within the umbrella of the scheme.”

In the Packers’ preseason opener against Cleveland, Welch was again an integral part of the special teams unit, playing nine snaps–tied for the third-most on the team–across five of the six different phases.

We frequently discuss the jump from college to the NFL on the offensive and defensive sides of the football and the transition that can often take place for incoming rookies. But the same holds true on special teams as well. Just like on offense and defense, there is the added strength and speed to contend with when competing against NFL players, and there is still the importance of using proper technique, fundamentals, and adjusting to a new scheme.

“The biggest thing for me that made that transition a lot better was I played special teams in college,” said Welch. “Coach LeVar Woods did a great job while I was in college, instilling these principles, fundamentals of blocking. But instilling those little just like little fundamentals, technique principles throughout college, and obviously I played special teams in college, which some guys don’t.”

In regards to experience on teams, Cooper comes to the NFL having seen his share of opportunities while at Texas A&M, playing over 250 snaps during his final two years. Hopper would play just over 140 snaps in that span and primarily on only two of the six phases.

Both rookies, however, are currently working through injuries and have missed valuable time on the practice field, along with not having been able to play in the preseason opener against Denver. Being locked in during meetings, studying the playbook, and going through mental reps are all crucial when trying to stay current with everything that is being taught and implemented, but there is no replacement for the live on-field reps that are being missed. There are some aspects that only experience can teach.

“So, it’s just kind of getting them re-acclimated to the fundamentals, to the skills, to knowing what to do so they can go out there and play fast, because that is an important part of it,” said LaFleur when asked about rookies contributing on special teams. “It’s a great opportunity for a lot of these guys to make their impact early on in this league. So those reps are really valuable.”

The linebacker position, in particular, is an important one when it comes to special teams contributions. In addition to the two rookies and Welch, Wilson and McDuffie would rank first and fifth on the team in special teams snaps in 2023. However, with both taking on larger roles defensively this season, that could mean fewer special teams snaps and the need for the others on the depth chart behind them to take on larger roles.

We saw the Packers take this same approach last year at cornerback, specifically with Corey Ballentine’s teams role being reduced when he was starting on the boundary. Walker and De’Vondre Campbell, the Packers starting linebackers in 2023, also didn’t play anywhere near the special teams snaps that Wilson and McDuffie did.

While the Packers didn’t believe that shifting from a 3-4 to a 4-3 style defense under Jeff Hafley was going to be a major one for their linebackers given the personnel they already had on the roster, that schematic change could alter how they construct the roster at that position. Earlier this offseason, when speaking with reporters, Gutekunst mentioned the potential need to go heavier at this position.

“There’s not a lot of personnel changes we’re going to have to make with the scheme change,” said Gutekunst at the NFL Combine, “but we’ll probably have to carry a couple more linebackers into training camp and maybe one or two more through the 53- and 69-man roster as we go through.”

For Welch, who’s primary role if on the team will be to help on special teams, he is not only competing for a roster spot with the other linebackers, but across multiple position groups who frequently contribute to special teams as well, which includes cornerback and safety. And ultimately, other factors such as a player’s age and their potential are outside elements that can come into play when building out the back-end of the 53-man roster.

With that said, while there may not be a clear path for him to make the team with the new additions that the Packers made at linebacker this offseason, a path does exist through special teams, where Welch and his experience have the advantage over his rookie counterparts.

“At the end of the day you just have to be you,” said Welch. “You can’t–you have to be confident in the player that you are. What you bring to the team and doing that best is what’s going to suit the team best.”

Competition for Packers’ backup QB role enters a critical stretch

Paul Bretl | 8/15/2024

GREEN BAY, Wis. — As was the case last summer, all eyes will be on the quarterback position for the Packers in the remaining two preseason games. But, of course, the obvious difference is that this year, the attention is on the backup quarterback–a camp competition that is heating up.

With Sean Clifford having taken just about all of the second-team reps in training camp practices, during Tuesday’s practice, in which Clifford threw two interceptions, it was Michael Pratt who we saw running with the twos during the red zone and two-minute periods at the end of practice.

However, if you ask Matt LaFleur, there is nothing to read into that–also alluding to that this wasn’t the first time Pratt was with the second unit.

“Certain team periods, we have two groups going, so it can fluctuate on a day-to-day basis,” said LaFleur about Clifford and Pratt’s playing time.

Perhaps there’s nothing to it, and this switch up is just part of what is a long training camp process that is unfolding. Outside of one series during Wednesday’s practice, Clifford was back to leading the twos, with LaFleur mentioning that he expects Clifford to start in Denver on Sunday with Jordan Love not expected to play.

But with that said, what took place on Tuesday is noteworthy, given that Clifford’s play–while improved–is still sporadic at times, and Pratt continues to trend upward.

Clifford has a gamer quality to him, one that quarterbacks coach Tom Clements compared to former Packers’ backup quarterback Matt Flynn. Two of Clifford’s better performances this summer have come on Family Night, in front of a near full crowd at Lambeau Field, and in the team’s preseason opener against Cleveland.

“Sean did a better job, probably Family Night was one of his better practices, and then he had a good game,” said Clements on Monday. “That was kind of Sean last year. He got in the games and he practices hard but sometimes in a game you just have that extra little spark to make you play a little better, and everyone else is trying to play as well as they can. He has that quality about him of being a game.”

LaFleur has often used the word resilient to describe Clifford, who has an impressive ability to bounce back regardless of what may have just happened. At a position where mistakes are inevitable, that’s an important quality to have because the past isn’t going to impact the future for Clifford.

The key for Clifford, like many quarterbacks, is to throw on time and rhythm. When able to do that, Clifford is able to let-it-rip, another popular phrase from LaFleur. Let-it-rip doesn’t mean being careless with the football, but instead, trusting what you see and getting the ball out on time. During Wednesday’s two minute drill, we saw this from Clifford, as he delivered a strike to Grant DuBose between two defenders on a comeback route and then on the next play place the ball perfectly to Ben Sims running up the seam.

