Heading into an important week of practices for the Green Bay Packers, here is an updated look at where each positional battle currently stands.
No final decisions will be made this week when it comes to the positional battles taking place for the Packers in training camp, but the next five days, which include two joint practices with New England and a preseason game, will carry a lot of weight in determining those outcomes.
“This is going to be a big week for our guys,” said coach Matt LaFleur, “in terms of this just being the most exhausting week of the preseason for these guys. We got practice today (Sunday), practice tomorrow, walkthrough on Tuesday, and we will get two practices versus the Patriots, and we got two more games. I think we got a long way to go yet.”
Based on what I’ve seen at each of the training camp practices, here is where I feel each of the key positional battles stand before the Packers begin a big week with New England.
Sean Clifford is the backup quarterback
When the Packers released Danny Etling, it was pretty clear at that time that they were comfortable with Sean Clifford being the backup quarterback to Jordan Love. Now following his performance in Cincinnati, which included a number of impressive throws into tight windows and downfield, a few of which came under pressure, if there were any doubts that he would be the backup, those should be gone now.
The third running back
I would call Patrick Taylor the front-runner for the third running back role right now. Lew Nichols hasn’t practiced in nearly two weeks because of shoulder injury, and Tyler Goodson has been in a sling with a shoulder injury of his own after exiting the Bengals game. Taylor may not be the flashiest player with the ball in his hands, but he’s been a core special teams contributor, playing 121 snaps in 2022 and still being a starter on a few different phases. He is also proven to be a reliable blocker, both on blitz pickups and, as I’ve seen in practice, as a lead blocker when the Packers are in two running back sets.
Both Brian Gutekunst and Matt LaFleur have given us the answers to the test by telling us that special teams play is an absolute must for the third running back, along with being reliable as a blocker and pass catcher, with Taylor very much distinguishing himself in these areas. Emanuel Wilson had an impressive game as a ball carrier against Cincinnati but as LaFleur said, he will have to show consistency in those other key areas. In practice the last two days, Wilson has been the fourth running back behind Aaron Jones, AJ Dillon, and Taylor.
The sixth wide receiver
This is a difficult positional battle to get a feel for right now because where Malik Heath is finding success verse where Bo Melton is finding success are in different areas, and we don’t know for sure how the Packers are valuing each of those contributions.
For Heath, he has been a steady presence in the passing game, going all the way back to OTAs, and we saw that against Cincinnati, where he hauled in three receptions for 36 yards and showcased his physicality as a blocker. However, he played just one special teams snap. With Melton, who has been able to flash in practice as a pass catcher, either in the quick passing game or downfield with that speed of his, he had a quiet game verse the Bengals on the stat sheet but threw a key block on Wilson’s first touchdown run and played 12 special teams snaps–the fifth-most on the team.
With the sixth wide receiver likely playing a very small to nonexistent role on offense, as is the case with running back, I imagine special teams contributions and blocking will be two key factors in the final decision. We also can’t forget about Grant DuBose, who has put together two really good days of practice on Sunday and Monday.
Final offensive line spots
What we know is that David Bakhtiari, Elgton Jenkins, Josh Myers, Jon Runyan, Zach Tom, and Yosh Nijman will be on the roster, and you can now safely put Rasheed Walker in that group after his recent performance and the fact that he is seeing snaps with the ones. This leaves the Packers with two to three roster spots available, depending on whether they roster nine offensive linemen like they often have, or go heavy and keep 10.
Depending on how long Caleb Jones is sidelined with the ankle injury, I did see him as someone who was going to make the team prior to his injury. He has been the second offense’s right tackle through all of training camp and with potential uncertainty at tackle in 2024, with David Bakhtiari’s future unknown and Nijman being a free agent, so developing him for another year to possibly contribute next summer does make sense from a long-term perspective. And it’s clear that the Packers do like him quite a bit after rostering him as the 11th offensive lineman for a large portion of last season.
Jake Hanson, Royce Newman, and Sean Rhyan are all competing for potentially just one spot or two at the most. Of the three, Rhyan has been the best. Hanson has just returned to practice this week after being injured, while Newman has had some rough performances on Family Night and against the Bengals. Rhyan has been the most consistent, and although he gave up a few pressures in the first preseason game, one contributing to an interception, he was mostly sound in that performance.
What happens at tight end?
With Tyler Davis done for the season with an ACL injury, the Packers find themselves a bit shorthanded at tight end. Moving forward, that means we may see Luke Musgrave and Tucker Kraft being asked to handle more blocking responsibilities than what was originally planned. It also means that even though Josiah Deguara is listed as a fullback, we may see him taking on the more traditional tight end role, lining up in-line as a blocker. The Packers very well may go into the season with just three tight ends on their roster, but there is also an opportunity for Henry Pearson — a fullback — and Austin Allen to make a roster push. If either is going to make the team, it is going to be because they show consistency as blockers.
