Highlights From Practice 10 of Packers Training Camp
GREEN BAY, Wis. – With Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon, the Green Bay Packers should have one of the better one-two backfield punches in the NFL.
While there’s no doubt atop the depth chart, it’s been a hotly contested battle to be the No. 3 back. Dexter Williams, a sixth-round pick in 2019, has the experience. Patrick Taylor, who probably would have been drafted in 2020 if not for a foot injury that turned his rookie campaign into the professional equivalent of a redshirt, has size and an all-around skill-set. Kylin Hill, a seventh-round pick in 2021, built a quality rushing-receiving resume at Mississippi State.
“I think there’s great competition for that third spot,” coach Matt LaFleur said last week.
Williams opened camp as the No. 3 back and his fast start did nothing to chance the equation. However, Taylor and Hill have closed the gap in recent days. With Jones (hamstring) out on Tuesday, Taylor and Hill appeared to get more first-team action.
At 6-foot-2 and 217 pounds, Taylor’s size and running style are reminiscent of former Packers back James Starks. LaFleur called him “one of the more intelligent players I’ve ever been around.” He was a real standout during a pair of one-on-one periods against linebackers on Tuesday. In a receiving drill, he caught two passes against Oren Burks. In a pass-rushing drill that favors the linebackers, he also beat Burks twice.
Hill isn’t as physical as Taylor but his ability to cut to daylight has been impressive. It’s that one-cut-and-go style that has him as the favorite to return kickoffs – a sure way to win a roster spot.
Williams, whose struggles in the passing game kept him off the field his first two seasons, turned in quality performances in both phases of the one-on-ones but had a drop during 11-on-11. While he’s generally had a quality camp, it’s possible general manager Brian Gutekunst will simply go with the fresh face.
“Dexter has come so far,” LaFleur said. “He’s one of the hardest workers we have on this football team. There’s going to be a lot of opportunity for those three guys in the preseason to get a lot of carries.”
Ultimately, the roster decisions will boil down to what happens in the three preseason games. Who can break a tackle during a live situation? Who can detect and stop a blitzer? Who can catch a ball and make a defender miss on third down? Those areas aren’t easily drilled on the practice field and are why the preseason remains important.
Cranking Up the Heat
It’s not the heat, it’s the humidity.
Green Bay’s got both. With temperatures in the mid-80s and humidity hovering around 70 percent, the “feels like” temperature by the end of Tuesday’s practice was a sweltering 91.
While the heat impacted some players, it was just another day at the office for rookie defensive lineman TJ Slaton. The fifth-round pick is from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and played his college ball at Florida. Of the Gators’ 12 games last season, seven started at noon or 3:30 p.m., so he’s used to playing in the midday sun. Slaton averaged more than 40 snaps per game while tipping the scales at about 330 pounds.
“A couple guys came up to me today and said, ‘It’s hot outside. Are you hot? You real hot?’” Slaton said. “It’s like, ‘Come on, man. I’m from Florida. This is nothing.’”
Play of the Day
All-Pro cornerback Jaire Alexander might be the best player on the practice field this summer. He has been routinely excellent. During a starters-vs.-starters 2-minute drill, Aaron Rodgers went deep for Marquez Valdes-Scantling. Arguably the fastest player on the offense couldn’t quite pull away from Alexander, though. Rodgers’ ball was good but Alexander’s coverage was perfect. Either Valdes-Scantling got his hands on the ball and Alexander knocked it free or Alexander simply broke up the pass. Either way, it was a sensational play by a sensational player.
“I think he’s just got to keep doing what he’s doing,” defensive backs coach Jerry Gray said on Sunday. “Keep challenging yourself individually. I’m going to coach you. I’m going to get you to do the things you need to do but, really, it’s going to be internally. Are you going to be satisfied with what you did last year? Or are you going to try and be the No. 1 corner in the league?”
It's clear which path Alexander has chosen.
Packers Injury Report
New Injuries: CB Stanford Samuels.
Old Injuries: WR Chris Blair (ankle), WR Equanimeous St. Brown (hamstring), RB Aaron Jones (hamstring), OLB Randy Ramsey (ankle), ILB Kamal Martin (knee), WR Juwann Winfree (shoulder), DT Kenny Clark (groin).
