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Fighting for a roster spot, Packers’ rookie CB Kalen King gets confidence boost with interception

Paul Bretl | 7/29/2024

GREEN BAY, Wis. — In this past April’s draft, the Packers selected Penn State cornerback Kalen King with the 255th pick–the third to last selection in the draft. On Sunday, during the Packers’ sixth training camp practice, King came away with an interception off quarterback Jordan Love.

With the offense facing a third-and-four situation on the practice field, King found himself working with the first team defense out of the slot. With the defense playing a Cover-2 zone, Love, who was trying to get the ball to Christian Watson, let the pass rip but the play was jumped by King. In a live game, may have taken it all the way back for a touchdown.

“I’m really just working to my landmark and just reading Jordan,” said King after practice.” Wherever his eyes go, that’s where I flow to. I felt quick game, so as soon as I saw him take his hand off the ball, I just broke and I was there to make a play.”

In addition to King’s interception, he also had a pass breakup on Sunday as well.

A year ago at this time, there were well-known draft analysts who thought that King was going to be an early-round selection in the 2024 NFL draft. King was coming off a 2022 season where he was named a second-team Walter Camp All-American, allowing a completion rate of only 45 percent with nine pass breakups and three interceptions.

However, during the 2023 season, King’s play took a major step back. He allowed a completion rate of 61 percent in coverage and had only one pass breakup and no interceptions the entire season. Not helping King’s draft stock either was a 4.61-second 40-yard dash.

“It’s extremely motivating,” said King back in April about being taken in the seventh round. “Not going where you thought you would go, seeing all the names being picked ahead of you, just enduring all that, seeing that and I felt like it put a chip on my shoulder, a permanent chip on my shoulder that I gotta keep there.

“I felt like the Packers are going to get one of the most competitive guys in the country, a tough corner, physical corner who’s going to give 100% effort around the field at all times and make as many plays as I possibly can by doing it at 100%.”

King was a boundary cornerback at Penn State, but since arriving in Green Bay, he’s seen a lot of work from the nickel. During the individual warmup periods of these training camp practices, King has spent all of his time in the slot, while during the team portion, he’s played both nickel and on the boundary.

Being moved inside wasn’t a surprise for King. During the pre-draft process, he knew that at the NFL level teams might want him to play from the slot, which is a “different world,” as King put it, compared to the boundary, where additional communication is needed, and it’s not only about reading the quarterback, with run defense a key element when it comes to filling this role.

“I would say the details,” said King on the biggest difference from the slot. “There’s more things you’ve got to look at. More keys you’ve got to read. I gotta key lineman, and running backs, and quarterbacks. I’m more of a QB-eye guy, so it’s definitely a different world than the outside. But, you know, I’m just taking it day-by-day, studying as much as I can so I catch up to speed as quick as possible.”

Like any seventh-round selection, King is competing for a roster spot. At cornerback, we know that four of those spots are accounted for between Jaire Alexander, Eric Stokes, Carrington Valentine, and Keisean Nixon. Depending on how heavy the Packers go at that position, that leaves one or two roster spots available.

King showcasing an ability to line up both inside and out will be an important factor in distinguishing himself, with versatility coveted on this Packers team. Corey Ballentine is doing the same. After proving to be a capable option off the bench last season, allowing a completion rate below 60 percent with an interception and four pass breakups, he has spent the offseason and training camp working from the slot as well.

And as always when it comes to these back-end of the roster positions, special teams contributions will be important.

“I’m competing for a job,” said King. “That’s the place that I’m in right now. I feel like I have no room to just take the back road. I’m competing. I feel like nobody’s job is safe. The game of football, especially in the NFL, I feel like nobody’s job is solidified because anything can happen at any moment. The next man up and you’ve got to be ready.

“That’s the thing that I’m harping on right now is continue to stay ready, continue to compete, continue to get better so when my number’s called, I’m ready to perform and ready to step up to the plate.”

Overall, it was an impressive day for King on top of what has been a sound start to training camp. However, one good day doesn’t make a training camp just like one bad day doesn’t break a training camp. Day-to-day consistency with incremental improvements will be a massive factor in determining whether or not King makes the team, and a potential catalyst in making that happen could be the confidence boost he got on Sunday.

“It only gives me confidence,” said King of his interception. “Just me coming in every day, competing with the guys, competing with the vets that are on the team and making plays against them gives me confidence to keep going, keep my head down and keep working.”

Packers’ rookie S Evan Williams showing early ball-hawking abilities

Paul Bretl | 7/29/2024

GREEN BAY, Wis. — The Green Bay Packers are six practices into training camp, and fourth-round rookie safety Evan Williams is now up to three interceptions.

“They say a pick-a-day makes the bad feelings go away,” said Williams after practice on Sunday.

Williams’ latest interception came on Sunday’s practice during a two minute drill. Working with the second team defense during this period, Williams ended the two-minute period on the first play, jumping a pass thrown by quarterback Sean Clifford.

“Honestly, I was just reading the quarterback,” said Williams. “We were in a zone look. I kinda felt the route combos to the front side push away from me and knew there was probably something coming from the back side, got a dig from the backside and was just able to jump it.”

It was an instinctual play from Williams, who trusted what he saw and could feel how the play was developing from the offensive perspective. This type of play wasn’t a one-off either from Williams–the fact that he has three interceptions already goes to show that he puts himself in positions to make plays on the football.

If a player can do that consistently enough, eventually the ball production should follow.

“Evan, he’s smart,” said Packers’ long-time scout Sam Seale after the draft. “He’s instinctive. He’s a good kid and he makes tackles. He makes plays around the ball. He’s always around the ball. He’s a football player.”

Overall, the Packers’ secondary as a whole has done a very good job early on of making plays on the football. Of course, this is a credit to those players for being in a position to do so, but other helping factors include what has been a suffocating pass rush that has often left the quarterbacks with little time and hurried.

Jeff Hafley’s defensive scheme is getting some of the praise as well as is Hafley and the coaching staff for their ability to teach it, and simply putting the players in a position where their natural abilities can take over, allowing them to make plays.

