Final Thoughts before Packers preseason matchup with Saints

The Green Bay Packers are back at Lambeau Field for their second preseason game of the 2022 season after hosting the New Orleans Saints for joint practices earlier in the week.

As always, here are my final thoughts about this upcoming matchup between the Packers and the Saints.

– Progress. I believe we saw progress from Jordan Love last week compared to where he was last year. His confidence was up, and he was letting it rip fairly regularly. Now, it’s fair to question if he’s made enough progress at this point in his career, but he was better. And that’s what we want to see against New Orleans with improved decision-making and accuracy.

– Tyler Goodson was the starting running back against the 49ers, and he took the second string reps during the second joint practice with the Saints. He very much appears to be the favorite for that role with his quick burst and ability as a pass-catcher. Can Patrick Taylor capitalize on his opportunities and reignite this position battle?

– Speaking of the run game, the offensive line needs to be better than what they were last week. Goodson averaged just 3.1 yards per carry as the offensive line struggled to generate any push. If what we saw in the joint practices is a sign of what’s to come, then it’s going to be tough sledding for the Packer running backs again. Jake Hanson and Royce Newman, in particular, struggled to create push during practice.

– The offensive line did hold up in pass protection; however, it’s important to note that Love’s average time to throw was 2.45 seconds. For some context, that would have ranked as the third fastest time last season.

– Zach Tom has been taking snaps at both tackle positions with the starters for most of summer, but does he get more opportunities at guard? If Elgton Jenkins can play Week 1, Tom’s path to playing time is going to come at right guard rather than right tackle.

– Tyler Davis needs to have a better performance. He had the pass deflection that turned into an interception, there were missed blocks, and he was penalized during the joint practices. Alize Mack is an intriguing name to watch at the tight end position.

– Jack Coco may be the only long-snapper on the roster, but he is still competing for his job. The Packers had in two long snappers for tryouts last week. He did, however, perform fairly well in the opener.

– With the edge rusher battle wide open, it feels like Kingsley Enagbare secured his spot with his play over the last week. An under-the-radar name to watch is Kobe Jones, who has strung together several impressive performances to go along with his overall solid training camp.

– Let’s see what new kicker Ramiz Ahmed can do. For all we know, he may be the Packers’ Week 1 kicker depending on when Mason Crosby is available.

– The Packers’ young wide receivers were called out by Aaron Rodgers earlier this week after their recent performances in practice as well as against the 49ers. They seemed to respond well during the second joint practice against New Orleans; let’s see if that carries over into the game.

– Ray Wilborn had a rough game against the 49ers, but earlier this week, when the defense was split into two groups for 11-on-11 drills, he was paired with De’Vondre Campbell and Quay Walker. Isaiah McDuffie seems locked into that fourth linebacker role. Can Wilborn show that he is deserving of a roster spot? A lot will hinge on how he performs on special teams.

– I still think that Rico Gafford ends up as the Packers’ sixth cornerback because of what he can offer on special teams, but keep your eyes on Kiondre Thomas, who will look to build off last week’s performance.

– Also, I have to say that I do feel more comfortable with the Packers’ cornerback depth after seeing Keisean Nixon and Shemar Jean-Charles in action.

– Jack Heflin and Chris Slayton were two of the standout performers from last week, and they’ll need to do it again to earn a roster spot. On each roster prediction that I’ve made, I have only kept five interior defensive linemen because, in 2021, Heflin played just 13 special teams snaps and 17 on defense per PFF ($$). If that is going to be the case again, that roster spot can be utilized elsewhere.

– Keep your eyes on which players are lined up on special teams and where. As always, it will be special teams that determines several roster spots.