However, the issue that Clifford also faces, is that if that timing is disrupted, whether it be from the pass rush or the play of the secondary, he gets out of rhythm, which can lead to inaccurate throws, or tries to do to much and make things happen on his own, leading to takeaway opportunities for the defense.

“It’s a one-play mentality,” said Clifford after Wednesday’s practice. “I know it’s cliché to say and it’s like the media answer but it’s true because if you compare it to the games, if I go out there this season and start a game, I can’t be thinking about the last play.

“The only thing that matters is the present and being able to wash whatever’s happening in the past is an elite trait that I think Jordan has and I’ve continued to learn that. I think that’s one of my best attributes is the last play could be the worst play of my career and I’m going to go out and still sling it the next one.”

Whether it’s LaFleur, Clements or Adam Stenavich being asked about Pratt, there is always this initial pause before they respond. The pause is not a negative or a knock on Pratt, who is doing all the right things and continuing to make plays on the practice field. The pause comes from him being a first year quarterback, who is learning a new offense, which LaFleur equates to drinking water out of a fire hose.

“I will say he’s learning,” said Stenavich. “He shows really good arm talent, good arm strength. But any quarterback, and Sean Clifford kind of went through this last year, when you start getting into all these installs and all these plays, it’s not an easy thing to do. He’s very diligent, he’s got an excellent work ethic, so I’m just excited to kind of see him two weeks from now, see him by the end of camp where he is and how he’s developed. He can make all the throws on the field, and he’s got a very good work ethic. So I’m hopeful.”

While Pratt may be navigating the learning curve that comes with making the jump from college to the NFL, there are instances–and they’re taking place more often–where you wouldn’t know that’s taking place. He has the arm strength to make just about any throw on the field. You can see his comfort and understanding of the offense growing with the anticipation throws, his decision-making, and ball placement–like we saw in the preseason game against Cleveland on that back-shoulder throw to Julian Hicks.

At this stage of training camp, the installs are in, so Pratt is able to go through everything a second and third time, only helping his comfort level grow. Coming into training camp, it was Clifford’s experience in the offense that may have been his biggest advantage, and not that Pratt has been perfect by any means or doesn’t have areas to improve upon–he certainly does–but Pratt also seemingly made up ground, at least somewhat in that regard.

“I think rookie minicamp and early OTAs, it was definitely trying to learn everything and every single play thinking about formation, motion, protection, concept, footwork; all those kind of things,” said Pratt at his locker. “Just over the course of time, dialing in on the smaller details and being able to get a more full grasp of the whole play and the whole offense has definitely let things slow down and now I can worry about things more like protections and getting to the right protections, eliminating things on reads based on what I’m seeing from the defense. I’m definitely at the point where I’m able to start playing a little bit faster.”

This next week-plus is going to go a long way in determining how the back-end of the Packers’ quarterback room shakes out. During that span the Packers will have a pair of joint practices and two preseason games. While the stats for each quarterback and the highlight throws will garner the attention, as LaFleur has described previously, the evaluation, especially at quarterback, is process driven.

For a quarterback, this means getting in and out of the huddle efficiently. It also emphasizes footwork, pre-snap adjustments, getting the ball out on time, going through the progressions, making the right read, and so much more. From the outside looking in, these elements aren’t as easy to decipher, but consistently getting the process right will lead to consistent results, playing a key factor in determining who wins this competition.

Although on the field Clifford and Pratt are locked into a positional battle to be Love’s backup, off the field the two have fully embraced the competition and know that each of them is getting better because of it.

Packers’ training camp notebook: Observations and takeaways from practice No. 15

Paul Bretl | 8/14/2024

GREEN BAY, Wis. — The Packers were in full pads on Wednesday for a practice that lasted two hours-and-eight minutes. Thursday will be a travel day for the team, as they head to Denver for a joint practice on Friday, followed by their preseason game on Sunday.

As always, let’s open up the training camp notebook and catchup on everything that took place.

Roster moves: It was reported on Tuesday that the Packers made a pair of roster additions. With Jarveon Howard and MarShawn Lloyd still sidelined at running back, the Packers signed Nate McCrary, who spent time with the team during the 2023 training camp. At linebacker, with Ty’Ron Hopper still not participating in the team portion and Edgerrin Cooper out, they signed Cooper’s Texas A&M teammate Chris Russell. The corresponding moves to make room on the roster for these two players included waiving safety Tyler Coyle and long-snapper Peter Bowden.

Who was in and who was out? Both Quay Walker and Jacob Monk would drop out of Tuesday’s practice but were on the practice field Wednesday. Carrington Valentine was back for individual drills after missing time with a hamstring injury. Hopper and Jordan Morgan continued to do individual drills as well, while Cooper, Lloyd, Howard, and Keshawn Banks were all still sidelined.

“I feel like I got a little bit of freedom, a little bit of a taste of what freedom tastes like,” said Valentine about being back at practice. “It was good, though. Just to get back on the grass, I love football, especially when something like that happens, it kind of gets taken away from you for a little bit. So just to get back out there, it felt great.”

What was happening on the offensive line? For the team portion, as has been the case, Rasheed Walker was at left tackle, followed by Elgton Jenkins, Josh Myers, Sean Rhyan, and Zach Tom. On the second unit, Andre Dillard and Kadeem Telfort continued to take turns at both right and left tackle, and we again saw Travis Glover get some right tackle snaps with the twos as well. With Rhyan starting, the three interior players with the twos have been Lecitus Smith, Royce Newman, and Jacob Monk. Caleb Jones was at tackle with the third team.