“I think it’s just a mixture of, I mean, our DC would definitely say it’s rush and coverage working together,” said Williams about the secondary’s play. “That’s his motto. I would definitely say it’s a testament to how well they’re coaching us and just how they’re allowing us to play fast. They haven’t thrown too much onto our plate where we’re on the field and kind of our heads are reeling and we’re kind of spinning around.

“They’ve just simplified our roles so, when we’re out on the field, we’re not in kind of a daze thinking about, ‘Oh, I’ve got to align right here.’ They’re giving us the freedom to, when we’re out there, get our assignment down pre-snap and think about that, but then, when the ball’s snapped, just allowing us to play fast. Giving us simple keys to read and just allowing us to be playmakers out there and make plays on the ball.”

If the Packers’ defense is going to improve in 2024, a key element will be improved ball production. Last season, the Packers ranked 23rd in passes defensed and had the second-fewest interceptions in the NFL with only seven. At the end of the day, it’s only been six training camp practices, and this production needs to carry over into the season, but nonetheless, it’s a good start.

“To me, it’s about how do we put our players in the best possible situations,” said Matt LaFleur, “and making sure that we have enough versatility within the scheme to keep teams off-balance and then trying to disguise and make as much stuff look like one thing and then it be something different. I think there’s a lot to that. I think when you look at – the more you’re able to create post-snap decisions by the quarterback, I think typically your scheme could potentially be depending upon your players.

“I think we’re fortunate that we have some pretty good players, certainly we felt that the pass rush is real, which in turn allows everybody else to play a little bit tighter, a little bit more flat-footed, a little bit more aggressive, when you have situations like that. It all goes hand-in-hand.”

The young safety trio of Williams, Javon Bullard, and Anthony Johnson are currently rotating days when it comes to who is lining up next to Xavier McKinney. With an emphasis on versatility and late movement, the Packers want to get each of these safeties comfortable playing with each other and filling a variety of roles.

Ultimately, it is going to be the day-to-day consistency that determines who is starting next to McKinney, and not only at one position on the field, but being consistent while filling multiple roles is going to be a requirement. But I imagine the ability that Williams has shown to make plays on the football, and more importantly, the process at which he gets into a position have those interception opportunities, has the attention of the coaching staff.

“I think whoever goes out there and gives us the most consistent effort and is able to make plays,” said LaFleur on what he’s looking for at safety. “We’re fortunate really when you look at all of those other guys, they’re all pretty intelligent guys that allows us to interchange X, whether we want him to be down in the box or put him in the post, just that flexibility is huge. So, whoever is starting opposite of him has got to be able to do both jobs as well.”

Packers training camp notebook: Observations from Day 6

For the sixth time in seventh days, the Green Bay Packers were back on the practice field on Sunday. They’ll have an off day on Monday.

Let’s open up the training camp notebook and dive into what took place today.

– Robert Rochell, Marshawn Lloyd, and Tucker Kraft remained out. Also not practicing today was Zayne Anderson (knee), Deslin Alexandre (lower leg), Keshawn Banks (groin), and Elgton Jenkins who had an off day for vet rest. Josh Myers was back after missing the last two practices for a personal matter.

– The offensive line consisted of Rasheed Walker at left tackle, Sean Rhyan next to him at left guard, Josh Myers at center, Jordan Morgan at right guard and Kadeem Telfort at right tackle. Andre Dillard was again worked in at right tackle for Telfort at times, and in a new development, we saw Royce Newman at left guard briefly with the ones. From the sounds of it, Morgan is going to stay at guard unless Matt LaFleur feels added competition at tackle is needed.

“He’s been predominantly inside,” said LaFleur before practice. “Certainly in OTAs we put him a decent amount at tackle, but I think he’s starting to feel more and more comfortable inside. But I think he’s talented enough if need be that if we have to kick him outside we can do that.”

– It was Anthony Johnson’s turn to start next to Xavier McKinney at safety today. In base, the linebacker trio was Quay Walker in the middle, with Eric Wilson and Isaiah McDuffie around him. In nickel, it was McDuffie and Walker, with Edgerrin Cooper taking over for Wilson the second time through base. Everything just mentioned about the linebacker position has pretty much been the status quo during camp.

– One other change to the offensive line was Luke Tenuta seeing reps at right guard today with the second offense. That unit was made up of either Telfort or Dillard at left tackle, Royce Newman primarily, Jacob Monk, Tenuta, and Travis Glover. Caleb Jones was back to participating in team drills and was the left tackle with the third offense.

– The Packers ran some one-on-ones today with the receivers versus the cornerbacks and the offensive line versus the defensive line. I was watching the OL and DL–here are some of the notable outcomes:

Rasheed Walker and Preston Smith split there reps one-and-one.
Kenny Clark and Sean Rhyan went 1-1.
Jordan Morgan went 2-0 versus Devonte Wyatt.
Rashan Gary went 2-0 versus Kadeem Telfort.
Colby Wooden went 2-0 versus Luke Tenuta.
Karl Brooks went 1-1 versus Royce Newman.

– Andy Herman of the Pack-A-Day podcast was watching the receivers against the secondary. Here are some of the notable outcomes from what he saw:

Dontayvion Wicks beat Keisean Nixon on a slant.
Jayden Reed beat Corey Ballentine on a comeback route.
Luke Musgrave had a drop with Xavier McKinney in coverage.
Christian Watson beats Eric Stokes, who fell down on an out route.
Catch by Romeo Doubs on a comeback versus Jaire Alexander.

– Today we saw Anders Carlson and Greg Joseph kicking and there was a change up, instead of each kicker having three attempts in a row and then the next kicker going, they alternated reps. Both kickers finished the day 5-for-6 with Joseph missing from 53 yards and Carlson from 51 yards. Both kickers are also 16-for-18 in training camp.

– Kalen King had a very good day. He came away with an interception off Jordan Love and had a pass breakup later in practice with Michael Pratt throwing. King has gone through individual drills in the slot, but during the team portion he has played both from the slot and on the boundary.

