Highlights From Practice 13 of Packers Training Camp
GREEN BAY, Wis. – Entering training camp, one of the Green Bay Packers’ weakest position groups appeared to be safety. Behind the starting tandem of Adrian Amos and Darnell Savage, not a single player on the rest of the depth chart played a regular-season snap of NFL defense last season.
Fast forward to Wednesday and the 13th practice of training camp, the Packers must be feeling a lot better about the battle.
Vernon Scott, a seventh-round pick in 2020 who played only 17 snaps on special teams in three appearances last season, intercepted Aaron Rodgers to give the defense the “win” in a two-minute drill. Shawn Davis, a fifth-round pick by Indianapolis in 2021 who played nine snaps on special teams in his one game with Green Bay, recorded interceptions against Rodgers and Jordan Love.
Those two, along with Dallin Leavitt, a special-teams ace with the Raiders the past few seasons under coordinator Rich Bisaccia, have helped turn weakness into strength.
As is the case for every player fighting for a role, every opportunity for Scott and Davis is precious. They’ve done a good job of capitalizing on their chances and figure to be the starting tandem when the preseason kicks off at San Francisco on Friday night.
“There’s not four preseason games anymore. There’s no more two-a-day practices,” general manager Brian Gutekunst said before practice. “I think in the past we were able to get through that grind period earlier, and so guys got a little bit more in their comfort zone. But I think Matt (LaFleur) does a really good job, intentionally as we approach these games, to putting guys in position to see what we need to see. But there’s not as many opportunities as we’ve had in the past.”