11 Observations from 2 weeks of Packers OTA practices

Two weeks of voluntary Organized Team Activities (OTAs) are in the books for the Green Bay Packers, and they’ll begin their final week of practices on Monday before the three-day mandatory minicamp begins next week.

Of the practices held, two have been open to the media so far, giving us a glimpse of this new-look Packers team. Of course,  it’s a small sample size, and we need to keep in mind that the pads aren’t even on yet, so everything should be taken with a grain of salt. However, as the Packers implement their basic offensive and defensive installs, everything put on tape is another data point that Matt LaFleur and Co. will utilize when making final roster and depth chart decisions down the road.

Based on what I’ve seen and heard up to this point, I have 11 observations from the two open practices that have already taken place. The third will take place on Tuesday of this week.

Up and down play from Jordan Love

As Matt LaFleur said about Jordan Love following the first open OTA practice, “It’s still early.” As should be expected, the play from Love during the first two practices open to the media has been up and down. In week one, Love was 6/16 passing in practice with a dropped interception by De’Vondre Campbell, although three passes were also tipped at the line of scrimmage, and another was dropped. In the most recent practice, Love was 15/21 passing the ball, taking advantage of a lot of slants and out routes while leading a scoring drive during the two-minute drill period. He did, however, throw one interception on a deep ball, had another dropped, and over threw Jayden Reed in the end zone. Specifically on deep balls, he and his receivers are still working on developing their timing. Not only for Love but also for the young pass catchers, the Packers are using a lot fewer scripted plays in practice this year to better simulate a live game. As he has looked all offseason, Love has a calm confidence when on the field, even when things aren’t going correctly. In terms of getting in and out of the huddle and commanding the line of scrimmage pre-snap, Love is in control.

Rudy Ford, the early starting safety next to Darnell Savage

This will be the biggest positional battle on the roster all summer, and so far, the starting spot next to Darnell Savage has belonged to Rudy Ford. While there are a number of players competing for this role, the fact that Ford appears to be the front-runner shouldn’t come as a surprise. Outside of Savage, Ford has the most experience within Joe Barry’s defense on the team. He also provided some much-needed stability to the position last season by being a willing run defender, a capable tackler, and positioned correctly, allowing him to come away with four turnovers. During the most recent practice, Tarvarius Moore also took some snaps with the starters, while  Jonathan Owens and Anthony Johnson were with the twos–although those three continue to rotate regularly.

Attendance

Keep in mind these practices are voluntary, but overall, the Packers have had really good attendance. During the first week, David Bakhtiari, Preston Smith, Dallin Leavitt, Rasul Douglas, Jaire Alexander, Jonathan Garvin, and Elgton Jenkins did not participate. The second week, Smith, Leavitt, Bakhtiari, and Jenkins were all present.

Injury Updates

Rashan Gary and Eric Stokes continue to work their way back from injuries, rehabbing along the sidelines. Each of their specific timetables for returning is still unknown, but the Packers are happy with where both players are at in the recovery process. Also still not practicing is Grant DuBose, while Leavitt, Dontayvion Wicks, Tucker Kraft, and Devonte Wyatt didn’t participate during the Week 2 practice session that was open to the media. There were no specifics about why these players were out.

Jordan Love and Romeo Doubs’ chemistry

After last Wednesday’s practice, Romeo Doubs mentioned that he and Love had worked out numerous times during the offseason together and that he believes some chemistry has been established. That chemistry was on display that day, as Doubs was Love’s go-to target during the two-minute drill. On that drive, Doubs caught four passes as the Packers’ offense moved the ball into scoring position. Earlier in the day, on a third and long drill, Love escaped the pocket and connected with Doubs downfield, who found the soft spot between the safety and cornerback.

