2 Days Until Training Camp: 10 Players I Can’t Wait to See

From potential starters to high-profile rookies to under-the-radar veterans, here are 10 players who could make a splash when Packers training camp starts on Wednesday.

Author:
Bill Huber
Publish date:
Jul 25, 2022 10:35 AM EDT

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Green Bay Packers

GREEN BAY, Wis. – We’ve previewed Green Bay Packers training camp in every way imaginable over the past four weeks, with all the big battles, the major questions and in-depth position examinations.

Now, before Tuesday’s 53-man roster projection serves as the icing on our preview cake, it’s the 10 players that I’m looking forward to seeing when the team hits the practice field for the first time on Wednesday.

First, it’s quarterback Jordan Love. Of course, I’m looking forward to seeing Aaron Rodgers, too. Will the passing game be more diversified than it was with Davante Adams? Will Rodgers throw most of his passes to the established receivers to build chemistry, or will he continually put the younger players to the test? How much patience will he show with those rookies to start camp, and how much will that change by late August, when the sense of urgency will really start ramping up?

With Love, this almost feels like a make-or-break training camp. No, if he struggles, the Packers aren’t going to trade him for a conditional seventh-round pick and a Gatorade bottle to be named later. But this will be a series of big moments for the 2020 first-rounder to show that he really could be an NFL starter.

To be sure, circumstances have worked against him. When he was a rookie, that was during the heat of COVID. There was no rookie camp, no offseason program. Training camp started late and the preseason was canceled. So, his development was really thrown for a loss. Then, last year, he suffered a shoulder injury in the preseason opener vs. Houston and had to miss the joint practices and preseason game vs. the Jets.

In about six quarters of action last season, Love wasn’t good enough. He had a major hand in two of Green Bay’s four losses. He had as many turnovers in 11.7 playing time as Rodgers in 88.1 percent. So, this will be a big month for Love to string together a bunch of practices and get a lot of snaps in the preseason to show his development.

Here are nine more players.

WR Sammy Watkins

Hopes are high for Sammy Watkins. The fourth pick of the 2014 draft had his two best seasons with the Bills, when Packers passing game coordinator Jason Vrable was on the staff. In 2017, Watkins scored eight touchdowns for the Rams, when Packers coach Matt LaFleur was offensive coordinator. Watkins himself recognizes that his career has fallen short of expectations and is driven to write a new chapter.

That’s nice. I’d like to win a Pulitzer Prize as one of the best journalists in America but that’s not going to happen.

“When I’m on the field, I can ball, I can catch balls, I can score and I’m a dominant player,” he said.

Let’s see it.

WR Christian Watson

I could list Romeo Doubs and Samori Toure here, too, but let’s focus on Christian Watson, the second-round pick. He’s got rarest-of-the-rare tools. Of the 40 receivers at the Scouting Combine, he was the second-tallest (6-foot-4) and sixth-fastest (4.36 in the 40). His Relative Athletic Score ranks right up there with two of the greats, Calvin Johnson and Julio Jones.

A star at North Dakota State, there are questions about level of competition and hands. The competition concerns will be taken care of by countless reps against Jaire Alexander and Co., and he caught the ball well during the second half of the offseason practices.

Are the Packers good enough to win the Super Bowl because of quarterback Aaron Rodgers, running backs Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon, a potentially elite defense and the potential of a vastly improved special teams? Yes. But they’d be in a much better position if Watson can turn his immense potential into production by late in the season.

TE Tyler Davis

With the possibility that Robert Tonyan will be limited (or not playing at all) to start the season, Tyler Davis could be in line for a major role.

The former UConn quarterback joined the Packers early last season and immediately impressed. “You could see the speed. That stuff kind of jumps out to you,” coach Matt LaFleur said. By season’s end, he was playing more than 20 snaps per game.

Now that he’s comfortable in the offense, can he be a difference-making receiver and blocker once the pads go on next week?

