Paul Bretl | 8/10/2024

GREEN BAY, Wis. — The Packers opened up the preseason with a win over the Cleveland Browns, although that doesn’t matter at all. What does matter is what took place on the field and the insights we gained that will ultimately play a role in determining playing time and roster spots.

Similarly to my observations article following each training camp practice, these are my gut reactions and instant takeaways to what took place on the football field today. Overall, a nice start for the Packers.

“I thought it was good to get back out there, and I know our guys, it’s been getting a little chippy in practice,” said Matt LaFleur after the game. “It was good to go up against somebody new. I loved how our guys competed in all three phases. I thought they put a lot of good tape out there. I thought the things that we were looking for in terms of the effort and running to the football and finishing, I thought it was on point. I’m sure there were some things we can work on and get better at but, all in all, it was great to see. We got everybody in the game and I thought everybody made contributions.”

Who was out? Below are the Packers players who did not suit up. According to Wes Hodkiewicz, Jaire Alexander was out for a personal matter. The only other player who didn’t participate but was practicing Thursday and not working his way back from an injury was Tyler Davis. Everyone else that was out was to be expected:

Dimitri Stanley (hamstring), Carrington Valentine (hamstring), Deslin Alexandre (lower leg), Keshawn Banks (groin), Edgerrin Cooper (hip), Ty’Ron Hopper (ankle), Jordan Morgan (shoulder), and Donovan Jennings (knee), while Zach Tom and Tucker Kraft are eased back in following pec injuries early in the offseason.

MarShawn Lloyd would exit the game in the third quarter with a hamstring injury. He missed the first week of training camp with a hip injury.

It was one throw, but that 65 yard completion to Dontayvion Wicks from Jordan Love is a good example of the deep ball accuracy we have seen from Love during training camp. If you recall, that was a part of his game early on last year where he struggled. Also, Jayden Reed running a intermediate crosser from the slot grabbed the attention of the safety, leaving Wicks one-on-one with no help over the top.

“We had a great play dialed up for that situation,” said Jordan Love, “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.”

Who was starting on the offensive line? Without Morgan, Sean Rhyan was at right guard and with Tom not playing, Andre Dillard got the start at right tackle. On the second offensive line, we saw Dillard at left tackle, followed by Royce Newman, Rhyan, Jacob Monk, and Kadeem Telfort, which is what we’ve seen in camp. This second unit really settled in as they got more reps, with running back Emanuel Wilson benefitting from that.

We saw Wilson’s burst and playmaking potential last season and that was again on display. With Josh Jacobs and Lloyd on the roster, the ability of the third running back to hold up pass protection, impact the passing game, and help on special teams will be important factors when it comes to making the team, and those are areas where AJ Dillon is very sound. For what it’s worth, Dillon played only one series, which could give us some insight into his roster status. He has been RB2 all of camp.

“For the most part, I thought our guys were running hard,” added LaFleur. “I thought we were getting some movement up front. Certainly, would like to, when we have second-and-1 and we don’t convert and get stuffed on fourth down, there’s definitely some room for improvement there. But credit to them. They did a nice job. They had everybody up there on that fourth down; it was going to be quite the challenge.”

Caleb Jones and Sean Rhyan: Jones saw his first snaps late in the first half. He continues to be the third option at swing tackle, behind Dillard and Telfort. Jones has to get better in pass pro. Rhyan looked good at center and continues to be at his best as a run-blocker, with heavy hands and power. More consistency in pass protection is what Matt LaFleur and Adam Stenavich want to see from him.

Keeping Grant DuBose off the 53-man roster is going to be really challenging. DuBose continues to catch everything and running some really good routes to create separation. For more on DuBose’s offseason, click here. Along with making an impact as a pass-catcher, special teams and being able to help out in the run game will be important as well.

“Yeah definitely not surprising,” said Love of Dubose’s play. “Since we started camp, Grant’s been making plays every day. He’s been controlling what he can control when the ball comes to him. He’s making big-time plays. He’s knowing what he needs to do with his assignments in the blocking game and he’s just been a great player so far, so not a surprise what he did tonight. He’s been doing it all camp, so definitely looking forward to seeing more from him, but no, definitely was not surprised by it.”

