Packers Play and Player of Day: Long-Awaited Breakout at Practice 9 of Training Camp

The Play of the Day at Packers training camp on Sunday was made by a player who finally had a breakout day. The Player of the Day reflects an almost shocking change in the starting lineup.

Green Bay Packers wide receiver Savion Williams (83) catches a pass during Family Night. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers will enter the season with only three proven receivers and nothing but mystery behind them.

The pivotal question: Who will step up if one of those established receivers is out?

On Sunday, the Packers got to test-drive that scenario. With Jayden Reed and Matthew Golden out with ankle and toe injuries, respectively, would Jordan Love find a reliable playmaker?

Yes, and his name was Savion Williams. He was the unquestioned Player of the Day, though we’ll retro fit this to give him the Play of the Day.

Play of the Day

As a third-round pick last season, Williams made almost no impact on offense. Part of that was the team’s loaded receiver depth chart, which meant some awkward usage, and a foot injury that slowed him on the field, limited his practice time and ultimately ended his season. Other than one downfield catch against the Giants, his other nine receptions came on passes thrown a combined 20 yards behind the line of scrimmage.

Could Williams be a factor as a real receiver instead of a 220-pound gadget player?

The start of training camp wasn’t especially encouraging. However, Williams has been picking up steam and dominated Sunday’s practice.

Yes, dominated.

Williams made his mark early with the No. 3 offense. Kyle McCord booted out to his right and then threw a bomb across the field to his left, where Williams was streaking behind linebacker Kristian Welch. The result was a touchdown of about 60 yards and the day’s highlight-reel play.

On the field with the starters in the next period, Love moved out of the pocket to his right and fired a bullet over the middle to Williams for a first down. A handful of plays later, it was Love to Williams to convert on third-and-8.

Savion Williams had a big day today at Packers training camp. pic.twitter.com/GEA7Kj5hkh

— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) August 9, 2026

During the final sequence of “live” plays, Love hit Williams on an out against Keisean Nixon. Finally, on the final play, Williams got open on a slant, caught Love’s pass in stride and might have outrun everybody to the end zone for his second touchdown of the day.

Williams’ big Sunday came on the heels of his jump-ball touchdown on Family Night.

“His measurables are off the charts in terms of his size, speed, and strength,” coach Matt LaFleur said on Friday night. “And then he’s just a young player that’s still learning and he’s got a long way to go, but I think he’s showcased a lot of great traits and that’s why we drafted him and that’s why we loved him coming out.”

Williams’ talent is obvious but, after playing wildcat quarterback for a big part of his senior season at TCU and then getting only a schemed touch or two most games as a rookie, there was a real question as to whether Williams could make an impact doing the types of things receivers need to do.

That was what was encouraging about Sunday’s practice. There was no fluff. No screens, no gadget plays. It was Williams making several big plays while running receiver routes.

As passing-game coordinator Jason Vrable said way back in May: “We’re really excited about him. I think he’s kind of one of those guys that no one's really talking about now, and kind of almost forgotten to the outside world, but I'm really proud to see where he's at right now, both mentally and physically.

“I'm excited to see him when the pads come on, because he's one of those guys, I think when the pads aren't on, you might not know how dominant this guy can be.”

He was dominant on Sunday. If that continues into the season, he’d provide an enormous lift to the offense.

Player of the Day: Jacob Monk

Green Bay Packers lineman Jacob Monk (62) against the Arizona Cardinals last season. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Never take anything for granted at training camp.

It seemed like a near-certainty that Green Bay’s starting offensive line would include Anthony Belton at right guard. A second-round pick last year, his rookie season was inconsistent and promising all at once.

Along with the cliché Year 2 jump, the assumption was Belton would take a leap forward as the former North Carolina State left tackle got to build off his half-season at right guard.

Instead, at training camp on Thursday, Belton was at right tackle for injured Zach Bako-Bewele, with Jacob Monk jumping into the lineup at right guard. At the time, there didn’t seem to be any reason to read into it. The Packers move their linemen all the time. At Family Night on Friday, though, the Packers once again rolled out Monk at right guard and Belton at right tackle.

On Sunday, Bako-Bewele took his first 11-on-11 reps of camp. So, the day started with Monk at right guard, Bako-Bewele at right tackle and Belton standing next to offensive line coach Luke Butkus.

Who would have thought that Monk, a fifth-round pick in 2024 whose only substantial playing time in his career came in Week 18 at the Vikings last year and missed all of the offseason practices this year, would be in the running to be a starter and Belton would be stuck on the bench?

“You talk about a guy that plays to the play style that we want,” coach Matt LaFleur said before Sunday’s practice. “He shows that toughness, that grittiness, the strain, and I think he’s done a pretty good job inside. So, he’s a valuable guy. He can play any of the inside three positions.

“I thought we saw a glimpse of what he’s capable of doing last year when he got some action, especially significant action in that Minnesota game at the end of the season. And I thought he performed well.”

Play style is what Monk hangs his hat on as a blocker.

“I feel like there’s only one way to play the game and it’s fast, physical, and aggressive,” he said. “That’s really all that is.”

As a rookie, Monk played in 10 games with all his snaps coming on special teams. Last season, he played 57 snaps at center – six against Baltimore in Week 17 and 51 in the finale at Minnesota.

“I love football. I love getting there and going out there to play,” he said of the meaning of that game to his career. “I thought I did some things well. I thought there was stuff to work on. I went to the offseason wanting to work on that, but you know, if one thing I can give is my play style because I know as long as you play hard and play fast, you always have a chance on each and every play. Every play’s not going to be perfect but strain and finish will help you.”

A week later at Chicago, Monk suffered a torn biceps while blocking on a field goal. The injury kept him from practicing during OTAs and minicamp. At the time, based on how general manager Brian Gutekunst likes to turn over the bottom of the roster, it seemed like Monk might be fighting for a roster spot this summer.

Instead, he’s fighting for a starting job.

“I just want to be consistent in everything I do,” he said. “I think they’ve always known I’m going to play hard, I’m going to give everything I have. But I just want to show them I can be consistent with everything, too.”

What happened today at Packers training camp?

Plenty, including big plays and big injury updates.

Here is what you need to know from Practice 9 of Packers training camp. ⬇️https://t.co/YKwQc8jBww

— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) August 9, 2026

This morning, I fed the gerbils that power the Packers Roster Lock-O-Meter.

Here's what it spit out, with all 91 players placed into tiers. ⬇️https://t.co/2MlkUdCHrt

— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) August 9, 2026

SIGN UP FOR OUR FREE DAILY PACKERS NEWSLETTER