Other lineup notes: For what seems like a week now, Javon Bullard again was starting at safety next to Xavier McKinney. With Hopper and Cooper both out during 11-on-11s, Kristian Welch and Ralen Goforth were the nickel linebackers with the second defense. With the third team defense was Kitan Oladapo and Benny Sapp at safety. As Oladapo works his way back, he only played special teams in the preseason opener, but should be ready for some defensive snaps on Sunday as he plays catchup after missing quite a bit of time.

Some notable one-on-ones with Andy Herman providing the assist on the wide receiver vs. cornerback matchups:

Rasheed Walker beats Preston Smith
Jacob Monk beats Jonathan Ford
Brenton Cox beats Travis Glover
Devonte Wyatt beats Elgton Jenkins
Kadeem Telfort beats JJ Enagbare
Josh Myers beats TJ Slaton
Lukas Van Ness beats Caleb Jones
Kalen King PBU vs. Samori Toure
Romeo Doubs catch vs. Corey Ballentine
Jaire Alexander PBU vs. Christian Watson
Xavier McKinney PBU vs. Luke Musgrave
Dontayvion Wicks catch vs. Keisean Nixon
Ben Sims catch vs. Evan Williams
Malik Heath catch vs. LJ Davis

Both Corey Ballentine and Kalen King have been working out of the slot in individual drills during training camp, but when the two are on the field together with the second unit, King is lined up in the nickel and Ballentine is on the boundary. However, when one of the starting cornerbacks gets a breather, it is Ballentine who is in before King. If the Packers only roster five cornerbacks, I would pick King over Ballentine because of his upside, but my guess is they find a way to get both on the roster. Although King primarily played on the boundary at Penn State, with more opportunities from the nickel, he is making more plays, including an interception and a “sack” during Tuesday’s practice.

“He’s just really instinctive,” said LaFleur about King. “He’s a really good football player. The more opportunities he gets the more he seems to show up and make plays.”

The offensive line’s performance in pass protection has steadily been improving throughout training camp, but I thought the last two days in particular they’ve been quite good in that regard. Jordan Love has often had plenty of time, even instances where there is good coverage downfield and nowhere to go with the ball. In the run game, however, there haven’t been many opportunities–although, as Matt LaFleur mentioned recently, that may be a product of no live tackling, where Josh Jacobs’ skill set can really shine.

“He’s just a tough, rugged runner,” said LaFleur last week, “and I don’t think we’ll truly get to appreciate his value until we get into live tackling situations ’cause I think that’s really what he’s known for is just he’s a punishing runner.”

The second offensive line unit continues to have it’s ups and downs, particularly today on longer developing plays, like play-action, with Sean Clifford frequently facing pressure in those situations. The defensive front made up of JJ Enagbare, Devonte Wyatt, and Lukas Van Ness has been causing problems for the second offensive line.

Over the last week, we’ve seen more two-split running back sets, with Jacobs and Dillon in the backfield. Dillon had a really nice block on Preston Smith that helped Jacobs get to the second level as the ball carrier. The blocking aspect is where Dillon has a distinct advantage over Emanuel Wilson. And speaking of Wilson, he continues to look dynamic with the ball in his hands.

“I think naturally he’s a pretty quiet guy, but he’s really talented and that’s obvious,” said LaFleur before practice. “And we’re going to keep coaching him to try to get the most out of him. But he’s been a great addition to the locker room, he’s a great teammate. He’s really good in the room. And it’s funny ‘cause I always try to get him to smile each and every day because he is very, very, I don’t want to say introverted, but he’s just a quiet guy. So, it’s good to get him to smile.”

During Tuesday’s practice, following a second interception from Sean Clifford, Michael Pratt took over running the second team offense. However, outside of one series today, Clifford was back with the second team. With Jordan Love not playing in the preseason game against Denver, LaFleur said he expects Clifford to get the start.

“It’s super-healthy,” said Clifford about the competition with Pratt. “That’s the thing, I’m honored to compete with Mike just because I respect him so much as a quarterback. When you come in and you have an opportunity to get better every single day and you know that if you take a day off, he’s not, it raises the level of the competition in the room. I think ultimately, we’re all here to put the best product on the field for the Packers. That’s the only thing that matters is that we’re in Super Bowl contention every single year and we can win the North.

“For Mike and I, it’s about battling every single day. We know we’re in a competition. It’s super-healthy. I respect him so much. He’s a great quarterback, so it’s awesome for me because, if I slip up, he’s going to come back and make a play. It’s balancing that back and forth and just knowing the situation, too. We know what’s at stake but you can still be friendly and have a good, competitive room and just want to win, because that’s what we’re here to do.”

As of late there’s been some good on-ball production from the linebackers. Isaiah McDuffie had a tipped pass today that Quay Walker was able to intercept. On Tuesday, Kristian Welch had a pass deflection while with the ones, and Eric Wilson was positioned well in coverage against AJ Dillon on a downfield pass that fell incomplete.

Clearly there was an emphasis today for the offense on running RPOs, with Love, Clifford, and Pratt running multiple of them. This can be a great way to throw-off an attacking defensive front and catch them off guard, which we saw on the first RPO of the game, with Love picking up a big gain down the left sideline. But as practice went on, particularly with the second and third units, those plays became less effective.

Tucker Kraft was again participating in the team portion of practice, and today had two receptions. One came during a red zone period with Kraft picking up 11 yards on an out route. Over these last few days, we are seeing Luke Musgrave get more opportunities as well.

“I think it’s well documented his growth was really good,” said tight ends coach John Dunn about Kraft. “I think towards the end he had a really good feel of doing it. You know, the effort, the toughness, all those things are there. And then so much of the run games about technique, and footwork, and hand placement, hat placement.

“He had a pretty good understanding of that. It’s kind of going back to you’re previous question, now it’s getting back into the saddle and doing it again and feeling it out. But I thought he grew a lot there. Obviously he can continue to improve there, but that’s something that he works at daily.”