Sean Clifford put together a nice performance. When in rhythm we are seeing the version of Clifford that impressed everyone last summer. With improved offensive line play over the last week-plus, Clifford is throwing on time, in rhythm, and not surprisingly, the results are much improved.

“Yeah, it was great,” said LaFleur of Clifford’s performance. “I thought there was a lot of good things. I’m not quite sure how many drives we got points on when he was out there, but you’d like to see us finish a little bit better in the red zone and not kick so many field goals. I thought the 2-minute operation was big time.

“There were some situational things that we got to work in terms of the two throwaways right before we went out there and kicked the field goal, I thought that was big time in terms of the execution so we didn’t have to kick off. You want to get that clock under 5 seconds and he was able to do that. Would like to only do one throwaway but we had to do two. But, all in all, just his command, his presence, the communication, the urgency in and out of the huddle I thought was pretty clean.”

Michael Pratt had a nice and efficient debut as well–appearing poised and not overwhelmed. He had a beautiful back shoulder throw to Julian Hicks and was a lead blocker on a big run by Wilson. Not necessarily a position you want your quarterback to be in regularly, but the effort is a wonderful thing. After the draft, Brian Gutekunst spoke about Pratt’s arm strength, and we saw that with him firing the ball into a few windows.

The Packers’ defensive front has often controlled the line of scrimmage in practice and I thought from the first unit to those playing in the fourth quarter did well making things uncomfortable for the Browns’ quarterbacks. The Packers finished with three sacks, four tackles for loss, and five quarterback hits.

The young safeties really impressed. Evan Williams just continues to make high impact plays, forcing a fumble to go along with the four interceptions he’s had during training camp. In addition to that, both Williams and Bullard were flying around making tackles, while Johnson had a nice play in the run game, taking on an offensive lineman, and forcing the ball carrier back inside. We also saw Bullard get the start next to Xavier McKinney and then he saw more slot snaps, with Bullard having more opportunities there the last week.

“He does, he does,” said LaFleur about Williams physical play-style. “I thought he played physical, too, and I thought that was – whether it was him, whether it was Bullard, Anthony Johnson, Zayne Anderson, Benny Sapp had a physical play, like I thought our safeties came and were physical today, and that’s what we need from those guys. Coyle was out there, so I thought all those guys showed some physicality that we desperately need on the back end.”

It was only a few series, but a nice start for Eric Stokes. He wasn’t targeted at all in coverage and made two plays near the line of scrimmage in the run game. Recently, Jeff Hafley complemented Stokes on the preseason he’s put together, and mentioned his play in the run game.

Anders Carlson and Greg Joseph alternated field goal/extra point attempts. They would each make their one extra point attempt, while Carlson made a 46 yard and 33 yard field goals, and Joseph was good from 35 yards. During minicamp, LaFleur mentioned that clarity around this competition may not begin until each kicker faces some high pressure situations. Both are off to a good start in that regard.

At cornerback, Corey Ballentine was the fourth cornerback–behind Alexander, Stokes, and Keisean Nixon–with Valentine out, which has been the case during training camp. When it comes to that final roster spot, special teams play will be a big factor, and that’s an area where Rochell is proven, as we saw on the tackle he made as a gunner on the punt coverage unit. Rochell also had two pass breakups in coverage. Kalen King continued to showcase the added physical presence he brings to the cornerback position, with most of his snaps coming from the slot. King versus Rochell will be a good competition for that sixth cornerback spot.

A really impressive showing for Devonte Wyatt and Lukas Van Ness. Both players forced multiple pressures, while Van Ness was also in on some tackles in the run game. Jeff Hafley certainly isn’t going to tip his hand in the preseason, but we got an additional glimpse of the stunt packages he’s going to use.

Daniel Whelan has been booming punts since OTAs. LaFleur recently spoke very highly about the offseason he’s put together.

