Quick thoughts before Packers annual Family Night Practice

The Green Bay Packers have eight training camp practices under their belts, and on Friday evening, they will hold their annual Family Night practice at Lambeau Field.

Here are some of my quick thoughts of mine based on what we’ve seen and heard from the Packers’ practices so far.

– I don’t believe that the same starting offensive line configuration has been used in back-to-back practices yet. If the Packers are still without both David Bakhtiari and Elgton Jenkins come Week 1 — let’s hope that isn’t the case — my guess is that the offensive line from left to right will be Nijman, Runyan, Myers, Newman, and Tom.

– Once Bakhtiari and Jenkins return, the only spot that I see as up for grabs is right guard. Myers and Runyan are cemented at left guard and center.

– I am a little surprised that we haven’t seen rookie Sean Rhyan taking some snaps at tackle. So far, he has strictly been with the second or third team offense and only at guard. Rhyan was a third-round pick and played 2,147 snaps at left tackle while at UCLA, according to PFF ($$).

– Brian Gutekunst is, of course, thrilled to see Romeo Doubs off to a fast start, but he is particularly pleased with his ability to win in multiple ways. This is exactly what Doubs put on his tape at Nevada, winning at all three levels of the field, as well as over the middle and from the slot while lining up either out wide or inside.

– We haven’t heard much about Amari Rodgers standing out in training camp so far, but when meeting with reporters, Matt LaFleur would comment on his “gritty” special teams performance, while Gutekunst said that the team was “very bullish” on the second year receiver. I still believe Rodgers is a lock to make this team.

– At this point, I’m still guessing the Packers keep six receivers (Watkins, Watson, Doubs, Rodgers, Lazard, and Cobb). At least from the outside looking in, I’m not sure that I’ve heard enough about Winfree or Toure–although Winfree has taken some snaps with the starting offense.

– Tonyan, Lewis, and Deguara are locks at tight end, with Tyler Davis seemingly in that group as well. But what about Dominique Dafney? As is the case with any back-end of the roster player, Dafney’s greatest impact will have to be on special teams, where I do think he can be a core contributor. It’s important to remember that when it comes to these final roster spots where special teams play such an important factor, these battles go outside the position groups. Dafney may be the fifth tight end, but if he can make a bigger impact than a fifth linebacker, for example, he deserves a roster spot.

– The battle for the third running back role until Kylin Hill returns is still very much up in the air. I would still give Patrick Taylor the edge — although he is currently injured — with Tyler Goodson close by. Again, it might come down to which player is better on special teams, more so than at running back.

– By all accounts, Jordan Love’s confidence is at an all-time high, and that is showing on the practice field. He’s appeared to have some extra zip on the ball, is commanding things well at the line of scrimmage as LaFleur pointed out, and has had improved accuracy.

– As should have been anticipated, the defense is dominating these practices in pads. The defensive front is flying to the football and filling gaps, while the secondary has been sticky in coverage. As Rodgers mentioned during minicamp, there were going to be some long days for the offense, but hopefully, going against this level of competition makes them better in the long run.

– The edge rusher position behind Smith and Gary is wide open, but based on playing time with the second team defense, it would appear that La’Darius Hamilton and Tipa Galeai are the front runners for those third and fourth rotational roles. Garvin, Enagbare, and Ramsey have all seen second-team reps and even some with the first team, but Hamilton and Galeai have seen more consistent reps so far.

– I would consider Keisean Nixon and Shemar Jean-Charles pretty close to locks to make this roster, with Rico Gafford having separated himself for that sixth roster spot at cornerback. With his speed, he has been utilized in a variety of roles on special teams and has made some plays on defense as well.

– While no one, in particular, is standing out at running back at safety, the Packers could have some difficult decisions to make because everyone is playing well. To read more about this competition, click here, but in short, Leavitt, Gaines, Scott, Carpenter, and Davis are all providing reasons why they should be on the roster.

– Jack Coco is leading the way at long-snapper. As Bill Huber of SI reported, through the first seven practices, Coco has been with the first team field goal unit in six of them.

– I cannot wait to see Campbell and Walker in action together. Their ability to fly around the field as well as play both the run and the pass is going to give this defense flexibility and playmaking ability that they just haven’t had.

– Sticking with the linebacker position, if the roster had to be set today, I would guess that Krys Barnes and Isaiah McDuffie would be the third and fourth players. If the Packers roster five, I’d then think Wilborn would make the team. I think Ty Summers’ time in Green Bay has come to an end.

– Green Bay may only keep five interior defensive linemen, in which case, each roster spot is accounted for. But if they keep six, it sounds like rookie seventh-round pick Jonathan Ford is the front runner.

– There are a lot of positional battles taking place, but as LaFleur told reporters, these camp competitions often get worked out once the preseason games begin–so there is still a ways to go before a lot gets decided.