Not the best day for the kickers. After Alex Hale really struggled on Tuesday, it was Greg Joseph and Anders Carlson’s turn on Wednesday. Joseph finished the day 3/6, missing left from 55 yards and 45, and then right from 49 yards. Carlson would go 4/6 missing right from 55 yards and 41 yards. If the Packers had to make a roster decision today, I’m not sure which direction they’d go. Given that things have largely been equal, my guess is Carlson with his upside and potential, but either way I’m not sure the team would feel all that great.

Two minute drill: The scenario for Love and the starters was that they began at their own 35 yard line down 21-28 with not timeouts and 1:40 left on the clock. Love started the drive by connecting with Doubs on an inbreaking route. The offense hurried, snapping the ball with Love then finding Jacobs over the middle on what was a nice catch while running with the ball slightly behind him. With a new first down, Love steps up while facing pressure and finds Jacobs on the sidelines who gets out of bounds. On second down with 1:01 left, Love finds Musgrave who had a step on Isaiah McDuffie on an out route. He gets out of bounds, picking up a first down and stopping the clock. At the opponent 35, Love throws an incomplete pass to Jacobs. On second down, he finds Christian Watson on a curl between Bullard and Ballentine. A new set of downs and the clock running, Love leads Watson a bit too far along the sidelines. On the next play, he finds Musgrave. The offense hurries to the line of scrimmage, Love snaps the ball and completes a pass over the middle to Wicks. The offense tries to spike the ball but time runs out. The offense falls short at the 11 yard line.

Clifford’s turn at the two minute: The second offense also had 1:40 on the clock but were down only three points an at their own 35. The drive started with two really nice passes from Clifford. The first was in rhythm and on time as he connected with Grant DuBose on a comeback route between two defenders. Hurrying to the line of scrimmage, Clifford then hit Sims down the seam for a big gain. On first down, Clifford completed a pass to Ellis Merriweather who was brought down from behind by Wyatt after a decent gain. The offense then picked up a first down after Clifford hit DuBose on a curl. With 35 seconds left, Clifford threw an incomplete pass on first down. On second down he found Samori Toure in the front right corner of the end zone but Toure couldn’t get both feet in. On third down, Clifford was sacked. With the clock running, they tried to get the field goal off but ran out of time and Telfort didn’t get off the field before the ball was snapped either.

“It’s on me,” said Clifford of the two minute period. “I thought that we were in the same situation as Jordan where we were down seven and we were down three. I need to check but I just assumed that we were down seven, so I was thinking a little bit differently than I probably would’ve thought if we were down three, which is a bummer because it looked weird at the end. That’s just knowing the situation and being able to relay that with the coaches. I should have checked, ‘Hey, same deal here?’ I thought we moved it pretty efficiently, regardless. I’m happy about it. I think I would’ve done something probably different on that last play if I would’ve known but that’s on me.”

No rest for the weary: Packers’ OL Sean Rhyan takes on hefty workload in training camp

Paul Bretl | 8/14/2024

GREEN BAY, Wis. — You name it, and Sean Rhyan is being asked to do it along the Packers’ interior offensive line during training camp. Not only is Rhyan trying to win the starting right guard position, but he’s also cross-training at center and left guard as well for if he ends up being a backup.

“Right now, obviously he’s in a competition for a starting position,” said offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich on Monday, “and the big thing for us is to get him ready at several positions in case he isn’t a starter, you want him to be a versatile backup that could play any of those three interior spots. Big camp for him, just obviously competing for that starting role at right guard, and then getting ready to be a backup, if that happens to be his role, at center and left guard.”

During the Packers’ preseason opener against Cleveland, Rhyan was on the field for 48 snaps–the second-most on the team on offense–and was tasked with filling a few different roles. He began the game at right guard with the starters while Jordan Morgan is out and then transitioned to center with the second team offense.

In 28 pass-blocking snaps across both positions, Rhyan didn’t surrender a single pressure, according to PFF. In the run game, he led the way for Emanuel Wilson on a few of his carries.

“I thought he did a good job,” added Stenavich. “It’s not an easy thing. It’s pretty underrated, being able to go out there, make the calls, snap the ball to the quarterback without any exchange issues, things like that. Just being able to run the offense. I was happy with what I saw.”

With the Packers wanting Rhyan to be able to step in at any of the interior positions at moment’s notice, he has quite a bit on his plate this summer, which to an extent, is a complement because the coaching staff believes he can handle this workload. However, for Rhyan, who of course wants to start, he doesn’t have the luxury of focusing on only one position.

In moving from guard to center, there is the added responsibilities of having to identify, call-out, and communicate any protection changes. In moving from right guard to left guard, or vice versa, the mechanics of what Rhyan has to do on a given play are flipped.

With the offensive line struggling through the first half of the 2023 season, the Packers resorted to a rotation at left tackle between Rasheed Walker and Yosh Nijman, as well as at right guard with Rhyan and Jon Runyan. What started out as Rhyan playing a series or two blossomed into him and Runyan splitting snaps nearly 50-50 in Week 15 against Tampa Bay, and that carried over into the playoffs.

Where Rhyan was at his best was as a run-blocker. With his size, strength, and heavy hands, he brought a different element to the Packers’ offensive line as a bit of a mauler. Rather than opening up a running lane by being in an advantageous position, Rhyan generates push and moves the defender across from him.

However, what the Packers have been wanting to see from Rhyan, both from last season and into training camp now, is the down-to-down consistency needed from a starter. And, perhaps in large part, accomplishing that starts with being in the right condition for Rhyan to bring his A-game on every rep.