“I think Daniel has had an outstanding offseason. In practices he’s kicking the crap out of the ball. Hopefully we only have to use him as a holder, but it’s probably not realistic. When you have a punter who’s capable of pinning an opposing offense deep, that is a real weapon. I think he’s progressing nicely. Now he’s got to go out and do it in games. From what he’s shown in practice, I’ve got a lot of confidence in seeing a huge step in the right direction for him.”

I’m not sure there’s a spot on the 53-man roster for Joel Wilson, but the last week we’ve really started to see him get his share of opportunities in the passing game with the second offense. He had three receptions for 30 yards and a nice block on a run by Wilson. Defensive end Arron Mosby also had a nice performance, making his way into the backfield on a few occasions.

Long-snapper Peter Bowden took over for Matt Orzech in the fourth quarter on a Daniel Whelan punt. Wes Hodkiewicz would also note that on the Packers’ first kickoff, they used nine defensive backs and linebacker Eric Wilson.

Paul Bretl | 8/9/2024

GREEN BAY, Wis. — The Packers open up the preseason on Saturday afternoon in Cleveland taking on the Browns. Most of the established starters will see at least a little playing time, but at this time of the year, much of the attention is on the positional battles taking place for both playing time and roster spots.

“I think it’s the totality,” said Matt LaFleur of the evaluation process. “I think you can’t put too much stock in one or the other. You’ve got to look at the whole. Granted, those games get heavily magnified because of the situation. That’s when you’re playing real football, so, obviously, there’s a lot of value to that and making sure that we get the right guys in there to see what we need to see in order to make the best decisions possible for the football team.”

So with those positional battles in mind, when the Packers have the ball and are on offense, here are seven players in particular that I’ll have my eyes on.

Sean Clifford: In this preseason game, Clifford needs to look like the more experienced quarterback compared to Michael Pratt. Ultimately, that is what should be the biggest differentiator between the two. Although Clifford only has one year of NFL experience compared to Pratt, at the quarterback position, that can mean quite a bit.

“I will say he’s learning,” said Adam Stenavich about Pratt. “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.”

It was a rough start to training camp for Clifford who has been turnover prone. A key factor in the inconsistency that we’ve seen from him was due to the play of the offensive line, which has had its issues blocking the defensive front. In those instances, Clifford is unable to get into a rhythm and at times is trying to do too much by forcing the ball where it shouldn’t be going.

On the flip side, as the offensive line play has improved as of late, Clifford’s play has as well and we’re getting more glimpses of the player we saw last preseason. While Clifford’s Family Night performance wasn’t perfect, it did feel like a turning point, with him making several on time and in rhythm throws during the team portion of practice.

“Probably just to continue what I’ve kind of found in the last two weeks for me personally,” said Clifford on what he wants to show on Saturday. “I thought the first week just with everything going on and getting 1s reps and how fast the game was going, there was a lot of overthinking, there were a lot of thoughts from the OTA time and minicamp where I almost like saw a hitch in my arm of overthought.

“And now the last two weeks, Family Night, kind of capped it for me. I feel like I’m back and I feel like I’m able to spin the ball, really get the ball out quick, see the field really well, and I think it’s a big, big testament to these guys as well. A lot of trust in the wide receivers, the O-line, just kinda getting back in flow and excited to show that on Saturday.”

MarShawn Lloyd: If you’ve read my observations articles following training camp, you’ve probably seen me mention how impressive Lloyd is with the ball in his hands. After the draft, both Matt LaFleur and Brian Gutekunst said something to the effect of, Lloyd bringing a different element to the backfield for the Packers, and you can see that with his ability to make cuts and accelerate.

Lloyd is going to be a factor in some capacity this season, but he is still behind AJ Dillon on the depth chart currently. While, of course, there is a perquisite that Lloyd needs to have as a ball carrier–and like I said, he’s quite impressive in that regard–but the way he’s going to catch Dillon is with his reliability as a pass-catcher, pass blocker, and on special teams.

While Dillon will need to continue showing more playmaking ability with the ball in his hands, something he’s hoping to accomplish after an offseason that has him in the best shape he’s been in, Dillon is rock solid in those other key areas that are apart of playing running back, especially for the second and third players on the roster. Dillon is seeing some starting special teams snaps, and he’s proven to be reliable as a blocker and in the passing game.