Jonathan Ford pushing for sixth interior DL spot
We know that the first five roster spots are accounted for at this position; the question is whether or not they keep a sixth. I’ve had my doubts about the Packers keeping that many interior defenders, partly because you don’t often see six-man rotations, meaning Ford’s role would be quite small, along with the play of rookies Colby Wooden and Karl Brooks, both of whom have impressed. However, Ford is making it very difficult to keep him off the roster. LaFleur said recently that he has “upped his game” this summer, and we are consistently seeing that with the push he is able to generate from the interior. The Packers have pass rush options inside, but success starts with stopping the run, and Ford could provide a backup option at nose tackle behind TJ Slaton.
Would the Packers keep six edge rushers?
Teams can get by on gamedays with four active edge rushers. Five, however, is the norm, but six is a lot. After a fairly quiet start to training camp, Brenton Cox has put together two strong practices on Sunday and Monday after leading the team in pressures against Cincinnati. The potential problem for him is that the edge rusher room is quite full right now. The only player ahead of him on the depth chart who may not have been considered a roster lock is Justin Hollins, but he has spent most of his summer with the ones, and the fact that he played just seven snaps in Cincinnati tells me he is going to be on this team. But perhaps because of Cox’s upside and potential, just like how the Packers kept Caleb Jones on the roster as the 11th offensive lineman, maybe they keep Cox as the sixth edge rusher so another team doesn’t sign him off the practice squad.
Not many questions at linebacker
This position group seems pretty well set, with De’Vondre Campbell and Quay Walker as the starters, along with Isaiah McDuffie and Eric Wilson firmly cemented as the third and fourth defensive options, along with being key special teams contributors. I still believe that Tariq Carpenter makes the 53-man roster because of his special teams contributions, including 14 snaps verse Cincinnati, but if you want something to look for at this position group, undrafted rookie Jimmy Phillips has played well as of late. Against the Bengals, he did total three tackles and recorded two pressures, according to PFF, frequently used as a blitzer. He also played 12 special teams snaps, which was a big part of his college career at SMU, where he totaled a whopping 834 career snaps. Carpenter, who is still making the transition to linebacker, has missed the last two practices with an injury. His best practice performance came on Family Night when he recorded two interceptions.
Keep your eyes on Shemar Jean-Charles
The cornerback room seemed pretty well set, and it still is to a degree. Jaire Alexander, Rasul Douglas, Keisean Nixon, and Carrington Valentine are roster locks, and eventually, Eric Stokes will be added to the mix as well. The fifth or sixth cornerback – depending on whether Stokes is included in the roster prediction – has been Corey Ballentine, who has been playing with the second team defense all of training camp and staring on a few special teams units, after being a core contributor during the second half of last season. However, Ballentine was picked on a bit in Cincinnati, and Sheman Jean-Charles put together an overall sound performance. That then resulted in Jean-Charles seeing some snaps with the second-team defense as a boundary cornerback on Monday, something we haven’t seen. At this time, I would still give Ballentine the edge over him, but it’s something to watch moving forward. Jean-Charles will also have to continue to make an impact on special teams. He played nine snaps there against the Bengals.
Anthony Johnson making a roster push
What the playing time breakdown will look like is still up in the air. If I were building the depth chart, I would have Darnell Savage at the top, followed by Jonathan Owens, Tarvarius Moore, and Rudy Ford, based on what I’ve seen over the last two weeks. Where there is also competition is on the back end, between Anthony Johnson and Dallin Leavitt, for what is likely the final roster spot. Following a good performance against the Bengals, where Johnson nearly had an interception, displayed his tackling ability, and contributed on special teams, he has seen snaps with the ones over the last two days.
I’ve said previously that it’s hard to envision the Packers roster without Leavitt, given his special teams experience and that he’s played his entire career under Rich Bisaccia. But from a roster-building standpoint, especially when we are talking about a final roster spot, keeping the young player with developmental upside over the veteran on a one-year deal who can only contribute on special teams always makes more sense. Also, not to be forgotten about is Innis Gaines, who has missed the last week-plus of practices, but was the backup nickel to Keisean Nixon and has been a special teams contributor. He is still sidelined, however, and hopefully can return soon.
The punter competition
It’s really difficult to gauge where the Packers stand on this one. Pat O’Donnell and Daniel Whelan continue to alternate reps both as punters and as holders for Anders Carlson. While Whelan packs a lot more power than O’Donnell, if I were to make a guess right now, I would give O’Donnell the edge because of his experience as a holder. Going into a season where points may be at a premium relying on a rookie kicker and a rookie holder comes with obvious risks. But with that said, in the midst of a transition year and with Whelan looking the part, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Packers went that direction either.