“There were some good clips of him,” said Matt LaFleur about Rhyan’s play on Saturday. “Just the play style that we want to have and it’s just for him, I think he’s still a young player in terms of the amount of reps that he’s gotten in game action and there’s a lot of room to continue to grow and just make sure, I think one of his biggest things that he’s got to make sure that he’s in charge of is just the conditioning component, and making sure he stays ahead of that because when he is fresh he can be pretty good.”

We keep hearing from the coaches that Rhyan is competing at right guard with Morgan, however, from my vantage point, that isn’t how I see things.

For one, when Morgan is healthy, he has been the starting right guard in practice–there is no rotation taking place as of late. Prior to Morgan’s injury, Rhyan’s snaps with the ones came at left guard when Elgton Jenkins was on a vet rest day or at center when Josh Myers was absent for a personal matter. Instead, most of Rhyan’s work had come with the second team offense until recently with Morgan sidelined.

Rhyan has had the opportunity to showcase what he can do as the starting right guard over the last week, but the way things are trending, my guess is that he ends up as the do-it-all backup–a still very valuable role. If the Packers are dealt with an injury, I would think Rhyan would be the first option off the bench, able to play all three interior positions. And with no one taking charge of the swing tackle competition, I wouldn’t be surprised if an injury occurs at tackle Jenkins or Morgan is asked to move outside with Rhyan coming in to play one of the guard positions.

“Again, just like everybody else,” said offensive line coach Luke Butkus, “he’s embraced his role of having the versatility of playing right guard last year, a little bit of left guard the last couple years he’s been here and this camp kind of doing it all. That’s only going to help him. Sean’s a big, strong kid and showed some really great reps on Saturday. Just the consistency right now from Sean, we gotta keep going.”

While a lot is being asked of Rhyan this summer, that is again a good thing, as it shows the faith that the coaching staff has in him. For Rhyan, he’s continuing to take things day by day, playing the best football that he can, and trending in the right direction. That’s where his focus will remain and wherever the chips fall–they fall.

“Good,” said Rhyan about his performance in camp. “Constantly trending upwards. So that’s always a good thing. Just going out there every day and playing the best ball that I can. That’s all I can do.”

Packers’ training camp notebook: Observations from practice No. 13

Paul Bretl | 8/13/2024

GREEN BAY, Wis. — The Packers were back on the practice field on Tuesday for the first time since their preseason opener in Cleveland. Today the shoulder pads were on and tomorrow they will be in full pads before traveling to Denver on Thursday for a joint practice on Friday, followed by the preseason game on Sunday.

Today’ practice was a bit shorter, going one hour and 36 minutes, but we saw plenty of 11-on-11 action. Here is what you need to know.

Who was in and who was out? Jaire Alexander did not play on Saturday. He was out for a personal matter, but was on the practice field Tuesday. Tyler Davis, who did not play in the preseason opener either was back. Also returning after missing some time was Jordan Morgan, Donovan Jennings, Deslin Alexandre, Dimitri Stanley, and Ty’Ron Hopper–all of whom only participated in the individual portion of practice. We also saw Tucker Kraft taking some 11-on-11 snaps as well.

Running back Jarveon Howard was out with an ankle injury. This is the first practice that he’s missed. Edgerrin Cooper was still out, as was Carrington Valentine, Keshawn Banks, and MarShawn Lloyd did not practice after leaving Saturday’s game with a hamstring injury. Quay Walker did not participate in the team portion of practice, but there is no real concern.

Who was where on the offensive line? With Morgan still not in the team portion of practice, the offensive line remained the same, with Rasheed Walker at left tackle, followed by Elgton Jenkins, Josh Myers, Sean Rhyan, and Zach Tom. Rhyan has on a lot on his plate this summer, as he’s competing for the starting right guard position, but also trying to prove that he can play all three interior positions if he ends up as a backup off the bench.

“Again, just like everybody else, he’s embraced his role of having the versatility of playing right guard last year,” said offensive line coach Luke Butkus on Monday. “A little bit of left guard the last couple years he’s been here and this camp kind of doing it all. That’s only going to help him. Sean’s a big, strong kid and showed some really great reps on Saturday. Just the consistency right now from Sean, we gotta keep going.”

The second offensive line unit had Kadeem Telfort and Andre Dillard playing both tackle spots, with Royce Newman at left guard, Jacob Monk at center and Lecitus Smith at right guard. Rookie Travis Glover saw some right tackle snaps with the twos and appeared to be ahead of Caleb Jones today. The third offensive line unit primarily had Jones at left tackle with Monk at left guard, Smith at center, Luke Tenuta at right guard, Glover at right tackle.

Once again at safety we saw Javon Bullard starting next to Xavier McKinney. Before practice, Matt LaFleur said there’s no need to read into any depth charts right now and that everyone is competing. However, it’s been a week-plus of Bullard getting the start in practice, and he did as well in the preseason game. So I guess do with that info what you wish, however, we saw Evan Williams make another impressive play, recording a “tackle” for loss on a toss play to Josh Jacobs.

“Really sure tackler. Smart,” Eric Stokes said of Williams. “Aggressive and always around the ball. You love those intangibles as a safety, so it’s perfect.”

With Walker and Hopper not participating in the team portion of practice and Cooper still out, that created more opportunities for undrafted rookie Ralen Goforth, who was starting next to Isaiah McDuffie and Eric Wilson as the Will linebacker when the Packers were in base. Along with Goforth, Kristian Welch got some added opportunities as well, and had a near interception off Jordan Love.

“It was good, man,” said Goforth after practice. “Getting out there, getting reps. Guys that I’m normally watching from the sideline, but it was nice to get out there. You really see the communication get heightened. Everybody’s talking and you just really want to showoff for the guys.”

With Hopper and Cooper missing time, I still think it’s possible that the Packers go heavy and keep six linebackers, specifically rostering Welch to help on special teams. The rookies have missed some valuable practice time, and Welch was a core special teams player in 2023 and played the third-most special teams snaps in the opener against Cleveland.