“I envision going out there and balling out every time I’m on the field,” added Dillon. “Whatever that is, that’s for the coaches to decide. Like I said, I’m putting myself in the best position possible, in great shape, working, trying to lead, trying to cross my T’s and dot my I’s.

“Whether that’s special teams, running back, receiver, tight end, fullback, kicker, quarterback, I’m down to do whatever. I’m happy to be here. Like I said, I’m just going to put my helmet on and go to work.”

Now, this isn’t to say that Lloyd hasn’t been those things, he had a terrific blitz pick up in pass protection on Wednesday. However, the day before he had a drop and a fumble as well, and isn’t working with the starters on special teams. What we need to see from Lloyd, along with his continued playmaking with the ball in his hands, is consistency.

“It’s on all gas no breaks,” Lloyd said. “All my goals is all for the team right now. I don’t have anything individual. I feel like what we do as a team, those things will come. I just want to be able to utilized in all ways to help the team as much as possible.”

Andre Dillard, Kadeem Telfort, and Caleb Jones: The competition at swing tackle is one of the more unclear positional battles taking place. The rotation is so heavy right now that the only thing that I can somewhat confidently say is that Telfort and Dillard appear to be ahead of Jones in this competition, but when it comes to where things stand between Dillard and Telfort, I’m not sure. All three players are rotating in practice between the right and left side of the line.

“We’re going to keep shuffling it up and try to create a competitive situation and may the best man win,” said Matt LaFleur.

Stenavich would recently praise Telfort for his overall consistency while also mentioning that Dillard needs to continue improve his play from the right side. When both have had opportunities at right tackle with the starters as Zach Tom was working his way back, as you’d expect, both took their lumps against Rashan Gary. My biggest takeaway from watching this competition unfold is that if there is an injury does occur at tackle, I think Plan B for the Packers is to move either Elgton Jenkins or Jordan Morgan to that spot and have Sean Rhyan fill in for one of them at guard.

Grant DuBose: Not to be forgotten about in the crowded and talented Packers’ wide receiver room is second-year wide out Grant DuBose, who has built upon a strong showing during offseason programs with a fast start to training camp, become a favorite target of Clifford and Pratt’s. His consistency has even gotten him some reps here and there with the starting offense.

We often hear about the Year 2 leap for NFL players and DuBose appears to be finding success from that. For one, he’s lightyears ahead of where he was as a rookie because he’s healthy and able to be on the practice field. He also has the added comfortability that comes with knowing the offense, and spent the offseason working out with Dontayvion Wicks and Jayden Reed in South Florida.

“I’m way ahead,” said DuBose about this offseason compared to last. “Last year this time around, I was sidelined still. I didn’t come back until the second preseason game. You know I’ve taken a big leap from last year. I’m feeling a lot stronger. I’m feeling faster. You know, just healthier overall. So I’m in a good spot.”

At this stage, I still wouldn’t quite pencil in DuBose to a roster spot, but a the very least I do think he’s pushing Malik Heath for that final spot on the 53-man. Heath has made his share of plays, but has experienced some drops as well. As I described with Lloyd at running back, there is the obvious prerequisite that each of these players has to have as a pass catcher, but run-blocking and special teams contributions will be two other key areas in the evaluation process. Heath still appears to have the upper hand on teams, but we will learn more in the first preseason game.

“I think it brings out the best in all of us,” said DuBose of the competition at receiver. “That room, we compete at a high level. I think that we appreciate each other’s work, which allows us to be able to compete at a high level but also play for each other. I enjoy it. It makes us all better. I guess it’s just may the best man win. All the reps count. You just gotta take advantage of all the ones that you get. Come down to decision-making time, hopefully it’s in your favor. That’s the mentality.”

Sean Rhyan: I mentioned on Thursday in my takeaways article that I’m not sure how much of a competition is actually taking place at right guard. When Jordan Morgan is healthy, he’s a constant at that position. Then during Thursday’s practice with Morgan out, Rhyan started at right guard, but on the first play of 11-on-11, he was flagged for a false start. Jacob Monk would then take Rhyan’s place and he didn’t see another snap with the ones for the rest of practice.