“I would say the details,” said King on the differences between the boundary and slot. “There’s more things you’ve got to look at. More keys you’ve got to read. I gotta key lineman, and running backs, and quarterbacks. I’m more of a QB-eye guy, so it’s definitely a different world than the outside. But, you know, I’m just taking it day-by-day, studying as much as I can so I catch up to speed as quick as possible.”

– End of game two minute drill with Love: The drive started with a 23 yard completion to Wicks on a beautifully thrown deep out route that was just tipped by the cornerback but Wicks was still able to come down with the reception. The next play was a five yard completion to Josh Jacobs in the flat. A screen to Bo Melton lost two yards. The next two plays were wiped out by an offsides on the defense and then an illegal formation on the offense. Love completed a five yard pass to Musgrave, setting up a fourth down, which the offense went for just out of field goal range. On that play, there was both great coverage downfield and protection by the offensive line to give Love time. He threw the ball downfield to Musgrave but overthrew him. On the sideline after the play, it looked like Love was telling Musgrave to keep moving downfield.

End of game two minute drill with Clifford: The drive ended after one play following an interception by Evan Williams.

End of game two minute drill with Pratt: There was a really nice anticipation throw on a deep out to Jalen Wayne by Pratt that sparked the drive. Overall, Pratt did well taking what was there, setting up a 55-yard field goal opportunity that both Carlson and Joseph hit.

– Just in general, it’s been really fun watching the safety position. We are seeing this group move around, rotate, make quite a few plays on the ball, and noise at the line of scrimmage.

“I’m really excited about both those guys,” said LaFleur about Williams and Bullard. “It all starts, certainly they have a skill set, but the mental ability of both these guys to be able to retain what they learned throughout the course of OTAs, come back and continue to build on that day by day, I think has been super impressive. Just, they’re versatile enough that we can interchange the safeties so you can’t get a bead on who’s going to be where, I think that’s an important part of it, and it’s such a competitive situation in terms of, we’ve got a few guys who are challenging each other right now to roll opposite of X.”

The Packers defense has to generate more takeaways this season after coming away with only seven interceptions in 2023. A key part of that improvement will be the defensive front, whose persistent pressure on the quarterback has been a catalyst behind all the pass breakups and interceptions we’ve seen in camp.

2022 Season a pivotal point in Jordan Love’s growth and development

By Paul Bretl: 7/28/2024

The 2022 season was the turning point in Packers’ quarterback Jordan Love’s career at that point with that year playing a pivotal role in his development, helping him get to today where he is the highest-paid player in the NFL.

“I would say that ’22 season,” said Matt LaFleur on Saturday, “you could just see more and more from him in regards, I thought he had a pretty good, although the numbers didn’t say it, I thought he had a pretty good preseason in terms of how we evaluate the quarterbacks and it’s all process based, not result based. And then what he would do in scout team periods. I thought he did a great job of putting a lot of stress on our defense and making throws.”

During that 2022 preseason that LaFleur is referring to Love’s production was sporadic. He completed just 55 percent of his 74 throws at 5.9 yards per attempt with three touchdowns to four interceptions.

However, beyond the numbers, which during the preseason don’t matter, LaFleur liked the path Love was on from a process standpoint. The process part of the equation is everything that takes place up until the ball is thrown and can be a good indicator of future and long-term success because it encapsulates everything that’s needed to play the quarterback position at a high level.

This includes getting in and out of the huddle efficiently. Making sure everyone on offense is lined up correctly. Making any protection adjustments at the line of scrimmage based on what the defense is showing. Going through your progressions and knowing where the outlet option is if the play is blown up quickly or there’s no where to go with the ball. From a technique standpoint, having your feet and eyes mirror each other while going through progressions, and when the opportunity is there, as LaFleur puts it, letting it rip.

“There’s definitely a lot thrown at you your rookie year and I felt that,” Love said on Saturday. “I definitely felt I wasn’t ready. There was just so much learning that was going on and I wasn’t feeling like the player that I was in college being able to play fast and all those things. Year 2 coming back I felt a little bit more prepared but I definitely think by Year 3 I was ready. I was ready to take over. Ready to get on the field. And just ready to go out there and showcase what I’ve been working on.”

If the process is consistently correct, the results will eventually follow. As Love continued to progress in this regard on the practice field–behind closed doors–and giving the Packers’ defense fits, the we on the outside got our first glimpse of Love’s growth during the Philadelphia game when he came in for Aaron Rodgers. In that performance, Love was a crisp 6-for-9 passing for 113 yards and one touchdown, including a 63 yard touchdown pass to Christian Watson.

It was this body of work from Love, just about all of which occurred behind the scenes, that played a key factor in the Packers decision during that 2023 offseason to move on from Rodgers and give Love the opportunity to be the starter.

Love’s talent has never been in question–that’s always been evident. The challenge initially was finding the consistency from a process standpoint to repeatedly execute at a high level. As Love acknowledged, he wasn’t ready his rookie season, and while in Year 2 there was more confidence, he was still navigating a steep learning curve.

Many were quick to confirm any priors that they had about the Love selection after his performance against Kansas City in 2021, where Love complete only 19-of-34 passes for 190 yards with one touchdown and one interception as the Chiefs blitzed over and over. To this day, LaFleur is still quick to take the blame for the team’s performance and not having a gameplan better suited for Love.

Beyond his ability on the football field, what makes Love a great leader, teammate, and what has helped him get to the point he’s at today, overcoming so much uncertainty in his NFL career, is his ability to bounce-back, his poised demeanor, and the hard work he’s put in–all of which was reflected in that Chiefs’ game, even if the results weren’t favorable.

“The thing’s that so impressive about him is just how resilient he is,” said LaFleur. “Like never gets phased, just continues to fight and I think that says a lot about him and I think that’s a big reason why we’re standing here today talking about him is the resiliency that he has and the kind of teammate that he is and the kind of work that he’s going to put in. So, it’s awesome to see him get rewarded for that.”

Love’s arm talent and just overall ability as a passer are certainly important factors in him being in the position he’s at today, but it’s his ability to command the offense almost regardless of what is happening on the field that had him playing at an elite level last season.

