Big Training Camp Battles: Quarterbacks
GREEN BAY, Wis. – Green Bay Packers coach Matt LaFleur stated the obvious on Thursday: His team will keep three quarterbacks on the roster.
“I think anytime throughout a training camp it’s really, really difficult to get four guys reps and, especially, meaningful reps where they can go out and you can see that improvement,” LaFleur said when asked about a quarterback room that’s three deep after the release of rookie Jalen Morton. “So with the three guys, we wanted to focus on the three that we have that we know we’re going to have, I believe, on our roster.”
COVID or no COVID, the Packers probably would have kept three quarterbacks, anyway. Even in a perfect world, strong-armed Tim Boyle – with two years in the league and a year in LaFleur’s system – probably would have entered training camp with a significant lead on first-round pick Jordan Love in the race to be Aaron Rodgers’ backup. But this is not a perfect world. The pandemic wiped out the offseason program, robbing Love of a couple months of critical developmental time. Instead, when he arrived for training camp in late July, it was a whole new world. Never mind learning the third read on a passing play. Love had to learn how to find the cafeteria and meeting rooms. He still hasn’t taken a live snap, with the first practice set for Aug. 15.
MOST IMPORTANT PACKERS: QB Tim Boyle
MOST IMPORTANT PACKERS: QB Jordan Love
“I think anytime with a young quarterback, there’s so much to learn,” LaFleur said on the “Wilde & Tausch” show on ESPN Wisconsin in May. “Obviously, you’d love to have him in the building so you can put him through the proper fundamentals, because I think when you look at the quarterback position, it all starts with the fundamentals. So, we have got to try to show him as many good examples of what it looks like, because the challenge is he’s going out on his own and working those different techniques and fundamentals but you’re not there to be able to correct him or show him the right way. So, we’ve got to present as much to him so he can get that good visual so that he can go out there and replicate that.”
Boyle, who in 2018 went undrafted out of Eastern Kentucky by way of Connecticut, is an intriguing prospect. Possessing a live right arm, Boyle has been a sponge in his two years around Rodgers. He soundly beat out DeShone Kizer for the backup job last year by leading the NFL in preseason passer rating.
“He became a pro last year,” quarterbacks coach Luke Getsy during an offseason Zoom call. “I thought when the competition for the backup role ended, he opened up tremendously and grew so much. He really did. So, I think as you have an opportunity to sit, watch, listen and learn and hear from Matt (LaFleur) and hear from (offensive coordinator Nathaniel) Hackett, from myself, watch Aaron and listen to Aaron communicate things, you got to do that for two years now. I think Tim, the mental part of his game is at a whole other level now. We’re so lucky to have him, especially at a time like this when we aren’t able to be together as much as we usually are.”
That Love might be the third quarterback and not see a snap of playing time this season might be irrelevant to the team. Love could get plenty of high-level reps during the season running the scout team against the No. 1 defense. If he’s No. 2 or No. 3 this season truly will mean nothing in terms of his long-term potential to replace Rodgers.
Final roster prediction (3)
In: Rodgers, Boyle and Love.
Out: None.