During one of the 11-on-11 periods, we saw Jordan Love connect with Christian Watson on a deep post with Eric Stokes in coverage. It was a nice route by Watson who was able to get a step or two on Stokes before high-pointing the ball for the catch. As I wrote about recently, the deep ball for Love and the offense greatly improved during the second half of 2023 and that momentum has carried over to the summer.

“Well, he’s always had the arm talent to make the throws downfield,” said Clements when meeting with reporters on Monday. “I think just at the beginning of the year (2023), you can call deep passes and, if you get the right coverage, then you have a shot to take it downfield. If you don’t get the right coverage, you can’t force it downfield. I think maybe at times we were trying to go downfield when the defense didn’t allow it.”

LaFleur discussed before practice the opportunity the Packers have with the different skill sets and body types to get creative when lined up in nickel. While Keisean Nixon has taken the bulk of those starting snaps, we’ve seen Javon Bullard get more opportunities there as well as of late.

“We’re trying to get our best players out there,” said LaFleur. “The guys that give us the best chance to win, and there’s nothing to say that you can’t have multiple groupings as well. I know a lot of teams will do that, just depending upon what they want to play. Do they have a lot of different bodies in there. Some teams will have a big nickel or they get more of the safety body type in there versus their regular nickel, it’s just however it shakes out.”

During a move the ball period, Love and the starting offense put together an 11 play drive that began in their own territory. Along with some running plays mixed in, Love finished the drive 3/6, with completions to Luke Musgrave, AJ Dillon, and Dontayvion Wicks. Helping to keep the drive going was a pass interference penalty on Evan Williams on a deep ball to Bo Melton. Love got the offense in field goal range, which Alex Hale made from 26 yards.

In a red zone period that began at the 19 yard line with just 22 seconds left, Love first connect with Wicks for 17 yards on a crossing route. The offense then spiked and ball and on the third play, Love found an open Romeo Doubs in the front right corner of the end zone.

End of half situation: The offense then began at midfield with 40 seconds left on the clock. On the first play, Love had Wicks over the middle but the pass was just slightly behind, allowing Jaire Alexander to break it up. On second down and with 34 seconds left, Love scrambled and over threw Doubs down the left sideline. On third down, there was a false start (I didn’t see who the penalty was on) and then facing a 3rd-and-15, Love tried to push the ball down the right sidelined to AJ Dillon who was matched up with Eric Wilson but it was a slight overthrow. This drive would have ended in a punt.

At the backup quarterback position, Sean Clifford was with the second team offense during the move the ball period, but throughout the practice he would throw two interceptions–one of which was made by Kalen King, his second of camp. From that point on, it was Michael Pratt leading the second offense in the red zone drill and end of half situation. So, again, read into that what you will. We will see what Wednesday’s practice holds.

Pratt was unable to find the end zone in the red zone, with the drive ending on a Lukas Van Ness sack after he beat Telfort. In the end of half situation, Pratt connected with Julian Hicks and then down the seam to Ben Sims to put the offense in field goal range for a 44 yard attempt, which Alex Hale made.

While Hale’s practice ended with a make, it was a rough day for the kicker. He finished 5-for-9, and at one point missed four kicks in a row, all to the right.

When it comes to AJ Dillon versus Emanuel Wilson for a roster spot, keep in mind the importance of pass-blocking, particularly for the second and third running backs on the roster. This is an area where Dillon has been sound and Wilson, while improving, is still a work in progress.

“Well, we’re still working on that part of it,” said running backs coach Ben Sirmans. “He has shown whether it’s 1-on-1s that when he does attack things with the proper technique that he can block people, and I think the other thing besides that is he’s shown whether it’s a walkthrough or different phases we’ve put him in where we’ve brought pressure that he’s much more I guess educated at what his assignment is and making really good decisions. So I think that’s something that we’re working towards, but we’ve just got to continue to put him in those situations to get a full answer on that, but my trust level is growing with him.”

Packers’ rookie OL Jacob Monk brings a ‘rip your lips off’ mentality to football field

Paul Bretl | 8/13/2024

GREEN BAY, Wis. — When the Packers drafted offensive lineman Jacob Monk in the fifth-round of this past April’s draft, they weren’t only adding an experienced and versatile player to the offensive line room. Monk also brings to the table intangible qualities that can’t necessarily be coached up in his ability to be a leader and a mentality on the football field that has helped separate him from the rest.

“Jacob, he’s great,” said offensive line coach Luke Butkus on Monday. “Watching that film from the game on Saturday was an awesome – not a surprise because I know he’s a tough kid and he works his butt off. But before the game during warmups, the look on his face, he was ready to rip somebody’s lips off. That’s the way he played, and it was fun to watch. He loves playing the game. He loves the physicality of it and was really excited for him to get out there and play his first snap.”

During Saturday’s preseason opener in Cleveland, Monk played 61 snaps–the most on the offensive side of the ball for the Packers. Instantly, we saw Monk’s versatility, with him playing 11 snaps at left guard, 17 at center, and another 33 at right guard.

This has been the case in practice as well, with Monk routinely playing all three interior positions with the second and third offensive line units. Then during last Thursday’s practice, Monk spent the entire day with the ones at right guard, following an early false start by Sean Rhyan.

“Well, I think the versatility, again, from what we do, he was a 58-game starter in college,” said Butkus. “I believe 20 of those maybe were at center. I think naturally he’s more comfortable playing right guard but for us he’s played a lot more center. Again, trying to develop at all three of those inside positions for him to help us out.”

Monk is also an excellent athlete, posting an elite Relative Athletic Score (RAS) of 9.74 during the pre-draft process, and we saw those movement skills on display with his ability to cover multiple gaps. Over 29 pass-blocking snaps, Monk surrendered only one quarterback hit, according to PFF, and was routinely finishing blocks in the run game, which included .