A prime example of this came during Saturday’s practice. On one play in particular, Karl Brooks burst through the offensive line almost instantly from Love’s right side. There was no panic, he saw Brooks immediately, alluded his rush, made his way out of the pocket and knew exactly where Josh Jacobs would be, dumping it off to him in the flat. This went from being a play that almost certainly should have been a sack to a positive play for the offense, and it’s in this aspect where Love differentiates himself from many other quarterbacks.

“What he’s got such a great command of right now is he’s got such an unbelievable command of our offense,” said LaFleur before practice. “He knows all the details, the ins and outs. He can help the other guys. He can coach the other guys up on the field. It’s pretty impressive.”

Regardless of what level a player is at, LaFleur said you’re either getting better or you’re getting worse. As good as Love looked last season, there is of course, still room for growth. In fact, an emphasis this offseason for Love has been going back to the basics and working on his footwork, both from the pocket and on the move. Pun intended, but the foundation for a good throw begins with the quarterback’s feet.

Whatever will be needed down the road the Packers are confident that Love can deliver, and that feeling of confidence is not only because of what he brings on the football field, but because of who he is off of it.

“I think what gives me comfort is I know he’s going to work to be whatever he can be,” said GM Brian Gutekunst. “The best version of himself. He’s done that consistently since he’s been here and to see him, his learning, his growth over that time, I don’t expect him to change.

“I think that’s the one thing, again, I feel really good about is that because of the contract we’re not going to ask him to do anything more than he’s been doing. We want him to be himself and keep doing what he’s been doing. If he does that then I really don’t think there’s a limit on what he can accomplish.”

Packers training camp notebook: Jordan Love returns and the pads come on

Jordan Love was back on the practice field for the Green Bay Packers and the pads were back on as well. Today’s practice would go exactly two hours with the Packers spending a fair amount of it doing 11-on-11.

“I think it makes us more whole,” said Matt LaFleur about getting Love back at practice. “We’re still missing a couple guys, but anytime you can … he’s one of the leaders on this team. I thought he showed great leadership last year, and so it kind of comes with the position naturally, and so I think it’ll certainly give everybody a boost. Not just the offense but I think the defense as well.”

Let’s open up the notebook and dive into my takeaways and observations from today.

– There weren’t any changes on the injury front. Josh Myers was still absent for personal reasons. Robert Rochell was still out with a calf, as was Marshawn Lloyd with a hip and Tucker Kraft with a pec. Zach Tom only went through the individual portion again, as was expected. Caleb Jones, Corey Ballentine, and Donovan Jennings were all back out there after returning on Friday–although I still didn’t see any of them going through the team portion of practice.

– The starting offensive line initially remained the same with Rasheed Walker at left tackle, followed by Sean Rhyan, Elgton Jenkins, Jordan Morgan and Kadeem Telfort. Andre Dillard was worked in throughout practice at right tackle with the starters as well.

– The starting defense again had Rashan Gary, Kenny Clark, TJ Slaton, and Preston Smith along the defensive front. In base, it was Isaiah McDuffie, Quay Walker, and Eric Wilson at linebacker, and as the rotation at safety continues, it was Javon Bullard’s turn to line up next to Xavier McKinney. Eric Stokes and Jaire Alexander were the starting cornerbacks with Keisean Nixon in the slot.

– Other lineup notes: Anthony Johnson and Evan Williams were with the second defense at safety. Kalen King is going through individual drills in the slot but is seeing a few outside snaps during the team portion. The second offensive line unit has either Telfort or Dillard at left tackle–depending on who isn’t with the ones–followed by Royce Newman, Jacob Monk, Lecitus Smith, and Luke Tenuta.

– Edgerrin Cooper made a few nice plays at the line of scrimmage today. He was with Ty’Ron Hopper when the second defensive unit was in nickel, or has been rotated in for Wilson when the starting defense is in base.

– Even with Jordan Love back on the field, it was a slow start for the offense. A number of those issues can be traced back to the play of the defensive front and how disruptive they were. It’s nearly impossible to get into a rhythm as a passer when the play is blown up almost instantly. On the plays where Love was in rhythm and had even a little time, the offense often moved the ball.

– Before practice Matt LaFleur praised Love for knowing the offense inside and out and you really see that on display when there is quick pressure. Love’s recognition of it, ability to escape and knowing exactly where his outlet options are to get rid of the ball is a huge differentiator between him and the other quarterbacks on the roster.

“What he’s got such a great command of right now is he’s got such an unbelievable command of our offense,” said LaFleur. “He knows all the details, the ins and outs. He can help the other guys. He can coach the other guys up on the field. It’s pretty impressive.”

– The two minute drill: at the end of practice, the offense began at their own 30 yard line with 1:35 left on the clock and one timeout in an end of half situation. The first time through, the defense won. The first play was incomplete over the middle to Dontayvion Wicks–the throw looked to be just in front of him. The second play was broken up by Keisean Nixon, and the third was a two yard gain on a throw to the flat to Luke Musgrave.

During the second time through, and facing the same scenario, Love connected with Christian Watson down the left sideline for about a 45 yard gain. Eric Stokes was in coverage but Watson had a good step-plus on him. The next two plays were a five yard and then eight yard completions to Musgrave, with the drive being capped off with a 10 yard touchdown pass to Romeo Doubs.

“Yeah, it felt good,” said Love about connecting with Watson. “It felt good to be able to hit Christian in stride on a deep ball. I felt like the defense, they’ve been doing such a great job since we started camp just kind of sitting on the routes and jumping some things. We saw early on, they were able to jump a couple of the plays – a testament to them. They’ve been doing an outstanding job. It felt good to be able to get one and run by him and Christian is the speed of the team right there. To be able to him in stride and him make that play, it felt good to connect on that first day back, for sure.”

– Two under the radar names to watch right now are wide receiver Dimitri Stanley and offensive lineman Lecitus Smith. Stanley is getting some work with the second offense and is taking advantage of his opportunities with both the second and third units. Smith has been at guard with the second team offense and center with the third team. Now, I’m not saying we should pencil these players into your roster predictions, but they appear to be off to some good starts.