Returned to Practice: OLB Rashan Gary (groin). Before practice, LaFleur said recent injuries to Clark, Jones and Gary weren’t significant but would keep them out for about a week. Forget a week. Gary missed one day of practice. He played one snap of 11-on-11 but did individual drills.
Non-Football Injury List: CB Kevin King (hamstring), S Will Redmond (foot), OLB Za’Darius Smith (back), LB Isaiah McDuffie (hamstring), DT Kingsley Keke (ankle). “I’m hoping sooner than later,” LaFleur said of their return.
Physically Unable to Perform List: LT David Bakhtiari (knee).
Some Quick Reads
– LaFleur said Jordan Love will play the majority of Saturday’s preseason game against Houston and Rodgers likely won’t play in the preseason at all.
– Kicking duties fell on JJ Molson. He had six attempts and made either five or all six – a 41-yarder might have been wide right but, without anyone signaling, it’s mere guesswork based on where the ball lands relative to the hashmarks. With the wind at his back, he booted a 51-yarder with plenty of distance to spare.
– Once again, the defense won a starters-vs.-starters 2-minute drill. Starting at the 35 with 1:20 on the clock and in need of a touchdown, Rodgers managed one first down, a completion to Davante Adams on third-and-short. Rodgers clocked the ball on first down, wasn’t on the same page with Valdes-Scantling on second down, threw the aforementioned incompletion to Valdes-Scantling against Alexander on third down and Adams couldn’t quite pull down Rodgers’ up-for-grabs attempt on fourth down.
– Officially, the defense won the backups-vs.-backups 2-minute drill. That comes with an asterisk, though. On second-and-8 from the defense’s 41, Love went deep to DeAndre Thompkins for what might have been a touchdown against Ka’dar Hollman. However, for the sake of the drill, Thompkins was ruled down at the 9. A false start moved the offense back to the 14, and two throwaways by Love sandwiched a 9-yard completion to Reggie Begelton. On fourth-and-goal from the 5, safety Christian Uphoff came untouched on a blitz and Love’s desperation throw sailed over Malik Taylor.
– What would Robert Tonyan drop? Burning-hot bricks? A hornet’s nest? A handful of tacks dropped out of a fourth-story window? Tonyan, who caught 60 passes (including playoffs) without a drop last year, simply has remarkable hands. On Tuesday, he caught a 40-yard bomb from Rodgers between safeties Adrian Amos and Darnell Savage. Amos tried to break up the pass but Tonyan made the play, anyway.
– Speaking of one-on-ones, Elgton Jenkins got the better of Preston Smith. After Jenkins won the first rep rather convincingly, Smith repeatedly tried to jump the snap to gain an edge. After Smith jumped offside three times, Jenkins wound up pushing Smith to the turf. However, during 11-on-11, Smith “sacked” Rodgers. Unofficially, Smith leads the team in preseason “sacks.”
– Sticking with the one-on-ones, new outside linebacker Chauncey Rivers notched a pair of wins over rookie tackle Coy Cronk. Rivers has a real ability to get low and under the blocker. Fellow outside linebacker Tipa Galeai split four reps. His upside is obvious. During his second pair of snaps, he smoked Cole Van Lanen with an inside move on the first rep. On the second, with Van Lanen wary of Galeai’s speed, Galeai used a bull rush to push Van Lanen back a few steps before the rookie held his ground.
– Love almost threw a terrible interception. He had Reggie Begelton wide open about 10 yards downfield. Instead of throwing the ball with some zip, he lobbed it to Begelton. That allowed linebacker De’Jon Harris to deflect the pass.
– Rodgers almost threw an interception, too. He went deep to tight end Josiah Deguara but Amos quickly bolted across the field and probably should have grabbed the pick. Regardless, Amos is having a terrific training camp.
Packers Training Camp Schedule
The Packers will practice in front of the fans at 10:10 a.m. on Wednesday and Thursday. Those two practices, and next week’s two joint practices against the Jets, are the final opportunities for fans to attend training camp.