“I really like him,” said offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich. “He plays with a lot of effort, plays with a lot of intensity, finishes his blocks. He has technique stuff to clean up, that most young guys do. But from what I’ve seen from him this first game, I was really excited about watching him. It was great.”

As already alluded to, Monk came to the NFL an experienced player, with 58 career starts during his time at Duke and having played 3,681 career snaps. During his final season in 2023, Monk played both right guard and center for the Blue Devils, allowing only one sack and 14 pressures on the season.

But beyond the on-field accomplishments and performances that Monk had in his college career, he is a two-time team captain at Duke and it’s also who he is as a person that also attracted the Packers to him in the pre-draft process.

“He’s quick, very quick, strong, aggressive play style, excellent motor, gets after it,” said Packers’ VP of Player Personnel Jon-Eric Sullivan after the draft. “He’s a snap-to-whistle kind of guy. Like I said, his play style and the way they talk about him, his wiring, he’s an elite, elite guy. He’s a leader and he kind of sets the tone at that program. Guys follow him and I think that kind of oozes out on his film when you’re watching him and this guy’s getting after it and he’s out there to win.”

With the Packers’ starting offensive line taking shape, this season for Monk he will likely take on a backup role, competing with Sean Rhyan to be the team’s No. 2 center behind Josh Myers, but also showcasing that he can take over at eight guard position if needed in a pinch as well. Next season, however, with Myers set to be a free agent, the opportunity for Monk to step into a starting role will likely be there for him.

As is the case with any incoming rookie, there is a learning curve that Monk is navigating and as Stenavich said, some technique stuff that will need to be cleaned up. But through how Monk plays on the field and who he is off of it, he has already shown that he’s the right person and has the right mentality for whatever role the Packers need him to fill.

“I think it’s just what’s demanded at the time,” said Monk when asked about being a leader. “I feel like when I’m at center, you have to be a leader. You have to be loud, you have to be vocal, you have to be present to make those calls. But I’m not going to overstep my boundaries or anything. I feel like the main thing is being the same person every day so my teammates know what they’re going to get out of me, and I expect the same from them.”

Experience was the best teacher for Jordan Love and Packers’ downfield passing attack

Paul Bretl | 8/12/2024

GREEN BAY, Wis. — Through the first three weeks of training camp practices prior to the Packers’ preseason opener in Cleveland, we’ve routinely seen Jordan Love and one of his receivers connect on a deep ball. Then on the third play of the game against the Browns, we saw Love connect with Dontayvion Wicks for a 65-yard score.

“We had a great play dialed up for that situation,” said Jordan Love after the game. “1-on-1 with Wicks in the slot, faking the handoff and he ran a great route, kind of lulled him to sleep at the top and then was able to go past him and (I) just put the ball out there for him and he made the rest happen. Great play by him.”

While I’m sure what many remember from this Packers’ offense late last season was the ability of this group to generate chunk plays through the air. And that certainly was the case. However, rewinding to last summer’s training camp and even well into the season, when it came to connecting on the deep ball, the consistency wasn’t there at all.

From Weeks 1-10 of the 2023 season, Love was very willing to push the ball downfield, ranking fifth among all quarterbacks during that span in passes of 20-plus yards. But those opportunities weren’t turning into big plays–or at least not at a high enough rate. Out of 36 eligible quarterbacks, Love ranked 31st in completion rate (28.9%), completing only 11 of those 38 throws with four interceptions to only one touchdown.

Of course, the accuracy of those passes matters, with Love needing to put the ball in the right place where his receiver is the one able to make the play. However, in addition to that, knowing when to push the ball downfield is a crucial element as well, and if you ask quarterbacks coach Tom Clements, that was where Love needed to improve.

“Well, he’s always had the arm talent to make the throws downfield,” said Clements when meeting with reporters on Monday. “I think just at the beginning of the year, you can call deep passes and, if you get the right coverage, then you have a shot to take it downfield. If you don’t get the right coverage, you can’t force it downfield. I think maybe at times we were trying to go downfield when the defense didn’t allow it.”

Then around the midway point in the season–when the tide really began to turn for Love and the offense as a whole–Love and the Packers really began to connect on these deep passes. From Week 11 through the NFL Divisional playoff round, Love led the NFL in pass attempts of 20-plus yards with 44, and his completion rate of 50 percent ranked as the seventh-best. Love would also finish first in downfield passing yards during that span with nine touchdowns to two interceptions.

“From midyear on,” added Clements, “you guys might’ve noticed, we hit a lot of checkdowns to the backs for big yards and that was when the defense dropped in zone, we didn’t have the downfield route. And then if we got an indication they were going to be in man and we had a deep pass available, we took a shot. When you get one-on-one, it’s easier to throw those deep balls. He always had the ability. It was just a matter of doing it at the right time.”

The improvement that Love and the Packers’ offense experienced in this phase of the passing game was not only attributed to his decision-making and knowing when to push the ball downfield versus when to just take what the defense gave him, but as his young group of receivers gained more experienced and built that rapport with Love, they were regularly putting themselves in better positions to make plays on those deep balls.

“Trust and timing and also us winning on the route cleaner,” said passing game coordinator Jason Vrable. “As you watched his route, when he set the guy up and he was going to the red line, I felt early in the year last year we were kinda getting re-routed at that point and pushed out a little bit wider than we want.

“On deep balls, you have to stack the defender. If you’re not, then it’s just a 50-50 ball. We don’t really want those. He did a really job with the set at the top and the shoulders down, the dig in and then Jordan threw a great ball and the protection was great. Just the timing and the us getting a little bit better with our vertical express and being a little bit tighter to the DB as opposed to just running around contact.”