“They were good,” said Monk after practice about his reps. “Really just nice getting adjusted. Just keep working, honestly.

“It’s crazy lining up and seeing someone like Kenny Clark right in front of me and seeing the speed that he plays with and the intent that he has coming off the ball,” Monk added. “It’s definitely different to see out there.”

Again, I certainly could be reading too much into this, but I wouldn’t expect that approach for someone who’s in contention for playing time, especially when that player isn’t seeing consistent starting snaps as it is. But with Morgan still sidelined, Rhyan will have the opportunity to right the ship, so to speak, after what happened on Thursday.

Where Rhyan has been at his best is as a run-blocker with his heavy hands and ability to move defenders. But where he needs to get more consistent is in pass protection. Throughout camp, and as of late, primarily with the second unit, we’ve seen Rhayn at both guard spots and even center.

“I’m just trying to get, you know, 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.”

Paul Bretl | 8/8/2024

GREEN BAY, Wis. — The Packers were back on the practice field Thursday with this session closed to the public and only open to media members. It was a cooler, cloudy day in Green Bay, and a shorter practice as well for the team, with there preseason opener against Cleveland only two days away.

“Excited to see how everything is going to be,” said Kenny Clark about seeing the new defense in action. “We’ve been working on it all camp, all OTAs and all that kind of stuff. For us to get in a game setting and go against somebody else, somebody who doesn’t know what we’re gonna be doing is gonna be exciting to see. Can’t wait to get out there.”

Today’s practice would last only an hour and 36 minutes and the pads were not on. But nonetheless, we still have some takeaways to dive in to.

Injury report updates: The one addition to the injury report was rookie linebacker Ty’Ron Hopper–who had put together a nice week of practice–dealing with an ankle injury. Elgton Jenkins had a vet rest day, and some good news was that Jayden Reed was back at practice after missing Wednesday with a calf injury and so was Christian Watson, who had to be helped by the training staff on the final play of practice the day prior.

“That was a big time scare,” said Matt LaFleur before today’s practice. “Yeah, he seems to be doing well this morning and just got hit on the knee.”

Still sidelined were Dimitri Stanley (hamstring), Carrington Valentine (hamstring), Deslin Alexandre (lower leg), Keshawn Banks (groin), Edgerrin Cooper (hip), and Donovan Jennings (knee). Tucker Kraft continued to go through the individual portion of practice.

Who was starting on the offensive line? Without Morgan or Jenkins, we Sean Rhyan begin at right guard and Royce Newman at left guard. The tackle and center combination remained the same with Rasheed Walker on the left, Zach Tom on the right, and Josh Myers in the middle. The second team offensive line was Andre Dillard at left tackle, Lecitus Smith at left guard, Rhyan at center, Luke Tenuta at right guard, and Kadeem Telfort at right tackle. Both Dillard and Telfort continue to get work on both sides of the line while Caleb Jones was with the third unit.

There doesn’t appear to be much of a competition at all at right guard. If you noticed, I said Rhyan would “begin” practice at right guard. On the first play of 11-on-11, Rhyan had a false start penalty and was immediately replaced by Jacob Monk. Rhyan did not see any snaps with the starters the remainder of practice. I get the sense between that decision and Morgan being a mainstay at right guard when healthy, that this isn’t much of a positional battle at all. And granted, the pads weren’t on, but I thought Monk held his own, which included an impressive pass pro rep against Devonte Wyatt.

“They were good,” said Monk after practice about his reps. “Really just nice getting adjusted. Just keep working, honestly.

“It’s crazy lining up and seeing someone like Kenny Clark right in front of me and seeing the speed that he plays with and the intent that he has coming off the ball,” Monk added. “It’s definitely different to see out there.”

I don’t think I’ve spent any time talking about where the receivers are lined up or who’s “starting” each day because the rotation and mixing and matching is so heavy. Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs, Jayden Reed, and Dontayvion Wicks will all be regulars in the offense, they’ll all have various roles and alignments, and they’ll all get their opportunities. Bo Melton is getting his share of opportunities as well.

