Packers-Saints Preview: Five Players to Watch

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers’ young receivers made too many mistakes during Friday’s preseason loss at San Francisco and in Tuesday’s joint practice against New Orleans.

“I think it’s more some of the silly mistakes that we need to get cleaned up,” coach Matt LaFleur said on Wednesday. “It was like something as simple as checking with the official before the snap to make sure we were eligible. I think there’s going to be growing pains, particularly with younger players.

“I appreciate this about Aaron (Rodgers): It’s the urgency to get some of this stuff corrected. You can’t make the same mistake twice, not in this league. We don’t have time for it. That’s just enough time to get you beat. He’s the ultimate competitor, and I think it’s good for these guys to feel that because we’ve got to make sure they continue to show progress each and every day and it’ll be a good opportunity today to see how these young guys respond.”

The receivers responded well on Wednesday. Now, under the lights of Lambeau Field for Friday’s preseason game at Lambeau Field, they’ll have to do it again.

There’s a lot at stake at just about every position group. For promising players such as Romeo Doubs, they need to show that they’re worthy of being on the field for Week 1 against Minnesota. That makes this a big game. Time is running out. At some point sooner than later, the Packers are going to turn their focus to their core group of players.

The path to being a part of that core group, whether it’s at receiver or outside linebacker, will continue vs. the Saints.

With that as a backdrop, here are five players to watch.

Quarterback Jordan Love

Quarterback Jordan Love threw three interceptions last week against San Francisco. In the eyes of Aaron Rodgers, none of those were Love’s fault. Nonetheless, he needs to play better and show that his improvement isn’t limited to the practice field.

That starts with some of the simple stuff. Among his incompletions vs. the 49ers were two passes to the flat that were thrown behind the running back. The long balls, such as the “game-winner” against the Saints in a two-minute drill on Wednesday, grab everyone’s attention but you can’t miss the easy ones. Those plays are the difference between second-and-10 or second-and-4, or first-and-10 or a punt.

“It always starts with decision-making at that position, making sure he’s making the proper checks or the proper reads in the pass game, and then the timing element,” LaFleur said. “I thought by and large, he was on time last week, but there were a couple of plays he could certainly be a little bit better on. And then just finally the accuracy, making sure, especially the gimmes, you can’t miss a layup.”

Receiver Romeo Doubs

The fourth-round pick has put himself in position to be a Week 1 contributor. For a guy without great stopwatch speed, he has routinely gotten behind the secondary, whether it’s on the practice field, Family Night, preseason or joint practices.

Against the Saints on Tuesday, he ran a double-move. The route wasn’t fantastic but his speed was incredible as he raced past the cornerback. The problem is he dropped what would have been a touchdown of about 70 yards. That’s on top of a couple drops against the 49ers and one on Family Night.

“You keep dropping the ball, you’re not going to be out there,” Rodgers said when asked nonspecifically about Doubs. “It’s going to be the most reliable guys that are out there. The preparation and the job responsibility is most important. There’s going to be physical mistakes, like we’ve talked about, but if you’re going out there and dropping the ball and somebody else behind you is in the right spot all the time and catching the ball, that guy’s going to play.”

The ”preparation and job responsibility” were at the heart of Wednesday morning’s quarterbacks-receivers meeting. Under the premise that less thinking equals better playing, perhaps Doubs’ hands will improve once he feels more comfortable with everything that comes before making the catch.

“Obviously for a young player, he’s had an outstanding first training camp, which is really good to see,” general manager Brian Gutekunst said. “As you go through training camp, as many as I’ve been through, you see guys will start out and then as you get to a certain point, the physical toll, the mental toll kind of comes into play a little bit and there’s usually little dips.

“So, I think a lot of our players, not just the young guys but even some of the veterans have had some of that as the training camp has gone on. But we’re always looking for that consistency, right? You can make too much of the evaluation process in training camp because a lot of times it’s just working to that point, but Romeo has shown enough in his brief time here that we think he can help us.”

Outside linebacker Kingsley Enagbare

The Packers got almost no big-play production last year from the cast of characters behind star outside linebackers Rashan Gary and Preston Smith. The main addition was Kingsley Enagbare, a fifth-round pick who had a dismal Scouting Combine with a 4.87 in the 40 and somehow an even worse pro day with a 4.98 in the 40.