– I wrote recently about the safety rotation that’s taking place next to Xavier McKinney along with the added movement we see from this position group. One example of that came today with McKinney looking like he was going to blitz, then at the snap dropping into the middle of the field where he took away Love’s throwing lane, forcing him to the flat.

– James Turner finished the day 5-for-6 technically, missing left from 49 yards. He did make two kicks over 50 yards. I say “technically” because Turner had seven attempts, he had one do over after the defense lined up offsides, but he did miss that attempt. So overall, he was 5-for-7. He is 13-for-18 in camp if we don’t count the miss on the offsides play.

Breaking: Packers sign QB Jordan Love to contract extension

By Paul Bretl: 7/26/2024

It wasn’t a matter of if, but when. The Green Bay Packers and Jordan Love have reportedly agreed to a new contract extension.

According to Adam Schefter, the Packers and Love agreed to a four-year deal worth $220 million. he will get a record $75 million signing bonus, which will all be paid out by December, plus $155 million in new full guarantees. By average annual value, Love will earn $55 million per year and is under contract through the 2028 season.

“Jordan had a really good season toward the end, especially the second half and we are really excited to build around him,” Gutekunst said after the 2023 season. “I think just the way he led our football team through the tough times, through the success, all the challenges that a season kind of brings you, he did a really good job leading those guys. I think for a young player in his first year that’s trying to figure it all out, I think that was exceptional.”

Without a deal initially done at the start of training camp, Love’s representatives contacted Gutekunst on the Saturday before camp began to let him know that Love would not be practicing without a new deal. Although he hasn’t practiced, Love has been heavily involved in every other aspect, whether that be being on the sidelines or participating in the meeting room.

Of course, Gutekunst and Matt LaFleur both would have wanted Love on the practice field right away, but both understood why he wasn’t. As far as the locker room goes, every player had Love’s back.

“The thing about Jordan is during OTAs,” said Sean Clifford on Monday, “he was here 100 percent of the time. He’s been working the whole summer. Guys know that. Nobody’s questioning his work ethic. Now, it’s just, he’s got to do what he’s got to do. He’s our leader, he’s somebody that everybody can lean on.

“It’s not a question of his morals or ethics or anything like that. It’s a business at the end of the day, and I don’t think it’s going to take super long. It’s just what he’s got to do now. But again, it speaks volumes – he’s not in California, he’s here. I got in here at 7. His bag was already in here. He’s in early, he’s staying late. He’s doing all the little things so it’s no worry from the players that’s for sure.”

After a rocky start to the 2023 season, Love and the offense finished the year as one of the hottest units in football. From Week 11 through the divisional playoff game, which spans 10 games, Love completed 70 percent of his throws at 7.8 yards per attempt with 23 touchdowns to only three interceptions.

Among all quarterbacks during that span, Love ranked fourth in completion percentage, second in yards, ninth in yards per attempt, and first in touchdowns. Love also was the most productive quarterback on downfield passes of 20-plus yards, leading the league in completions, yards, and touchdowns on those throws.

Perhaps the cherry on top of all those stats and figures is that Love performed at that high level while being the most blitzed quarterback in the NFL as well.

“He had a hell of a year,” said LaFleur after the season. “Let’s not look past that. He really did. Just to see the growth, I talked about it the other night, obviously, the results speak for themselves, but the growth of him as just the commander out there, he’s an extension of us, and I thought the ownership that he showed, the leadership that he showed, was a great sign for us.”

Beyond the numbers, a touchdown pass to Dontayvion Wicks in the playoff game against Dallas perfectly encapsulated that growth that LaFleur described.

Facing 3rd-and-7 from the Dallas 20 yard line, with about 10 seconds left on the play clock, Love used his cadence to get the Cowboys defense to tip their hand pre-snap, showing where the blitz was coming from. Then with the play clock still winding down, Love changed the blocking assignments up front and made sure to get Jayden Reed in motion to start the play all before the play clock hit zero.

Once the ball was snapped, Dallas still managed to generate pressure. Love knowing that he had man coverage and would need a little extra time for Wicks’ route to develop, he remained calm and poised in the pocket, set his feet and delivered a strike to Wicks in the end zone with defenders in his face. All-in-all, just an excellent display of Love’s command at quarterback.

As Love heads into his second season as the Packers’ starter will be showing that they can counter the counters. Opposing defenses have now had a full offseason to look back and digest Love’s tape. They’ve been able to really examine what he does well and where he struggles and will undoubtedly come up with game plans that try to take away the former while putting him in scenarios that exacerbate the latter. Adjusting to these defensive counters on the fly will be crucial for Love an the offense this season.

“You might anticipate a defense maybe bringing a little more pressure,” said quarterbacks coach Tom Clements. “Disguising a little bit more. Making it more difficult to see where to go. So that’s from a quarterback standpoint, if that happens you have to have a lot of film study and be able to react.

“I mean that was one of Aaron’s (Rodgers) best attributes is the he could process information very quickly and usually make the right decision and get the ball where it had to go. That’s something that we’ll have to see how defenses approach it, but that’s something you’ve got to be ready for.”

Since taking over as the Packers’ starting quarterback, Love has shown that he can be the Packers’ long-term answer at quarterback, and that goes beyond his play on the field. Off the field, hosting dinners for the offensive line unit, being the first to reassure his pass-catchers after a missed play, and his calm, cool demeanor even when things aren’t going well have his teammates rallying around him as their leader.

“They used to call it an energy vampire,” said Jayden Reed. “Whatever energy someone else is giving off, that’s what you receive. Him being poised and so calm, that goes throughout the whole offense, every room, and that translates to gameday and on the field. Just seeing him, how calm he is, how poised he is – never gets too high, never gets too low – I think that helps the whole offense out.”

Packers continue to rotate safety position often through early training camp practices

Through four Packers’ training camp practices we’ve seen a pretty constant rotation at the safety position when it comes to who is lining up next to Xavier McKinney. On Monday and Wednesday, it was Javon Bullard. On Tuesday it was Evan Williams and on Friday it was Anthony Johnson Jr.