Lukas Van Ness with the twos

Even with Gary on the sidelines, Lukas Van Ness has been working with the second-team defense behind Preston Smith and either JJ Enagbare or Justin Hollins. Although a first-round pick, this shouldn’t come as a surprise. For one, while rookies under Matt LaFleur will see significant playing time, it’s not often that they come in and are immediately starting. A few examples of this include Quay Walker, Darnell Savage, and Josh Myers. Second, Van Ness’ primary role early on is likely going to come on passing downs, where he can get after the quarterback. With that said, he looked terrific during the week two practice, using his power to make his way into the backfield regularly while also doing an excellent job of setting the edge on play-action before pursuing the quarterback. As Van Ness continues to develop, he will have to find a secondary pass-rush move because simply overpowering the offensive tackle isn’t going to work every time.

Luke Musgrave is ‘different’

As LaFleur said last week, “he’s different,” referencing Luke Musgrave. The combination of Musgrave’s size and athleticism makes him a potential major matchup problem for opposing defenses. Although it is still early, he has displayed soft hands on deep passes, and his ability to get downfield as quickly and as smoothly as he does is impressive. Musgrave’s presence will add a needed dynamic element to the Packers’ offense, something that was missing at tight end last season. He will be an immediate threat down the seam, over the middle, and in the red zone. Musgrave’s abilities will not only create opportunities for himself but also for the rest of the offense with the attention that he draws.

Jon Runyan and Josh Myers are still starting

Offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich mentioned a few weeks ago that we would see Zach Tom taking snaps at both right guard and center, along with competing for the right tackle opening. While I’m sure that is still to come, so far, Jon Runyan and Josh Myers have retained their starting spots on the offensive line. Tom has been the preferred starter at right tackle over Nijman, although Nijman has taken reps with the starting offense as well. In what is a very small sample size that I’ve seen, and remember, nothing is decided until the pads come on, at right tackle, I’d give the edge to Tom as of now. Also worth mentioning is that with Bakhtiari not participating in team drills, Caleb Jones was taking reps with the ones last Wednesday.

Jayden Reed and Samori Toure

Along with Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs, Jayden Reed has been the third starting wide receiver for the Packers. Not surprisingly, his playing time has come from the slot. Watson and Doubs can both play inside – while Reed can line up outside – and we will see all of that this season, but as the Packers go through their basic offensive installs, both are lining up on the boundary, which is where each was primarily used in 2022. I also want to add that Reed’s speed and burst is as clear as day when he’s on the practice field, again giving the Packers more needed playmaking abilities. Toure, meanwhile, has been taking slot snaps as well, and at times with the ones, and said on Wednesday that he went from weighing 185 to 193 this offseason. This will help him durability-wise throughout the long season as well as in the run game as a blocker. On this Packers team, he can carve out a role as a more downfield target.

A wide variety of skill sets

One thing has been clear during these two practices, the Packers may be young on offense, but they have a wide variety of skill sets. Watson brings playmaking to the boundary while Doubs and his route running abilities makes him a well-rounded threat at any level of the field. Reed adds playmaking to the slot, along with Luke Musgrave bringing a vertical presence to the tight end position, with Tucker Kraft being more of the in-line blocker, who also can pick up YAC. Then at running back is the do-it-all Aaron Jones and power option in AJ Dillon. Having these diverse skill sets will help open up the playbook for LaFleur and allow him to keep concepts simple, while still being deceptive to defenses through what he calls the ‘illusion of complexity.’ This, in short, keeps opponents guessing and off-balance while helping the offensive players find space to make plays.

Opportunities for Colby Wooden and Karl Brooks

As run game coordinator Jerry Montgomery said recently, rookies Colby Wooden and Karl Brooks are going to be ‘thrown into the fire’ given the overall lack of experience at the position. So far we’ve seen that already with DeVonte Wyatt not participating in the team drills last Wednesday. Wooden was playing with the starters and got into the backfield on a few plays while Brooks was able to come away with what would have been a sack. Ideally, these two will spend most of their time as rookies rushing the quarterback and have the ability to do so from a variety of alignments. But again, with the lack of experienced depth at this position, both will likely be asked to defend the run as well, which can be a more difficult aspect of the game for young players with the nuance and technique that comes with doing so effectively. On early downs, either could be utilized as defensive ends, asked to set a strong edge to keep the ball carrier inside.