Ten Things We’ll Be Watching at Packers Family Night

Saturday’s Family Night will be like most of Packers training camp, except there could be 73,000 fans filling Lambeau Field. Here’s what we’ll be watching.

Author:
Bill Huber
Publish date:
Aug 5, 2023 12:10 PM EDT

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Green Bay Packers

GREEN BAY, Wis. – With all 73,000 tickets distributed, Lambeau Field will be practically bursting at the seams for the Green Bay Packers’ annual Family Night practice on Saturday night.

Whether you’re at Lambeau or watching on the Packers TV Network (it will not be streamed), here are 10 things we’ll be watching during this eighth practice of training camp.

1. Can Jordan Love Get Hot?

Through six live practices, Jordan Love has completed 50-of-94 passes. In five of those six practices, he’s been flirting with 50 percent. That’s not going to cut it in the games, though a veteran secondary has an obvious built-in advantage over a young offense at this early stage of training camp.

“He’s done a really nice job,” general manager Brian Gutekunst said on Friday. “The next two weeks, with the opportunities that this football team is going to have, with the joint practices, Family Night and the two preseason games, that will be very big for us.”

The overwhelming majority of fans are willing to give Love the benefit of the doubt in replacing Aaron Rodgers. A strong Family Night would provide additional hope that the Packers have the right man for the job. In that context, you’d think coach Matt LaFleur would try to tailor the night for Love to succeed.

Jordan Love at Family Night in 2022 (Photo by Samantha Madar/USA Today Sports Images)

2. Will Backup Quarterback Emerge?

Someone has to be the backup quarterback. And, given the attrition rate at that position with almost 70 quarterbacks starting at least one game last season, that someone better have the ability to move the chains and score points.

Rookie Sean Clifford, a fifth-round pick after a record-setting career at Penn State, has been the more effective of the three candidates. He led the backups to a touchdown in a 2-minute drill this week – quite a feat considering the defense’s dominance. Clifford, Danny Etling and Alex McGough have combined to play zero snaps in regular-season games, so there’s no guarantee the No. 2 quarterback is on the roster.

“There’s been some good competition,” Gutekunst said. “You’ve seen each guy’s had their moments, which is good. The preseason games, they’re going to get a lot of work. That should probably separate some things.”

3. Running Backs When Not Running

The Packers have a four-man derby to be the third man in the backfield behind Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon. Patrick Taylor served that role for most of last season but is being pursued by explosive Tyler Goodson, seventh-round pick Lew Nichols and powerful Emanuel Wilson.

Goodson was a star at Thursday’s practice. Just like he showed last preseason, he’s a dynamic threat once he gets in the open field. However, with Jones and Dillon to carry the load, the Packers aren’t necessarily looking for a playmaker. So, keep an eye on the backs if they do one-on-one drills as receivers and pass blockers vs. the linebackers.

“He has to catch it and he’s got to pass block and he’s got to be able to play special teams, because that’s the role he's going to be in,” Gutekunst said of picking a third back. “If he’s lacking in that area, if he can’t play special teams, if he can’t pass block, it’s going to be hard to use him.”

4. Jayden Reed

Jayden Reed, the second of the team’s second-round picks in this year’s draft, has to rank among the leaders in targets when running with the No. 1 offense. Jordan Love has looked to him in some key spots in third-down and 2-minute drills.

The results haven’t always been there, though. Reed’s shown some shaky hands, though perhaps that’s a byproduct of still thinking his way through things at times. When he does catch it, good things tend to happen because he’s fast and elusive. He could have a big role this season.

5. Luke Musgrave

Going back to OTAs in May, no rookie has shown as much promise as tight end Luke Musgrave, the first of the team’s second-round picks. That’s why he’s probably taken more first-team reps than every other draft pick combined. He’s used his height to win in contested-catch situations and he’s used his speed to run away from defenders when he gets the ball in his hands.

It’s early, and the blocking is definitely a work in progress, but Musgrave has shown enough to perhaps be an outlier at a position that doesn’t lend itself to rookie-year impact.

6. Center of Attention

Zach Tom spent the start of training camp competing with Yosh Nijman at right tackle. He spent Tuesday competing with Josh Myers at center.

That Myers – the first center selected in the 2021 NFL Draft – is even being challenged for a starting job is a bad sign. By now, he should be considered at least a high-quality starter if not contending for All-Pro honors, as is the case for the center selected after him a couple years ago, the Chiefs’ Creed Humphrey.

Watch the one-on-ones. This week, Myers was demolished in reps against TJ Slaton and Devonte Wyatt.

Meanwhile, when asked about Tom, Gutekunst said: “They’ve been moving a lot of guys around and some young players have really stepped up and improved their game from last year, which I think is going to start to challenge some of those guys that have more experience than they do, and that’s a really good thing for us.”

7. Young Defensive Line

The starting defensive line of Kenny Clark, TJ Slaton and Devonte Wyatt could be strong. Slaton and Wyatt are off to good starts, leading to some optimism that they might be better than last year’s duo of Dean Lowry and Jarran Reed.

But where’s the depth? Fourth-round pick Colby Wooden and sixth-round pick Karl Brooks have had their moments but that’s all it’s been: moments. Coach Matt LaFleur did point to Jonathan Ford, a seventh-round pick last year who was a healthy inactive for all 17 games, as someone who’s “upped his game.”

8. Lukas Van Ness

First-round pick Lukas Van Ness has seen some first-team action alongside Preston Smith at outside linebacker. It’s a wide-open competition to be that next man up behind Smith and, once healthy, Rashan Gary. Justin Hollins and Kingsley Enagbare aren’t slouches, so Van Ness will have to earn his role.

While Van Ness has the size to move up and down the line – Gutekunst mentioned Za’Darius Smith’s role during the draft – he’s been locked in on the edge.

9. Safety Dance

Darnell Savage will be one starter. It’s a wide-open competition for the other spot between Rudy Ford, who started a handful of games last year, Jonathan Owens, a 17-game starter for the Texans last year, and Tarvarius Moore, who started 13 games in his first three years with the 49ers before suffering a torn Achilles.

Ford has gotten most of the first-team action but Moore has delivered the most impact plays in coverage. Owens, whose calling card is tackling, might not jump to the forefront until the joint practices and preseason games.

Moore said of the battle. “My speed, just my effort, attacking the ball, me being a playmaker, taking the ball away, just putting those things on tape, day in day out, and just being relentless, never letting up. I think as long as I do that, I’ll be in a good position to start.”

10. Kicking Competitions

Since making 5-of-6 field-goal attempts during his first performance of training camp, rookie Anders Carlson is just 11-of-21. The pressure will be on at Family Night with 70,000 sets of eyes glued to the man tasked with replacing franchise scoring leader Mason Crosby.

“No concerns right now,” Gutekunst said. “I do think it’s one of those things that this is the National Football League. You’ve got to perform at every position. At the same time, we went into this kind of knowing that rookie kickers will have some struggles, with the thought process there will be some patience there.”

Meanwhile, there is a legitimate battle happening at punter. Based purely on kicking the ball, Daniel Whelan has outperformed veteran Pat O’Donnell. How will Whelan do under the Family Night spotlight?

Moreover, there’s more to punting than kicking the ball a mile in the air with great hangtime. Last year, O’Donnell placed 24 punts inside the 20 with just one touchback, the third-best ratio in the league. Plus, O’Donnell’s experience as a holder could be important for Carlson’s rookie success.