Light tackled challenge against Eagles

Backup offensive tackle Alex Light started slowly but played well as the Packers attempted to rally on Thursday.

Before the 2018 NFL Draft, scouts from just about every team Alex Light talked to viewed the Richmond offensive tackle as a candidate to play guard or center.

The Green Bay Packers, however, viewed him as a tackle – a projection that didn’t change as an undrafted free agent battling for a roster spot last summer.

On Thursday night against Philadelphia, Light replaced standout right tackle Bryan Bulaga and played the entire second half. Initially, Light struggled. In fact, he struggled so much against veteran defensive end Brandon Graham that replacing Light with right guard Billy Turner must have at least crossed the minds of the coaching staff.

Then, a funny thing happened. Light settled in to such an extent that it was easy to forget he was on the field.

“There were a couple snaps early on where he was getting back into the swing of the game,” offensive line coach Adam Stenavich said on Friday. “But you’re right. Once he settled down, it was business as usual and he did a good job.”

In his first professional snaps at offensive tackle – he played guard for 23 snaps against Detroit in last year’s finale – Light played 51 snaps against the Eagles. Officially, Brandon Graham recorded one tackle for loss and no quarterback hits. Sports Info Solutions charged Light with one missed block in the running game and one missed block in pass protection.

Stenavich paid him the ultimate tribute by saying Light played well enough that coach Matt LaFleur didn’t have to adjust his game plan.

“I was happy with how he played,” Stenavich said. “He came in, he stepped up for us, did a good job. He allowed us to keep doing what we were doing on offense. I’m really proud of the way he responded.”

To get ready for LaFleur’s zone scheme and a presumed camp battle against Jason Spriggs, Light put himself on a strict diet, lifted weights six days a week and wound up cutting about 10 pounds. The clash against Spriggs didn’t last long, with the former second-round pick being waived-injured early in camp.

Without Spriggs, Light got a lot of action this summer at both tackle spots, whether it was for All-Pro left tackle David Bakhtiari in the preseason games or for Bulaga during one of his rest days in camp.

“I’ve been able to elevate my game going against Za’Darius and Preston every day,” Light said during training camp of his battles against the Smiths. “Those are two elite guys, who if I make the team and happen to be out there, then I’m going to have to go against those type of players every day. So just going against them and working my technique that I’ve learned from the coaches and older guys here, just trying to get better every day and do it against that type of player, is really a blessing.”

For Week 1 against the Chicago, Light was inactive. He’s been up for each of the last three games, though. The Philly game marked his first snaps in a game on offense in four weeks, so perhaps it was no surprise that he had some early struggles. However, once Light shook off the rust, he played well – just like he did against Houston’s Whitney Mercilus during the joint practice against the Texans.

“Evaluating him in the preseason, he got a lot of good snaps and did a good job, so I was encouraged about that,” Stenavich said. “Now, coming in against some really good competition – especially going up against Brandon Graham – that’s a valuable asset for us as far as our depth.”