Safety Javon Bullard continues to get some starting snaps in the slot, where he saw plenty of playing time during his time at Georgia. This is a great way to get Bullard, Evan Williams, and Xavier McKinney all on the field together. As I mentioned yesterday, we also continued to see Keisean Nixon getting a few snaps on the boundary, which appears to be part of the cross-training that the Packers are doing with all the slot cornerbacks.

“I really didn’t know what to expect, to be honest with you,” said Bullard about transitioning from college to the NFL. “I was just going to come in and work. But I feel like I transitioned well. Great group of guys. Great leadership. Excellent organization. Those guys helped me along the way. I feel like I transitioned pretty good.”

If I had to guess what the cornerback depth chart looks like right now, Jaire Alexander and Eric Stokes will be starting on the boundary with Nixon in the nickel. Valentine is next in line and I still think Corey Ballentine is ahead of Kalen King, although I’m excited to see King play in the preseason. He’s gotten work both inside and out, and brings a physicality to the position. Robert Rochell would be next, with him seeing most of his snaps with the second defense, lined up opposite of Ballentine with King in the slot.

Tyler Davis continues to look really good as a blocker–just steady and reliable. As I said earlier in the week, I think he sees more opportunities–at least early on–over Ben Sims.

Brenton Cox has really come on strong over the last week. His ability as a pass rusher has always been the strength of his game, and playing in Jeff Hafley’s attacking defensive system magnifies that and has him causing regular havoc at the line of scrimmage. On Wednesday’s practice, we even saw Cox take some snaps lined up inside. Overall, the play and depth of the Packers’ defensive end position has been fantastic throughout camp. JJ Enagbare continues to make regular plays as well.

“Just hustling, just trying to be violent and attack the quarterback,” said Cox. “Getting back there, that’s the main thing. Get back there, and everything else will fall into place.”

Anders Carlson and Greg Joseph were back at it today and both had a much-needed bounce-back performance, with each kicker going 6/6, including some kicks from 50-plus yards. The last time we saw them kicking was on Tuesday during a very windy practice, with both struggling. The Packers also added Alex Hale to the mix on Wednesday.

“Not necessarily,” said LaFleur when asked if the addition of Hale is due to the performance of Joseph and Carlson. “I think it’s just you’re always trying to add value to your team and bring in competition. It just so happens to be at that position. We signed a couple edge rushers too, you know.”

The starting offense had a red zone period where they ran six plays inside the 10 yard line. The first play featured good coverage but also good protection, giving Love time to find Jacobs over the middle for four yards. The second play was a slant to Reed who made a diving play in the end zone between two defenders but the the official called it incomplete. The third play was a touchdown pass from Love to Melton in the back middle of the end zone–well-placed between the safeties. On play No. 4, Love was flushed out of the pocket by Karl Brooks and through an interception on the run. It was Stokes who made the play on a pass intended for Watson. I’m not sure if there was a miscommunication between Love and Watson.

“It was red zone,” said Stokes. “I know that it was 9 coming across on the over and I ain’t have to take mine. Luckily Love threw it to me. I mean, he threw it at 9 but luckily 9 didn’t see it.”

Play No. 5 was a touchdown pass to Wicks on an out route at the right pylon. Lastly, after initially blocking off of play-action, Sims leaked out into the flat and had Van Ness on him in who was flagged for pass interference. Brooks had another pressure on that play.

“He’s playing tremendous,” said Stokes about Love. “There’s a lot of throws that you all see where you’re like, that is a throw, that is a throw. So you’re seeing all that stuff but then again, I believe us a defense, we’re only making him better and he’s making us better.”

A bit of a miscellaneous note, but Ellis Merriweather runs extremely hard with the ball in his hands. He bring a very physical running style to the practice field. Also, tight end Joel Wilson has seen his share of opportunities the last week or so, getting open in the passing game with the second and third offenses, but has to take advantage by hauling thoe passes in.

