The Green Bay Packers took the practice field on Monday afternoon in what was a relatively light practice compared to their most recent session, likely due to the trip to Cincinnati for a joint practice and preseason game happening later this week.
Nonetheless, there were still 11-on-11 periods and takeaways from what I saw.
— Big news for the Packers on the injury front today. Rashan Gary was activated off the PUP list and was at practice. He did only participate in individual drills as there is going to likely be a ramp up period getting him back to full speed. Along with Gary, Grant DuBose was activated off the NFI list, so he was at his first practice as a Packers. As Matt LaFleur said earlier in the offseason, DuBose will have to play catchup to a degree.
Grant DuBose at his first practice. pic.twitter.com/bTImbuL68m
— Paul Bretl (@Paul_Bretl) August 7, 2023
— Other injury notes: After David Bakhtiari missed Thursday and Saturday’s practices, he was back on the field on Monday. Tucker Kraft exited Saturday’s practice but was available as well. Innis Gaines was out with a quad injury. Lew Nichols a shoulder after taking a big hit on Thursday, as was Josiah Deguara, who exited last Tuesday’s practice with a calf injury. Jake Hanson was still out too.
— Lineup notes: Zach Tom was at right tackle with the starters and Josh Myers at center. During a red zone period, Tom was at center with the starters and Yosh Nijman at right tackle. At safety was Jonathan Owens next to Darnell Savage, but as LaFleur said, there would be a rotation. A few plays in, Tarvarius Moore was next to Owens, then a few plays after that, Ford was next to Moore. Carrington Valentine was taking reps with the starters, perhaps foreshadowing that he will be in for Jaire Alexander during Friday’s preseason game. Patrick Taylor also saw his share of snaps with the starters in team drills. LaFleur said the three running backs battling for that third spot would alternate preseason games in which they are featured, this week against the Bengals may be Taylor’s turn.
— Anders Carlson was 5-for-6 on the day, making him 29-for-42 this summer. The wind was blowing in fairly steadily and from the right. Daniel Whelan and Pat O’Donnell were alternating as holders. For what it’s worth, the miss came while Whelan was holding. As we know, Carlson has to continue to find consistency, but what we know he does have is power.
— Speaking of power, Whelan was again booming punts. Although there is a lot more that goes into punting than just that aspect, he does have the leg up (pun intended) on O’Donnell in that regard.
— Not surprisingly, Sean Clifford was the backup quarterback with Danny Etling being released. The confidence the team have in him to fill that role had to play a factor in the decision to let Etling go. LaFleur said before practice that Clifford has done a lot of great things and called him a gamer, who’s able to bounce back quickly.
— Jordan Love’s day started off shaky, with an interception by Darnell Savage. The throw was over the middle and I’m guessing Love didn’t see him, while Savage read the play well and jumped the pass to Romeo Doubs. The emphasis today was on the red zone. His overall day was up and down, with another turnover-worthy play mixed in and the defense having the upper hand early, either stopping the run or limiting passes through the air, but then the offense got rolling. On one play, Jayden Reed began in the backfield, was then matched up on Isaiah McDuffie for an easy score. On a “new” series inside the 10 yard line, Love found Doubs on a quick slant for a touchdown. The next play, Musgrave ran a shallow crosser and with Musgrave’s speed along with the play design, Quay Walker was unable to keep in what ended up being a touchdown.
— I’ve mentioned it before, but Lukas Van Ness had two more really nice run defense snaps, one where he simply beats his man almost right away and is in the backfield, another where he filled the running lane. Although known for his power and pass rush ability, he has been flashing as a run defender since offseason programs.
— Karl Brooks continues to string together strong practices, this time with a couple more pass rush snaps where he made his way into the backfield. He and Colby Wooden are going to be relied upon heavily, and both have been playing well this summer.
— TJ Slaton continues to make noise as well. He has really given Josh Myers fits over the last two weeks, both as a run defender and also on some pass rush snaps. As I’ve mentioned before, the interior defensive line has to showcase that they can perform during the regular season when it matters, but this group has been impressive this summer, Devonte Wyatt included. Running the ball up the middle for the Packers offense has been tough sledding for much of training camp.
— I mentioned in a recent Q&A article that the cornerback room has been the best position group so far, and Rasul Douglas again showed why today. He was all over the field, either in position for the pass breakup or up towards the line of scrimmage to make a play on the pass catcher. The starters, along with Corey Ballentine and Carrington Valentine have all had very good performances.
— David Bakhtiari’s availability always garners a lot of attention, but don’t forget that when he’s on the field, he is still really good.
— As has been the case, a lot of 12 and 21 personnel looks from the Packers offense. That, along with pre-snap motion and really attacking the middle of the field are going to be staples of this year’s offense. Some of that happened a year ago, some it we will see more of with Love at quarterback.