“Our coach likes getting us ready to the speed of the ones and that’s both of us, so he’ll, I mean, he did the same thing at OTAs,” said Williams on Tuesday. “Kind of moved us around, he wants us getting comfortable playing with X, comfortable playing with each other, a little bit with Anthony, and just seeing a different look than with the 2s. Getting to run against Luke (Musgrave) and (Dontayvion) Wicks and feel that speed and yeah, just kind of get us up to speed. I was anticipating it a little bit and it was good to be out there.”

Through the few practices that have taken place, it has been Williams who has made the splash plays coming away with two interceptions, one of which he looked like a wide receiver making the play. But overall, the safety group and the secondary as a whole have been around the football, making plays on it, and near the line of scrimmage to help out in the run game.

“I feel good, man. I feel good,” said Bullard after the first practice. “Those coaches man, Coach Ansley, Coach Haf, RD (Ryan Downard), they do an amazing job of really just putting us in positions to make plays and positions to just be ourselves. Not trying to change who we are, not trying to change the player we are, but put ourselves in comfortable positions to actually just make those plays that we’re used to making. So I feel real good going into training camp.”

The Packers decision to rotate between Williams, Bullard, and Johnson early on is happening for a few reasons. The obvious is that each player is being evaluated to find out who will be starting alongside McKinney come Week 1. But as Williams mentions, the coaching staff also wants to get each of the young safeties comfortable playing with McKinney and filling different roles because we are going to see a lot of movement from this position group this season.

Rewinding back to the NFL combine, when GM Brian Gutekunst described what he was looking for at the safety position, the key word he kept using was “interchangeable,” meaning that whether it be the nickel corner, the free safety or the box safety, Gutekunst wanted defenders who could fill all three roles.

Bullard spent time as Georgia’s primary slot cornerback in 2022 before being asked to be the free safety in 2023. Williams played all over the Fresno State and Oregon secondary’s during his college career, while Johnson was originally a boundary cornerback at Iowa State before moving to safety his final season where he played both from the box and in the slot, while during his rookie year with the Packers, most of his snaps came as the free safety.

“Versatility is valuable,” said Bullard. “Being that guy that coach doesn’t want to take off the field because you so versatile is huge and I pride myself on that. So I’m going to continue to do that.”

As we watched OTAs and minicamp take place in late-May and early-June, one of the more noticeable changes that was going to be taking place defensively was the versatility at the safety position along with the added post-snap movement. That has carried over into training camp, where from snap-to-snap at times we’ve seen a different defender deep versus in the box, and vice versa. We’ve also seen the safety position lined up in the slot and three safeties on the field at one time.

“You gotta be able to build chemistry with different guys,” said McKinney. “I think that’s why it’s smart we’re doing that now and kind of building that now, so when the season does get here, knowing that everybody isn’t always going to be perfect. We’re not always going to have the same guys next to each other, just being able to build chemistry and knowing how the next guy works and what he wants to do. Just working around, that’s been good.”

Adding 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.

From a game-planning perspective, this feature also opens up the playbook for Jeff Hafely, who has the flexibility to change things up from week-to-week, or even play-to-play, depending on the opponent and what the Packers want to take away.

Along with the coaching and the on-field experience that the safeties are gaining each day, McKinney’s presence has been extremely valuable in the early growth of this young position group as well, as he provides on the spot coaching and making sure everyone is positioned well pre-snap to make the play successful.

“He’s definitely accommodating,” said Williams about playing with McKinney. “Whenever we’re on the field, pre-snap we’ll just communicate who’s going down, if he wants to be high on this play based on personnel and situation and stuff, but yeah, just being able to kind of play with him and observe how he thinks pre-snap and just go through his mental processes, I think it’s definitely helped me as a player as far as what I should be thinking about, the types of things I should be considering pre-snap. And we’ll always talk post-snap, too, just about the previous play, a quick little recap so the next time we get that look I’ll be able to see it a little quicker.”

There is still a long ways to go before anything is going to be determined, and the real test for the young safeties on the Packers’ roster will come when Jordan Love is back on the field and the offense can find its rhythm.

Ultimately, it is going to be the day-to-day consistency that determines who is starting next to McKinney, and not only at one position on the field, but being consistent while filling multiple roles is going to be a requirement. And just because two of these safeties may not be a starter, doesn’t mean that there isn’t playing time or a role that can still be filled. Movement at the position and versatility are key in Hafley’s defense.

Packers training camp notebook: Observations from Day 4

The Green Bay Packers were back on the practice field Friday morning and the practice was a bit on the shorter side, going one hour and 38 minutes as the team prepares to put the pads on for Saturday.

Here are my key observations and takeaways from what took place.

– Injury updates: Corey Ballentine (hamstring), Caleb Jones (hamstring), and Donovan Jennings (knee) were all back on the practice field for the first time this training camp. It looks like they are all being eased in–I did not see any of them going through the 11-on-11 portion.

– Josh Myers was not at practice for what Matt LaFleur called personal reasons. Robert Rochell was the only new addition to the injury report dealing with a calf.

– Without Myers, the starting offensive line consisted of Rasheed Walker at left tackle, followed by Sean Rhyan, Elgton Jenkins, Jordan Morgan, and mostly Kadeem Telfort, with Andre Dillard mixed in for one series. The second unit consisted of Telfort at left tackle, with Royce Newman at left guard, Jacob Monk at center, Lecitus Smith at right guard, and Travis Glover at right tackle.

– When it comes to getting Zach Tom back on the field for the 11-on-11 portion of practice, LaFleur said it is going to be a little bit yet:

“It’s going to be a while yet before we put him into those team situations,” said LaFleur before practice. “I would expect, if everything goes right, it won’t be till after Family Night.”

– The safety rotation continued as well, this time with Anthony Johnson seeing the starting snaps next to Xavier McKinney. Evan Williams was then the second safety rotated in for Johnson.

– At linebacker, Quay Walker and Isaiah McDuffie continue to the be the nickel options at the position. With the second linebacker unit, Ty’Ron Hopper was in the middle with Edgerrin Cooper and Eric Wilson on each side of him. There’s seemingly a play or two each practice where Hopper is making a play at the line of scrimmage.

