Green Bay Packers vs Tennessee Titans: 4 matchups to watch

1. Josh Jones vs Kentrell Brice

This piece is supposed to be about the Packers vs the Titans, but the majority of the important Packers battles are internal ones. A lot of the key starters won’t be playing this week. Most of them won’t be playing till week three of the preseason. However, in some cases, the coaches need more time to decide their starters. Josh Jones vs Kentrell Brice is one of those special scenarios for these coaches.

After allowing Morgan Burnett to walk in free agency, that left a very big hole to fill next to Ha Ha Clinton-Dix. The Packers chose to fill it internally, with a battle between Jones, Brice and Jermaine Whitehead as a darkhorse candidate. Throughout camp, both have shown their flashes of brilliance, but neither of them have established a firm grasp on the job. Brice appears poised to get the start on Thursday, but Jones will see his fair share of snaps also.

Jones is a past second round draft pick. He’s built like a modern day hybrid linebacker. However, if the Packers plan to play him at safety, he’ll have to have made some strides from last season. He struggled mightily playing on the back end, but he played well in the box with his athleticism. Brice’s main battle in his career has been with injuries. He suffered another small injury last week. He is a more pure safety than Jones, so it will be interesting how they play on Thursday.