Watching Jeff Hafley coach up the cornerbacks for 10 minutes was the highlight of practice for me. There are no words that I can type here to do it justice, but the attention to detail, the constant coaching, the emphasis on footwork, the player’s eyes, and how they tie together was masterful. With Hafley’s coaching background being with the defensive backs, you could tell he was in his wheelhouse here. “Fast eyes, fast feet.”

Paul Bretl | 8/7/2024

GREEN BAY, Wis. — The Packers were back on the practice field Wednesday for their 11th training camp practice of the summer. They’ll have one more on Thursday before heading to Cleveland for their first preseason game on Saturday.

With practice complete, let’s open up the notebook and dive in to what took place.

A few roster moves: After having several players in for workouts the last few days, the Packers made a series of roster moves. They would sign kicker Alex Hale and defensive ends Brevin Allen and Zach Morton. The corresponding moves were waiving/injured cornerback Don Callis and receiver Rory Starkey.

With the first preseason game approaching, the Packers needed more defensive end depth. Deslin Alexandre and Keshawn Banks are still sidelined and we will likely see either none or very little of Rashan Gary and Preston Smith in Cleveland. Hale was a 2024 UDFA from Oklahoma. In his college career, which was the first time he had ever played football originally being from Australia, Hale went 43/54 overall, including 9/16 from 40-49 yards and 3/4 from 50-plus.

Hale was the only kicker who would kick on Wednesday and he went 4/5, with his one miss coming from 45 yards.

“Just trying to show my best,” said Hale. “Do my best. See where that takes me.”

Injury report: Changes to the injury report included JJ Enagbare returning to practice and Jayden Reed being out with a calf injury. Jordan Morgan, who left Tuesday’s practice with a shoulder injury, is expected to miss a week or so, according to Matt LaFleur. As was the case Tuesday, wide receiver Dimitri Stanley (hamstring), Carrington Valentine (hamstring), Deslin Alexandre (lower leg), Keshawn Banks (groin), Edgerrin Cooper (hip), and Donovan Jennings (knee) were all still sidelined.

“He had a shoulder,” said LaFleur about Morgan. “He’ll be out for–it’s nothing long term but he’s going to be out probably for a week or so.”

During practice, we saw Malik Heath stay down briefly and get help from trainers, but he would finish practice. Then on the last play of practice, Christian Watson stayed down after a contested play from Evan Williams, but was back on his feet a few minutes later.

“I don’t know if it was his knee or his cleat but something just kinda hit me in the knee,” said Watson in the locker room. “It hurt a lot worse in the moment.”

What was happening on the offensive line? With Morgan out, we again saw Rasheed Walker at left tackle followed by Elgton Jenkins, Josh Myers, Sean Rhyan, and Zach Tom. Just like on Tuesday, the Packers are still easing Tom back into the team portion and had him take some 11-on-11 reps off with Caleb Jones and Kadeem Telfort filling in for him. On the second offensive line, Telfort and Andre Dillard rotated each series between left tackle and right tackle. When Jones wasn’t with the ones, he spent some time with the second and third units at both tackle spots.

Zach Tom’s impact: I said it yesterday, but it was again true, the play of the offensive line is so much improved when he’s out there. The starting offense is beginning to find it’s groove. Jordan Love would throw two interceptions–more on those shortly–but for the most part, he had time in the pocket and was able to generate some big plays through the air.

“I thought he looked better than I would’ve expected missing that much time,” said LaFleur before today’s practice, “and he came in there, competed, was moving people off the line of scrimmage. Definitely you could feel that in both the run game and the pass game quite frankly. Our line’s had some struggles blocking some of our edge rushers, and I thought he went there and competed and gave Jordan extra time. I loved how he was straining down the field. I thought he did a really nice job.”

LaFleur says we won’t truly see Josh Jacobs impact until there is live tackling, but with Tom in the mix at tackle, we are getting glimpses of the big play ability he brings to the backfield, specifically with how difficult it is to bring him down.