– During the team portion, Kalen King saw snaps both on the boundary and in the nickel. As the old saying goes, the more you can do. For what it’s worth, when healthy, Ballentine had been the second team nickel cornerback throughout OTAs and minicamp.

– Tyler Davis has been on the practice field since Monday, but I thought he put together a really nice practice. He had two receptions and a key block on the edge to spring Emanuel Wilson for a big run. Davis saw some snaps in the H-back role as well. Before practice, LaFleur spoke very highly about Davis:

“T.D. is a guy that you talk about somebody that does everything the right way,” said LaFleur. “He is that guy from the moment it happened to throughout the process. I think it’s great for him to get back out there. I think, like anybody coming back from a significant injury, there’s gonna be some struggles along the way just whether it’s dealing with soreness – that’s to be expected – but I think in terms of his approach and the things that he can control, he is on top of everything.”

– It was another practice where the defense won the day, although only one interception was thrown and it came on a play that likely would have ended in a sack. The pass rush continues to get good push and there doesn’t seem to be many opportunities opening up in the passing game. As expected, without Jordan Love, things are disjointed and it feels nearly impossible to evaluate this unit. The offense is also without Zach Tom and Tucker Kraft.

– We’ve heard that this defensive front under Jeff Hafley is all about attacking and we saw that on display on one play in particular. It was a play-action but JJ Enagbare didn’t hesitate and continued to make a beeline to the quarterback, resulting in a ‘sack.”

– Today it was Anders Carlson and Greg Joseph’s turns to kick. Carlson would finish the day 5-of-6, missing from 50 yards off the left upright. It did feel like he had to deal with some wind on that one. Overall, Carlson has seemed quite sharp. Joseph would go 6-for-6 on the day. Both kickers are 11-for-12 through training camp.

– The defensive front was again quite good as already mentioned, but Rashan Gary made noise again, recording back-to-back “sacks” during the red zone period while matched up against Kadeem Telfort.

Early signs from Packers’ training camp point to competitive CB2 battle

By Paul Bretl: 7/25/2024

The battle for the starting cornerback role opposite of Jaire Alexander will be one of the more important and intriguing competitions to take place during Green Bay Packers training camp. If early signs are an indication of what’s to come, this is going to be a highly competitive competition as well.

Over the last two practices in particular, Carrington Valentine has had multiple pass breakups in coverage, while Eric Stokes came away with two interceptions and a pass breakup on a downfield throw to Christian Watson during Wednesday’s practice.

On the first interception, Stokes acknowledged that he should have been a bit tighter on Dontayvion Wicks who was running a slant, but he was positioned well to make a play on the tipped ball. On the second interception, Stokes said he knew there was inside help, and by reading the receiver and understanding the leverage, he was able to be aggressive and make a play on the ball.

“Man, it’s good to see, especially where he came from with his injuries and all that,” said Kenny Clark about Stokes’ day. “And he got a pick today — two picks. It’s good to see him getting back to himself.”

Throughout OTAs and minicamp, and now through the first three training camp practices, Stokes has been the starting cornerback over Valentine. However, that is certainly subject to change as we get further into practice and the pads come on. At the end of the day, Matt LaFleur wants to create a competitive environment and the best player is going to play.

“We’ll let ‘em compete,” said LaFleur during minicamp. “We’re going to play our best players, but like I said I think yesterday, I feel really, really confident with the group that we have.”

After an impressive rookie year in 2021, Stokes last few seasons have been derailed by injuries. In 2022, he suffered a season-ending Lisfranc injury in Week 9 and then played just 110 total defensive snaps in 2023, still recovering from his 2022 injury along with dealing with reoccurring hamstring injuries. Stokes is now in a prove-it year as he enters the final year of his rookie deal with the Packers declining to pick-up his fifth-year option for the 2025 season earlier this offseason.

Along with Christian Watson, Stokes also went down to UW-Madison during the offseason to get a better understanding of the injury issues he faced last season. Stokes’ emphasis during the offseason was on strengthening his calves and hamstring, and he altered his offseason routine to make sure that he’s fully healthy and able to stay on the football field.

“It was a whole lot of lil stuff that went into this offseason,” said Stokes. “A whole bunch of lil training, whole different lil things that I had to adjust and learn, but that’s what all this is about. It’s just a learning curve, so there’s a lot of lil things I had to take away from it and just learn from it pretty much. Out of actually train this offseason, it was a lot of lil things I’ve done in the past that wasn’t good or wasn’t up to par that it should be and then just being around, just looking at how other people move.”

Both LaFleur and GM Brian Gutekunst have commented on the excellent shape that Stokes is in this offseason.

“He looks just like Christian,” said Gutekunst on Monday, “he’s attacked this thing, you couldn’t ask more than what he’s done. He’s kept a great attitude. He looks great. Again, as we get into this part of our season where it’s probably the most stressful on these guys’ bodies and minds, I think he’s ready to attack that and we need him. I’m expecting a big year from him.”

With Valentine, the Packers challenged him to bulk up during the offseason, and it was a challenge that Valentine fully embraced. Valentine focused heavily over these past several months on his diet and hitting the weight room hard. During the first OTA practice that was open to the media, Valentine’s physical growth was noticeable, going from playing in the 180s last season to now hovering around the 200 pound mark.

“When I take on blocks, people feel lighter,” Valentine said. “I can be more aggressive. I naturally play aggressive anyway so it just went hand-in-hand with my game. It kind of worked out.”

Injuries to Stokes and the Packers trading away Rasul Douglas gave Valentine an opportunity during his rookie season to see significant playing time. He ended up playing 846 snaps, allowing a completion rate of 56 percent on 72 targets, with five pass breakups and a passer rating of 80.2 when targeted.

“He a dawg, honestly,” said Valentine when asked to describe himself. “That’s who I am. Hard-worker, I’m a competitor. I’m always going to strain. I’m always going talk a little, as well. Just my personality. I don’t really care who you are. I don’t care if you’re All-Pro, Hall of Famer. At the end of the day, you gotta beat me. That’s who I am.”

