This Might Be Do-Or-Die Training Camp for These Three Packers

Training camp is where competitions truly begin. These are not the days of Mike Sherman’s double sessions, which would test players physically and mentally, so every rep carries significant weight.

Some players have their spot set on the roster. Jordan Love is going to be the starting quarterback. Christian Watson will be catching passes from him. Training camp for players of their stature is more about getting timing and rhythm together before the regular season begins.

For some players, each rep could be the difference in making the roster vs. finding themselves packing their bags in hopes of finding another team for which to play. Here are three players who are entering camp with a chance to make or break their careers in Green Bay.

Luke Musgrave

When the Packers drafted Musgrave in the second round two seasons ago, their hope was to turn an athletic marvel into an all-around presence at tight end. Musgrave’s rookie season proved that he was a capable of making plays down the field. He was excellent in training camp, and followed that up by tying the franchise rookie record for receptions by a tight end in a season.

The problem for Musgrave is that he has either been injured or ineffective ever since. Musgrave missed time during his rookie season with a lacerated kidney, which gave Tucker Kraft his opportunity to take the position and run with it.

Kraft has done just that. He was the starting tight end at the beginning of the 2024 season, winning a competition with Musgrave for more reps on the field, and completely left him in the dust by the time the 2025 season rolled around.

Kraft looked like he was ascending into one of the best tight ends in football before he tore his ACL on Nov. 2 against the Panthers.

Once Kraft went down, Musgrave had an opportunity to do to Kraft what Kraft did to him.

Instead, Musgrave was mostly ineffective, catching just 16 passes once Kraft was fully out of the lineup. He did not make any plays that were particularly memorable, and finished the season with 24 catches for 252 yards and zero touchdowns.

Since catching 34 passes as a rookie, Musgrave has caught 31 since thanks to battles with injuries and ineffectiveness. He does not have a touchdown since his rookie season.

Musgrave is also largely miscast in Green Bay’s offense. Matt LaFleur wants to have every passing play tied to his run game, which requires his tight ends to be good blockers.

Josh Whyle and John Fitzpatrick were getting reps over Musgrave last season because of their blocking ability. With Kraft likely returning to the lineup during training camp, the reps for the second tight end on the field are going to be given to those who are more capable blockers.

The guess is that Musgrave will have chances during training camp to compete, but could fall victim to the same fate of another former second-round bust, cornerback Josh Jackson. During training camp in the final season of his contract, he was traded to the Giants for fellow cornerback Isaac Yiadom.

Perhaps the Packers could find a partner wanting to take a shot on Musgrave’s athletic profile and move him for someone who is a better fit on the back of the roster.

Marshawn Lloyd

There may not be a player who generates more buzz whenever he is on the field than Marshawn Lloyd. The snippets of Lloyd’s career have been tantalizing. His skill-set is something that fits like a glove next to Josh Jacobs in a backfield that needs to provide more punch than it did a season ago.

The problem? Lloyd’s career has been snake-bitten by injuries that have limited him to just one career regular-season carry through the first two years of his career.

The Packers and Lloyd have been diligent about trying to keep him healthy entering this season. They cleared the runway for him to be the team’s unquestioned second running back behind Jacobs after allowing Emanuel Wilson to leave in the offseason. They followed that up by not drafting a running back with any of their six picks in the draft.

MarShawn Lloyd got a text from his girlfriend while at Packers minicamp last week.

“She was like, ‘Love you, Yeet Cannon.’” ⬇️https://t.co/jCRcy7FbEc
— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) June 15, 2026

Can the Packers count on him to be there?

“We can count on his talent,” general manager Brian Gutekunst said after the draft. “We just got to get him out there and keep him healthy. If he’s healthy, we know he can help us."

Gutekunst is right. The Packers have the smash in their run game with the bruising running style of Jacobs.

They need more dash. Jacobs’ longest run of the season a year ago came on a 40-yard touchdown against the Denver Broncos in late December. Jacobs had 10 fewer explosive runs than he had in 2024.

Josh Jacobs: injured or on the decline?

Rushing Attempts: Dropped 22.3% in 2025 compared to the previous season.

Rushing Yards: dropped 30.1% in 2025 compared to the previous season.

Yards per carry: dropped from 4.42 in 2024 vs 3.97 in 2025.

Explosive Runs (10+ yards):…
— Start Sit 'Em (@StartSitEmFF) July 21, 2026

Explosiveness is the name of Lloyd’s game. It’s just a matter of that game being available when it matters the most.

If Lloyd gets injured in camp again, it’s hard to imagine the Packers counting on him for anything once the season begins.

Carrington Valentine

Valentine is an interesting case, because there are things to like about his game. In terms of pure coverage, he might be the most adept player in Green Bay’s cornerback room.

Last year, however, Valentine was never able to fully usurp an injured an ineffective Nate Hobbs until later in the season. Even when Valentine was a full-time starter, the Packers were actively looking to replace him.

Against the Ravens in late December, Valentine was benched in favor of Hobbs, who subsequently left the game with a knee injury that knocked him out for the rest of the season. Valentine returned to the lineup, only to be replaced again to start the second half by Kamal Hadden, who left with a significant ankle injury that ended his season, as well.

Trevon Diggs was brought in as a potential replacement for Valentine, but played just one snap in the team’s playoff loss against the Bears. No stone was left unturned when it came to putting Valentine on the bench.

The Packers did more work to their cornerback room this offseason. Benjamin St.-Juste and Brandon Cisse were priority additions in free agency and the draft.

With a lack of proven options on the roster, competition should be fierce. No player truly should be guaranteed a starting role. Valentine was a starter during the offseason program, but there is not much to read into that. St-Juste was injured and Cisse was rotated in as he found his footing as a rookie.

That makes Valentine’s status as a contributor tenuous, at best.

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Over the past couple weeks, I wrote about 8 zillion words in 39 individual stories ranking every player on the Packers' roster. Here it all is, all 91 players, condensed into one quick-hitting story. ⬇️https://t.co/tEjTWy86qk
— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) July 24, 2026

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