Having that deep ball element is crucial to the overall success of the offense. Of course, there is the obvious in that being able to hit on those big play attempts generates explosive plays and quick scores. However, there is a positive trickle-down effect to the rest of the offense as well.

When defenses have to be mindful of an offense’s ability to air it out, that creates better spacing and more opportunities underneath for other pass-catchers or in the run game, which is now dealing with lighter boxes. On the flip side, and as we saw early on last season, when defenses don’t respect that element, moving the ball in general becomes much more challenging because the defenders are playing closer to the line of scrimmage, meaning there is less space for the offense to operate in.

We’ve heard on a few occasions this offseason some iteration of the offense being night and day ahead of where they were at this time last year. And one noticeable area where that is true is in the deep passing game, where experience was the ultimate educator for both Love and his receivers, and helped this offense go from one that was struggling to move the chains, to one of the more high-powered units down the stretch last season.

“I think a lot of it with him early last year, he was kind of forcing balls down the field,” said offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich. “Once he just understood, ‘OK, it might not be there. Bang, hit your checkdown.’ So he was hitting a lot more checkdowns. And then, when the open balls were there, he was hitting them, you know what I mean? He wasn’t forcing it. So I think it was just basically taking what the defense gives you and having that understanding of being patient. I think that was big for him.”

Packers’ DE Lukas Van Ness off to fast start in preseason

Paul Bretl | 8/11/2024

GREEN BAY, Wis. — Packers’ defensive end Lukas Van Ness put together an impressive performance in the team’s preseason opener against the Cleveland Browns, perhaps foreshadowing what’s to come in his second NFL season.

Against both the run and the pass, Van Ness made his present felt on Saturday. In only 14 pass rush snaps, Van Ness recorded four pressures and a sack. In the run game, he had three tackles for loss, along with a few other plays where he funneled the ball carrier back inside.

“I thought guys competed hard,” said LaFleur post game of the defense’s performance. “It’s not like it was an overly complicated game plan. (Jeff) Hafley had a very minimal call sheet but I think that was by design, obviously. We just wanted to see our guys go out there and complete, play fast, play physical and run to the football.”

We often hear about and discuss the Year 2 leap for NFL players. With a year of experience under their belts and a full offseason to focus on their craft rather than preparing for the draft, the biggest developmental leap frequently occurs that second season.

For Van Ness, we began to see that growth take place over the course of his rookie season. Through Week 11 of 2023, Van Ness had seven total pressures, with five of them coming in Week 1 against Chicago and there being eight games where he didn’t record any pressures.

However, from Week 12 through the remainder of the season–nine games–Van Ness had 15 pressures and five sacks. Out of 113 eligible edge rushers during that span, Van Ness ranked 34th in pass-rush productivity–a formula from PFF that combines sacks, hits, and hurries relative to the number of pass rush opportunities.

“It’s just coming into the building and having a year under your belt,” said Van Ness at the start of training camp. “I heard this, I think Bullard said it, comfortable is not a good word to use just because you’re fighting for your job, you never want to be comfortable because you’re growing and always trying to get to the next position.

“But Year 2 jump, as everybody knows, that’s a big year for me and I’m excited. I know the goals that I have set for myself and I’m excited to go out there and prove it. But just having a little bit more confidence in myself, even coming into the building.”

Also contributing to a potential leap for Van Ness will be Jeff Hafley’s defensive system, which should suit his skill set well. Rather than being responsible for two-gaps and having to read-and-react to what’s happening, Hafley asks his defensive front to attack. While, of course, there is more nuance to it, in short, it is the job of the defensive front to get off the ball and into the backfield as quickly as possible.

“Just getting back to my hand in the ground,” said Van Ness about Hafley’s defense. “Something I kind of transitioned naturally to at the end of the year last year with coach Barry’s defense. But the 4-3 style, having a little bit more of an attack-style defense, getting after the quarterback, making TFLs and negative plays. That’s a mentality I play much better in and having a little bit of having the ability to transfer between different roles and positions, which I did at Iowa.”

If the Packers defense as a whole is going to improve in 2024, it starts with more consistent play upfront. In 2023, the Packers’ pass rush ran very hot and cold, recording seven games where they pressured the quarterback on 45 percent of more of his dropbacks, which is an excellent rate. However, on the flip side, there were also seven games where Green Bay pressured the opposing quarterback on fewer than 30 percent of his dropbacks, which is the opposite of excellent.

Then as we all know, the run game continued to provide this unit with issues, with the Packers ranking 23rd in yards per carry allowed, along with giving up a league-high four games of 200-plus rushing yards.

Success for any defense starts up front. The best way to slow any offensive play is with a quick push up the middle. Slowing the run puts the offense in obvious passing situations, giving the defense the advantage in coverage and allowing the front to pin its ears back, while pressure leads to mistakes that can hopefully be capitalized on.

A jump in Year 2 for Van Ness will go a long way in helping the Packers’ accomplish this. In addition to Van Ness’ play against Cleveland, throughout training camp, we’ve seen the entire defensive end position group, from Rashan Gary, Preston Smith, JJ Enagbare, and Brenton Cox, all getting into the backfield and making things difficult for the Packers’ offense in practice.

That kind of depth will allow for a heavy rotation, helping to keep players fresh throughout a game, while wearing down the offensive line. It will also give Hafley the opportunity to mix and match the rotations based on the opponent and putting his defenders in the best position to make plays. This can even be taken a step further if there is going to be movement between the defensive end and defensive tackle position groups.

All of which should result in more disruption, and at the end of the day, that’s the name of the game in the NFL.

“We’ve just harped on depth and having guys to rotate in and out and everybody having the ability to affect the game and be an impact player,” said Van Ness. “As you said, whether it’s Preston or RG or myself or JJ, you know there’s a whole list of guys that can rotate and play any position and I think it’s a testament to the depth and the ability we have to go out and succeed.”