That momentum that Valentine was able to build throughout the course of his first NFL season has carried over and turned into a highly productive offseason.

“I think it’s been outstanding,” said LaFleur. “That’s a guy that stands out, quite frankly, in my mind, in terms of just we challenged him to put on some weight after the regular season. He came back and he definitely looks bigger and he is bigger and he’s stronger and the guy loves football. He loves to compete and I’m excited for him. I think he’s got a really bright future.”

New defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley will be tasked with getting bounce-back seasons out of Stokes and Jaire Alexander, along with helping Valentine reach a new level in his second season. In 2023, the Packers secondary ranked in the bottom-half of the NFL in yards per pass attempt allowed and had the second-fewest interceptions with only seven.

At the end of the day, the players have to make plays, but Hafley’s more aggressive defensive approach, should suit the play-styles of the Packers’ cornerback room better and more frequently have them in positions to make plays on the football.

In the grand scheme of what is NFL training camp, there is still a long ways to go, and there is the very important caveat that the Packers are without Jordan Love at quarterback. The task for both Valentine and Stokes will be maintaining this level of play when he eventually returns.

While getting off to a good start is always a good thing, a few good days doesn’t make a training camp, just like one or two bad days won’t break it. Ultimately, winning the stating job is going to come down to consistency and getting incrementally better each day.

“It’s great,” said Stokes about the competition with Valentine. “I know for a fact that me and him are fighting for whatever the position it is. It just feels great. I know me and him are going to push each other no matter what. We’re all going to push each other in that room. Regardless, we want the best for each and everyone. If I’m not out there and he’s out there, I’m going to push him to be him. It is what it is. I know we all great in that back end, so it doesn’t matter who it is out there.”

Key observations and takeaway from Packers third training camp practice

By Paul Bretl: 7/24/2024

The Green Bay Packers held their third training camp practice on Wednesday, which turned out to be a beautiful day at Ray Nitschke Field after Tuesday’s practice was held in a torrential downpour.

Practice would last one hour and 47 minutes. Here are my key observations and takeaways from it.

– Jayden Reed was activated off the PUP list and was back on the practice field, although the team is going to ease him back in. Elgton Jenkins did not practice with Wednesday being a vet rest day for him. Everyone else who has been sidelined, remained out.

Jordan Love (contract)
Corey Ballentine (NFI, hamstring)
Kitan Oladapo (NFI, toe)
MarShawn Lloyd (hip)
Donovan Jennings (PUP, knee)
Caleb Jones (PUP, hamstring)
Tucker Kraft (PUP, pec)

– There was a new starter along the offensive line on Wednesday. With Zach Tom still working his way back from a pec injury, he has only been going through individual drills. But during the team portion, we saw Kadeem Telfort at right tackle. That spot had belonged to Andre Dillard the past two days, but he had taken some lumps. For more from Telfort on his day, click here.

“It means a lot, you know,” said Telfort about playing with the starters. “I’m somewhat getting noticed now. Just taking advantage and taking it day by day. Taking the good with the bad.”

– It was another day dominated by the defense. It was the defensive line who dominated the first two days, particularly on Tuesday, but on Wednesday, it was the secondary, who as a whole came away with five interceptions. The offense has struggled to find its groove early on, but that is to be expected given that they are without Jordan Love, most notably, but also Tom, and Tucker Kraft, along with Elgton Jenkins on Wednesday and Jayden Reed the first two days.

– The defense as a group is really flying around. There have been numerous instances where we’ve seen a linebacker or member of the secondary making a play near the line of scrimmage.

– Early signs point to the battle for the second cornerback spot opposite of Jaire Alexander being a very good one. Over the last two days, we’ve seen Carrington Valentine have multiple pass breakups, while Eric Stokes came away with two interceptions on Wednesday.

“It’s great,” said Stokes about the competition. “I know for a fact that me and him are fighting for whatever the position it is. It just feels great. I know me and him are going to push each other no matter what. We’re all going to push each other in that room. Regardless, we want the best for each and everyone. If I’m not out there and he’s out there, I’m going to push him to be him. It is what it is. I know we all great in that back end, so it doesn’t matter who it is out there.”

– Today was Javon Bullard’s turn to take the starting reps at safety next to Xavier McKinney. Through three days, it appears that Jeff Hafley is alternating days between Bullard and Evan Williams in terms of who gets the starting reps. Williams has had an interception in each of the last two days. As expected, we are seeing more cover-1 looks under Hafley and a lot of movement from this safety position.

– After Anders Carlson and Greg Joseph both kicked on Tuesday, it was only James Turner who was kicking on Wednesday–as was the case on Monday. Turner would finish 4-for-6 on the day, missing from 46 yards and 39 yards. He is now 8-for-12 overall, having gone 2-for-3 in each of his four sessions.

– Given how the first few days of camp have gone, we are going to see some end-arounds to Bo Melton this season.

– In my position preview, I mentioned Grant DuBose as someone to watch this summer. That doesn’t necessarily mean that I expect him to make the final roster, but during OTAs and minicamp, he looked more refined and was a go-to target for both Sean Clifford and Michael Pratt. DuBose worked out with Jayden Reed and Dontayvion Wicks this summer in south Florida. He’s off to a nice start in training camp.

– An interesting note, during individual position drills, the nickel cornerbacks were going through their own set of drills away from the boundary cornerbacks, and working alongside Keisean Nixon was seventh-round pick Kalen King. During offseason programs, Corey Ballentine lined up often in the nickel with the second defense, so with him out right now, it’s difficult to gauge if the Packers are truly seeing what King can offer from the slot or if he’s there because they’re without Ballentine. Bullard is seeing slot snaps as well from the safety position.

– During the third-down periods, which consisted of each quarterback facing a third-and-three, third-and-five, third-and-seven, and a third-and-nine, the offense as a group was 5-for-12 in moving the chains. Michael Pratt and Sean Clifford were 2-for-4 and Jacob Eason was 1-for-4.

– Admittedly, I may have missed some snaps here and there, but through three practices, Jordan Morgan has taken the majority of his snaps at right guard after being asked to play every position except center during OTAs and minicamp.