Forty times be damned, Enagbare has emerged like a rocket over the past week. He had a productive game against San Francisco, a dominant two-minute drill against Rodgers and the starters on Sunday and a superb two days of practices against the Saints. On Wednesday, he had “sacks” to end both the Saints’ two-minute drills. Maybe not fast over 40 yards, Enagbare has a blend of quickness and power.

“I think he’s had a bunch of nice days here over the past week,” Gutekunst said. “I think you’ve got to keep stacking those good days. I think as these guys learn to be professionals on our level, it’s all about the consistency, not just doing it one day but being able to do it every day. I think once you start to see that – and we’ve seen that the past few days, which is really nice – then I think you start having more faith that they can do that on Sundays every week. But he’s done a nice job. I think he’s got a bright future and we’re excited about him.”

Cornerback Kiondre Thomas

Green Bay’s starting cornerbacks are great. The backups are the great unknown. For most of camp, Shemar Jean-Charles, Keisean Nixon and Rico Gafford formed the No. 2 trio. With Gafford missing practice on Wednesday with an ankle injury, Kiondre Thomas was elevated into that second group.

Thomas stands out from the group. Literally. Nixon, a standout special teams player under Rich Bisaccia for the Raiders, is 5-foot-10 1/4. Jean-Charles, a fifth-round pick is 2021 who barely played as a rookie, is 5-foot-10 3/8. Gafford, a cornerback-turned-receiver-turned-cornerback, is a miniscule 5-foot-9 1/2.

Thomas, on the other hand, is 5-foot-11 3/4. He played on special teams for a few games for the Chargers last season.

“I think those guys have done a nice job so far,” Gutekunst said. “I think between the San Francisco game and then these two practices and then tomorrow’s night’s game, I think it’s a pretty good window of evaluation and competition. They’ve done a nice job. Certainly, Sherm has grown a lot, which is nice to see. Got a couple new guys in there that I think are feeling their way around here, but I like them. They’re all a little shorter than what I’m used to, but I like they’re aggressiveness and the way they play.”

Kicker Ramiz Ahmed

Obviously, so long as Mason Crosby is healthy following offseason knee surgery, Ramiz Ahmed is not going to be Green Bay’s kicker in Week 1. But Ahmed is an intriguing prospect. He made a 61-yard field goal in the USFL and has converted 11-of-13 attempts during his two practices.

Ahmed took quite a path to Green Bay. Even when not kicking in college, he was sure he’d kick in the NFL. At the urging of a kicker he met at UNLV, Ahmed connected with longtime NFL kicker John Carney, who runs Carney Coaching.

“He was born with a gifted leg, that’s for sure,” Carney said over the phone this week. “Like many specialists, the next step often takes a few years and some growing and some maturity. He has put a lot of time and effort and education into his kicking and into his craft. He is an NFL kicker. It’s just a matter of what team and when it’s going to happen. He has dialed in his game and his mental process. He showed that in the USFL. I’m excited for him. He’s got a future in the NFL. I think his future is bright.”

Prior to the USFL and this shot in Green Bay, Ahmed competed for a spot with the Bears in 2020. Chicago’s punter at the time was new Packers punter Pat O’Donnell.

Two things are worth noting. First, this is the soon-to-be 38-year-old Crosby’s final season under contract. Second, the Packers kept J.J. Molson on their practice squad last season. So, if Ahmed shows enough promise over the next week, he could put himself in a good position for 2023.

“Hope stays in Pandora’s box for us,” Carney said. “We compete at workouts, at tryouts, at combines. If we need to show some improvement in some area of our game to be a legitimate option for an NFL team, then we do our best to correct that to put ourselves in position to compete and be an asset for a club. It’s a tough road as a kicker, punter, long snapper. There is no backup. You either stay as the starter or go home and go back to improve your craft. It does take a strong stomach but the rewards are certainly wonderful when you make it to the NFL.”

Related Story and How to Watch

After two days of joint practices, tonight's #Packers-Saints game almost seems like an afterthought.

That's not the case, though, for all the position battles that must be determined. Here's a closer look.https://t.co/oRFohwk7wh
— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) August 19, 2022

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