Packers Stock Report After Week 1 of Preseason
The preseason opener is in the books. The world is one week closer to the NFL’s regular season.
There is plenty to be decided between now and Sept. 10, when the Packers take on the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field.
The Packers won their preseason opener 36-19 against the Cincinnati Bengals, who rested most of their starters. While the outcome isn’t important, these games can be the difference between making the roster or looking for a job at the end of the month.
Here are players who helped and hurt their stock with the team.
Stock Up: Emanuel Wilson
Is there a better story to emerge from camp since Wilson’s incredible night?
Wilson, playing on the 14-year anniversary of his father’s passing, had the night of his life.
Wilson ran for 111 yards on six touches. He had another nice run wiped away by a holding penalty. He scored two touchdowns, including an 80-yard run that showed off his vision and speed.
Wilson isn’t just a story that can tug at the heartstrings. He’s firmly in the race for the team’s third running back spot. Tyler Goodson left Friday’s game with an injury. Patrick Taylor has been with the team for two years, but maybe the Packers would want to roll with someone more explosive for that spot.
If Wilson has more performances like the one he had on Friday, it’ll be even harder to keep him off the roster.
Stock Up: Sean Clifford
Coming into the night, Clifford likely had the backup quarterback job locked up by default. The Packers released Danny Etling late last week, leaving only Clifford and former USFL MVP Alex McGough behind Jordan Love.
That gives the Packers the least-experienced quarterback room in the NFL, by a significant margin.
Clifford, for his part, played well in his preseason debut. Yes, he threw two interceptions, but both are teachable moments. He made up for the turnovers with big plays, as well.
He showed mobility. He showed a strong enough arm to make throws into tight windows. He made plays outside of the structure of the offense.
Overall, he finished 20-26 with 208 yards, one touchdown pass and two interceptions. He added 27 yards on two rushes, as well.
The Packers have had nearly six months to bring in a veteran backup. They have not shown any interest as of yet. If Clifford keeps stacking performances, they won’t feel as if they need to.
Stock Up: Malik Heath
Malik Heath looks to be the undrafted free agent with the clearest path to continue the Packers’ streak of 18 consecutive years of an undrafted free agent making the initial 53-man roster.
If the wide receiver room were based entirely on a meritocracy, Heath would be the team’s fifth wide receiver at this time. He had a strong debut in the preseason, catching three passes for 36 yards.
More importantly, the Packers place a high value on receivers that can block, and Heath has shown an ability to do that both in practice and Friday’s game.
Effort like that is the easiest way for an undrafted free agent to catch the eye of the coaching staff.
"Malik’s more your big, goonish type of guy that you guys know we love around here. He’s very physical." LaFleur said of Heath just a few days ago.
“Goon” is a term of endearment coming from LaFleur. He used that term to describe Allen Lazard. With the Packers looking to replace Lazard, it’s possible Heath could follow a similar path.
Stock Up: Carrington Valentine
What else is there to say about Valentine? He has made a play almost every day since camp started.
Friday was a continuation of what has been happening in practice. Valentine is sticky in coverage and makes plays on the ball.
His lack of interceptions is why he fell to the seventh round, according to his college defensive coordinator, but he’s shown himself to be a playmaker. On Friday, Valentine had three pass breakups and one interception. He played well in joint practices against Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, so this was not just a byproduct of playing backup receivers.
With Eric Stokes coming back from last year’s foot injury, Valentine could open the season as the first corner off the bench.
"It’s only one game, you have to stack these games ... but I think he’s got a ton of talent, great approach to the game. He’s an exciting young player." LaFleur said after the game.
There may not be a player that’s had a better camp than Valentine.
Carrington Valentine intercepts a pass at Cincinnati. (Photo by Sam Greene/USA Today Sports Images)
Stock Up: Brenton Cox
Cox was the darling of the undrafted free agent class.
He knows he should not have been an undrafted free agent, but being dismissed from two programs made him juice the NFL deemed not worth the squeeze.