G/T Sean Rhyan

With David Bakhtiari and Elgton Jenkins sitting out the offseason practices due to their torn ACLs, the Packers lined up with Yosh Nijman at left tackle and Cole Van Lanen at right tackle with the No. 1 offense. Presumably, that’s how they’ll go for Day 1 of training camp.

If Bakhtiari’s injury is so bad that his availability for the first game (or any game) is in jeopardy, the development of Sean Rhyan, this year’s third-round pick, could be critical. A three-year starting left tackle at UCLA, he boasts a powerful frame and above-average athleticism. Once the pads are on and he has to block the likes of Rashan Gary, it will be interesting to see if he can push for immediate playing time at right tackle … if the worst-case scenario with Bakhtiari become reality.

DT Devonte Wyatt

As is the case on the offensive line, nothing that happened during OTAs and minicamp means a thing for the defensive linemen. The trenches are where the tough guys line up, and the only way to see who’s who is during those violent padded practices.

Can first-round pick Devonte Wyatt, with his incredible athleticism for the position, push for immediate playing time or even a spot in the starting lineup at a loaded position group? Jarran Reed and Dean Lowry are solid veterans but Wyatt is where there’s a chance to really upgrade the defense. Running through an undrafted rookie during the no-pads OTAs is one thing. Beating Royce Newman in a physical run-game drill will be quite another.

LB Quay Walker

The Packers lined up with incumbent starters De’Vondre Campbell and Krys Barnes as their starting pair for most of the offseason. When will Walker, the first-round pick with the elite combination of size and athleticism, surge past Barnes? And can he be more productive in terms of splash plays? That’s where there was a major hole on his collegiate resume.

OLB Kingsley Enagbare

Somebody has to be the No. 3 outside linebacker behind Rashan Gary and Preston Smith. Of the returning candidates – Jonathan Garvin, Tipa Galeai and La’Darius Hamilton – none made any sort of consistent impact last season.

Could one of them take a big step forward under new position coach Jason Rebrovich? Sure. But perhaps the best hope is that the fresh face, fifth-rounder Kingsley Enagbare, can be that player. Playing at South Carolina, he had eight sacks as a junior and 4.5 as a senior. Playing without pads in May and June, he looked a lot faster than his Combine 40 time of 4.87 seconds. Let’s see how he does against Yosh Nijman at practice and if he can beat quality offensive tackles in the preseason.

CB Rico Gafford

Gafford is one of the most fascinating players on the roster. With elite speed, he was a playmaking cornerback at Wyoming. When he signed with the Raiders in 2018, he was moved to receiver. His first career catch came in 2019, a 49-yard touchdown.

The Packers signed Gafford to a futures contract in January with the intention of having him compete at receiver. When they signed Sammy Watkins and drafted three more receivers, the team decided to move Gafford back to corner.

At 5-foot-9 5/8, he is significantly shorter than Green Bay’s historic parameters. His 4.22 speed in the 40, though, will make him the fastest player on just about any football field. The Packers have no depth beyond their elite starting three so there is a huge opportunity.

“Honestly, I was contemplating doing that, anyway,” Gafford said in a phone interview last month. “I had a few teams call me before I signed with the Packers to see how I felt about going back to defense. It’s been a long road. I appreciate Jon Gruden for helping me make the transition to wide receiver and all the coaches with the Raiders that helped me along the way. But I’m going into Year 5 and I haven’t really made a splash or anything in the league. So, I’m like, ‘If I go back to corner, I can really showcase what I can do on the field and what I really am and who I really am at heart, and that’s a DB.”

S Shawn Davis

Somebody’s got to be that third safety. Last year’s No. 3, Henry Black, played more than 15 snaps per game, so that’s a significant role. Davis, a fifth-round pick by the Colts in 2021 after intercepting five passes in 37 games at Florida, was that guy during the offseason. I want to see why.

Physicality is his calling card.

“I'd say that's a (big) part of my game, just because the position that I play, you have to be very physical because you're the last line of defense," Davis said after being drafted. "If you're not physical, then it's all going to be touchdowns coming from the back end on your part. So, I make being physical a part of my game and one of my strengths.”