Highlights From Practice 17 of Packers Training Camp

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Jordan Love returned to Green Bay Packers training camp on a limited basis on Monday and cranked it up a notch on Tuesday with what appeared to be his regular complement of reps during 11-on-11 periods.

After missing a week’s worth of practices as well as Saturday’s preseason game with an injured throwing shoulder, the results weren’t especially encouraging. Facing pressure up the middle, his first pass was a wounded duck that didn’t quite make it to receiver Malik Taylor at the sideline. OK, that came under pressure. So, how about his second pass? Given excellent protection, he threw another wounded duck that sailed into no-man’s land.

Love started 1-of-4, with the completion a sharp crossing route to receiver Reggie Begelton. He threw it twice on his next sequence of plays. The first was a deep ball to Taylor that was intercepted by rookie cornerback Shemar Jean-Charles. The second was a sidearm incompletion that bounced somewhere in the vicinity of tight end Jace Sternberger.

Love was sharper in his final two sequences of the day.

The first was a seven-play drive that ended in the end zone. Love completed all four passes: a swing pass to tight end Bronson Kaufusi, a screen to Sternberger, a slant to Taylor with plenty of velocity against Kabion Ento and, finally, a touchdown on a wheel route to running back Dexter Williams.

In a third-down period that ended his day, Love got two reps and made them count with completions to Begelton and Amari Rodgers on slants that moved the chains.

What does all this mean for Saturday’s preseason finale at Buffalo? It’s hard to say this early in the week. How will Love’s shoulder feel on Wednesday? Will he throw it better on Thursday? Of note, if Love had been deemed 100 percent healthy, the team might have released fourth quarterback Jake Dolegala as part of Tuesday’s cut to 80 players. Instead, Dolegala remains on the roster for the obvious purpose of providing some insurance in case Love isn’t cleared to face the Bills.

No Resolution at Guard

For the second consecutive day, the No. 1 pairing at guard had veteran Lucas Patrick on the left side and rookie Royce Newman on the right side. While Newman took every first-team rep, Jon Runyan got about half the snaps on the left side.

Ben Braden, who had been part of a four-man derby for the two guard slots, has been getting a lot of snaps with as the right tackle with the No. 2 offense as veteran Dennis Kelly battles back from injury.

The preseason will conclude against Buffalo but that doesn’t mean the competition will conclude with that game.

“I think we’re getting closer, but we’re going to let this thing go all the way throughout camp,” coach Matt LaFleur said. “We’ve got basically two more weeks before we get into legitimate game-week mode, so I think we’ll take all two weeks.”

Play of the Day

On the third-to-last play of practice, Aaron Rodgers converted a third-and-5 with a 50-yard touchdown pass to receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling.

This play had something for everyone, starting with a big-time bull rush by Kenny Clark against left guard Jon Runyan. Great quarterbacks are great because they can make plays with pressure in their face. Rodgers, who got knocked to the turf a few plays earlier and seemed at least a little concerned about his left foot, threw a perfect pass. And Valdes-Scantling made the catch to continue his prolific training camp that has him poised to take another big step in his career.

“Everybody’s gifted in different ways,” receivers coach Jason Vrable said of Valdes-Scantling recently. “Yeah, he can run and he’s had those home run plays, but then it’s just putting everything together. If there’s a weakness, you make it a strength. You’ve got to work on those things in the offseason and hone in on it, and I think he’s done a great job. In his fourth year, third year in the system, he’s just playing with great confidence and he’s done an awesome job.”

Packers Injury Report

New Injuries: None.

Old Injuries: WR Devin Funchess (hamstring), WR Chris Blair (ankle), S Vernon Scott (hamstring), LB Ty Summers (hamstring), OLB Za’Darius Smith (back), OT Dennis Kelly (knee), WR Juwann Winfree (shoulder).

Returned to Practice: None

Physically Unable to Perform List: LT David Bakhtiari (knee).

Injured Reserve: WR DeAndre Thompkins (shoulder), OLB Randy Ramsey (ankle), TE Isaac Nauta (chest).

Some Quick Reads

– With lightning spotted east of the practice field, the team held its final few periods of practice inside the Hutson Center.

– Kicking in the great indoors, Mason Crosby made all six field-goal attempts, ranging from 33 to 56 yards. That’s not noteworthy. What was troubling was long snapper Hunter Bradley came up a bit short on three of the six snaps. Crosby made the kicks only because punter JK Scott is such a tremendous holder. Bradley has gone unchallenged for most of training camp but that doesn’t mean he’s guaranteed to be the Week 1 snapper.

– The biggest cheer from the players came on the second play of the day, when Rodgers booted to his left and threw a laser to veteran tight end Marcedes Lewis, who caught the ball on his right hip. Lewis is a revered leader who goes by the nickname “Big Dog.” There was some woofing as he rumbled up the field.

– On the fifth play, Rodgers stepped up in the pocket and threw a perfect deep ball to running back Aaron Jones, who had a couple steps on outside linebacker Jonathan Garvin.

– It must have been Pick on Eric Stokes Day on Rodgers’ calendar. Rodgers completed 6-of-8 passes against the first-round pick, with one of the incompletions looking like a blatant defensive holding penalty. Rodgers threw two touchdowns to Valdes-Scantling. He also completed a pass to Randall Cobb, with Stokes gambling and losing by going for a breakup.

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— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) August 24, 2021

– Rodgers has been sharper than he was on Wednesday but some of his completions left the defenders beyond frustrated. On one, Rodgers completed a deep ball to Adams just over the outstretched arms of Jaire Alexander. Then, on a two-point play, Rodgers somehow connected with tight end Robert Tonyan against superb coverage by Chandon Sullivan. While Tonyan celebrated, Sullivan pounded the FieldTurf.

– While Krys Barnes has been the only inside linebacker on the field when the No. 1 defense rolls out its dime package, De’Vondre Campbell was in that role for the start of the third-down period. As has been the case throughout camp, Henry Black was the third safety/sixth defensive back.

– The Packers got down to 80 players in painful fashion for the special teams.

– During that aforementioned third-down period, Rodgers and the No. 1 offense ran seven plays and moved the chains four times. Each time the offense won, cornerback Kevin King did pushups. Each time the defense won, receiver Devin Funchess did pushups.

“He’d be talking, and we’d be talking, so I’m like, ‘All right, let’s get five pushups on whoever wins,’” King said. “And then we’d run it back and run it back and run it back. Then they had a few flags out there, man, that I already did pushups for but then I seen the flag so I think he might owe me about five or 10 pushups.”

Packers Training Camp Schedule

The Packers will practice on Thursday, leave for Buffalo on Friday and play the Bills at noon Saturday.

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