“He’s an established veteran that’s performed at a high level and I just get so excited that he can do it all,” said LaFleur. “He can be a weapon in the passing game, not only as a pass blocker, pass protector, but also out of the backfield catching the ball. He’s got great hands and he hit some speeds yesterday that was exciting to see. He’s just a tough, rugged runner 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.”

Some notable one-on-ones:

• Karl Brooks goes 1-1 vs. Jacob Monk
• Rasheed Walker goes 1-1 vs. Preston Smith
• Josh Myers goes 1-1 vs. TJ Slaton
• Kadeem Telfort goes 1-1 vs. Rashan Gary
• Colby Wooden goes 1-1 vs. Royce Newman
• Sean Rhyan goes 2-0 vs. Devonte Wyatt
• Malik Heath vs. Robert Rochell: Catch
• Corey Ballentine vs. Samori Toure: PBU
• Keisean Nixon vs. Dontayvion Wicks: PBU
• Bo Melton vs. Kalen King: Catch
• Grant DuBose vs. Germon Green: Catch
• Luke Musgrave vs. Anthony Johnson: Catch
• Romeo Doubs vs. Jaire Alexander: PBU

Cross-training at the nickel position: All three players who are primarily working out as the Packers’ slot cornerbacks–Keisean Nixon, Kalen King, and Corey Ballentine–are all getting some opportunities here and there in 11-on-11s to also play on the boundary.

MarShawn Lloyd is going to be a factor this season, but early on it feels like AJ Dillon will be the backup. As I’ve mentioned in these articles a few times, Lloyd’s burst and acceleration with the ball is incredibly impressive, but Dillon brings a well-rounded skill set, which we saw during the red zone period when he had a catch and then during another series when he picked up a free rusher in pass protection to give Love time. Lloyd was much more sound today and had a nice blitz pickup as well, but he did have a drop and a fumble on Tuesday.

Matt LaFleur said before practice that the rotation at safety will continue, but on the field it does look like Javon Bullard has perhaps separated himself, as he has gotten the starting reps next to Xavier McKinney for the last few practices, and had a very good showing during Family Night.

“No, I think it’s going to be a competitive situation throughout,” said LaFleur about the safety position. “I would expect more rotation as we move forward.”

Big days for Xavier McKinney and Devonte Wyatt: It felt like in each team period, McKinney was making a play. As the deep safety on one play, he ignored Love’s fake and covered the left half of the field to get to Watson who was running a deep route down the right sidelined and forced the pass breakup. On another series, he came away with an interception and had another pass breakup along the sidelines. With Wyatt, he was frequently visiting the backfield.

“Just saw underneath coverage,” said McKinney about his interception. “Our backer, I think it was Quay, Quay did a good job of expanding to it. He got his hand on it. Originally, I thought it was gonna come straight to me. He tipped it and had to readjust. I was able to get the pick. Just me breaking on the ball. Tips and overthrows, we say we gotta get those. I was able to make that one.”

Red zone success for the starters: Two red zone periods resulted in two touchdowns for Love and the starters. On the third play of the first possession, Love found none other than Romeo Doubs in the end zone on what was a very well-placed ball for Doubs to make a sliding catch. On the second attempt, the offense again needed only three plays with a completion to Dillon on an angle route out of the backfield setting up a touchdown run for Dillon the next play.

Two minute period: The situation was the offense was down 21-24 with 1:20 left, one timeout and starting at their own 30-yard line.

Up first was Clifford who went four-and-out. The first play was a pass breakup by Ty’Ron Hopper. On second down, Colby Wooden had a sack. On third down, Karl Brooks had another sack. And then on fourth, Clifford went deep to Toure who was in single coverage with Zayne Anderson, but the ball went through Toure’s hands. From my vantage point, it looked like a very catchable ball.

For Love and the starters, the drive started well, with Love connecting with Watson for nine yards on an out route. Love then found Wicks over the middle for 13 yards on a crossing route before connecting again with Wicks for roughly 30 yards on a deep corner route. The last play was Love trying to find Watson in the end zone, but it was intercepted by Evan Williams, who got into a good position to make a play on the ball. This was the play that Watson got hurt one. This is Williams’ fourth interception of training camp.