Instead, he signed in Green Bay. He’s had a quieter camp but showed up in a big way on Friday night. He had three pressures against Cincinnati, which tied for the team lead.
With Rashan Gary returning from the PUP list, the Packers have a five-deep group that includes Preston Smith, Kingsley Enagbare, Justin Hollins and first-round pick Lukas Van Ness. Could Cox force the Packers to keep six?
Cox will need to continue to stack performances like the one he had on Friday night to make for a difficult decision for general manager Brian Gutekunst.
Stock Up: Luke Musgrave
The box score wasn’t sexy for Musgrave, but there is one continuing trend: The Packers continue to give Luke Musgrave a big share of targets in the passing game.
The team has lacked size and athleticism at that position since the days of Jermichael Finley.
In just 10 pass attempts with Jordan Love vs. the Bengals, Musgrave received three of those targets. It’s a small sample, but 30 percent of the target share is nothing to sneeze at.
“The sky is the limit for him, He’s a really good player. Explosive player. Very fast," Love said after Friday’s game. "The more we just continue to get him the ball. I wish I would’ve been able to connect over the middle on that one, then we targeted him on a screen which the D-end made a really good play. We’ve just got to keep getting him the ball, keep feeding him and see what he can do after the catch, but he’s going to be a really good player.”
Musgrave has been a starter essentially since the day he was drafted. The opportunities will be there. Eventually, the numbers should follow.
Stock Down: Sean Rhyan
Of the backup guards, Rhyan has been having the best camp. He was undefeated in 1-on-1s before the team left for Cincinnati.
It wasn’t an awful game for Rhyan. He had some nice moments in the run game, including a punishing block that sprung Emanuel Wilson’s 80-yard touchdown. He was, however, beaten like a drum on a pass that turned into a pick-six. Pro Football Focus charged him with four pressures in 28 pass-protecting snaps.
Stock Down: Royce Newman
If Rhyan and Newman are competing for one spot, it was obvious who was the better player on Friday.
Newman has started 22 games in his career and played more than 1,500 snaps. That experience hasn’t translated, as Newman is plagued by things that affected him as a rookie.
He was flagged for two holding penalties and gave up two pressures in 27 pass-protecting snaps, according to PFF.
Injuries along the offensive line might have helped Newman’s case for the roster, but it has not been pretty for the third-year pro.
Stock Down: Rudy Ford
Ford is going to make the team due to his special teams value alone. That’s why he was signed by Green Bay a year ago and retained in free agency.
Ford made his first start last season in a Week 10 game against the Dallas Cowboys and was an instant sensation with two interceptions. He eventually replaced Darnell Savage, only to be bumped out of the lineup by Savage for the final couple games.
Following the departure of Adrian Amos, Ford opened the offseason as the team’s starting safety next to Savage and looked to have the inside track on a starting spot. Instead, on Friday night, he was playing in the fourth quarter and looked to be behind Jonathan Owens and Tarvarius Moore.
His roster spot isn’t in jeopardy, but if he wants to be part of the defense, he looks to have an uphill climb.
Stock Down: Tyler Goodson
Goodson’s spot on the list really doesn’t have much to do with performance. He scored a touchdown and started the game as the team’s kickoff returner.
A diverse skill-set is required to be the team’s third running back. He’s proven himself to be dynamic as a runner and receiver.
The issue with Goodson is he left the game with an injury. The severity of which is yet to be determined, but combine that with Emanuel Wilson’s big night, and Goodson could fall behind if he misses too much time.
The old adage is you can’t make the club in the tub. Hopefully, for his sake, Goodson isn’t on the shelf for too long.
More Green Bay Packers News
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Packers at Bengals: Quarterbacks show bounce-back ability
Packers at Bengals: Five standout performances
Packers at Bengals: Victory in preseason opener
Packers at Bengals: Love made believers of Bengals
Packers at Bengals: Live updates
