Quick Thoughts before Packers begin minicamp practices

Voluntary OTAs have been taking place over the last three weeks for the Green Bay Packers. This included eight practices, three of which were open to the media and an opportunity to begin the offensive and defensive installs. Next up for the Packers is mandatory minicamp and takes place Tuesday through Thursday of this week.

The Packers had excellent attendance through the voluntary OTAs, with 87 of the 90 players participating in some capacity. The only players who weren’t there were Jaire Alexander, Rasul Douglas, and Jonathan Garvin. This week, however, all 90 players will be back in the building. Minicamp will provide Matt LaFleur the opportunity to continue going deeper into the playbook as they build off of OTAs.

So before minicamp begins on Tuesday for the Packers, I have some quick thoughts to share.

– As the Packers get further into their playbook this summer, we are really going to see where this offense shines, and that is with its versatility. Green Bay has built a skill position group that can move around the formation and fill a number of roles. This will open up the playbook for LaFleur, helping him achieve the “illusion of complexity,” which in short, will keep concepts on offense simple while still being deceptive to the defense, thus keeping them off balanced and guessing.

– Matt LaFleur said during OTAs that if the Packers were going to sign a veteran backup quarterback to the roster, they would know whether or not they have to following the offseason programs. So far, Sean Clifford and Danny Etling have been splitting the QB2 reps. Green Bay wanted to give each quarterback some valuable and needed reps before making that decision. Clifford led an efficient scoring drive during last Tuesday’s two-minute drill.

– When it comes to Jordan Love, LaFleur said that it is “process over results” right now. And if Love can consistently go about the process correctly, the results will take care of themselves. This means getting in and out of the huddle quickly and making sure everyone is positioned in the right spots at the line of scrimmage. It’s also about having the right mechanics, both from the pocket and on the move, and making the right decision. As one would expect, we’ve seen a lot of good from Love through OTAs, but there are areas to improve upon as well–a lot of which has to do with being consistent in the areas just mentioned.

– Romeo Doubs was Love’s go-to target during several team sessions, but don’t forget, Christian Watson is still WR1. There is no one on this roster who can impact the game like he can. LaFleur said earlier this offseason that Watson is going to be asked to run a wider variety of routes this season, further stressing defenses, as his role expands. Jayden Reed has been ahead of Samori Toure and playing mostly from the slot, although we will see him on the boundary as the Packers get deeper into the playbook this summer.

– Running backs coach has said that special teams play is going to be a deciding factor in the third running back role. This is why we often saw Patrick Taylor on the roster in 2022 because of these contributions. With Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon taking most likely all of the offensive snaps, it makes sense to take this approach with RB3 since Green Bay will want them to contribute in some capacity. But with that said, Tyler Goodson’s playmaking ability on offense continues to impress. As a primary return man last preseason, a role where the Packers have Keisean Nixon and Jayden Reed as options, I’m not sure what his special teams role will be, but I wonder if Green Bay strikes more of a balance between offensive contributions and special teams contributions in this decision-making process. It already feels like it won’t be easy keeping Goodson off the final roster.

– Hopefully, Gran DuBose can be on the practice field this week. He has been sidelined throughout OTAs and rookie minicamp as well. The first five spots on the wide receiver depth chart are locked up, but if the Packers keep sixth, that feels up in the air. I would still call DuBose the favorite, although he very much has to play catch-up once he gets onto the practice field, given that the Packers do prefer to roster their own draft picks. But a few names to watch that could challenge are Bo Melton, who could carve out a gadget role in the offense with his 4.34 speed, along with Malik Heath and Jeff Cotton, both of whom made some plays during OTAs.

– Luke Musgrave more than looked the part during OTAs, but of course, we have to see how he performs once the pads come on. His ability to stretch the field will not only create big-play opportunities for himself, but his presence will create for others as well with the attention that he draws. History says that there is a steep learning curve for young tight ends, and most do not make a significant impact in Year 1. However, this Packers offense is going to need him to. I won’t be surprised if, early on, we see Josiah Deguara playing more snaps than Musgrave and Tucker Kraft as the Packers try to somewhat manage the workload as best they can, given the makeup of the tight end room before adding too much to each of their plates.

– Other players who were sidelined during last Tuesday’s practice include Dalln Leavitt, Dontayvion Wicks, and Jake Hanson.

– Depending on the practice, Zach Tom has either been rotating at right tackle with Yosh Nijman or taking some right guard snaps with the second-team offense. I have yet to see him line up at center, although he did take some individual drill reps there. Based on the small sample size that I’ve seen, he has held up better at right tackle than Nijman–but keep in mind that the pads aren’t on yet. Until I see more from him at guard or center, my guess is that he ends up at right tackle to begin the year. For now, I’ll predict that Myers’ and Runyan’s experience win out, but Tom is too good not to be in the starting five.

– Caleb Jones and Rasheed Walker have each seen some snaps with the ones and twos at left tackle. I don’t believe that means that either will be competing for playing time this season, but the Packers are trying to get them valuable reps to help further progress their development. With David Bakhtiari potentially in his final season and Nijman an unrestricted free agent in 2024, both Jones and Walker could be competing for playing time next summer. They are on a similar trajectory as Nijman, who didn’t see significant playing time until his third season.

– I mentioned this in one of my OTA preview articles, but again, I’m going to be on the lookout for how Colby Wooden and Karl Brooks have been utilized. Wooden has been taking some snaps with the starters and both were named by LaFleur as players who stood out in practice. In terms of what I’ll be looking for, it’s where each is lined up in passing situations and how they are being utilized against the run. At least at this point, I would guess as edge-setting defensive ends. Oftentimes young defenders can make a quicker impact as pass rushers than run defenders, so how do Wooden and Brooks also hold up against the run?

– Kenny Clark also mentioned a few weeks ago that Devonte Wyatt needs to continue to be better against the run as well. As I just alluded to, because of the added nuance and refined technique that’s needed to be successful against the run, it’s a steeper learning curve for younger players. If the Packers defense as a whole is going to improve this season, it starts with being better against the run.

– The depth of the edge rusher position is much improved from where it was at this time last year, and that is an upgrade that needed to happen. Lukas Van Ness spent the first two open OTA practices with the twos before running with the starters during the third open session. Justin Hollins, meanwhile, has been seeing his fair share of snaps with the starters as well. LaFleur would also mention Brenton Cox as one of the young players who has stood out during OTAs. If Rashan Gary begins the year on PUP, Hollins and Cox most likely round out the fourth and fifth spots on the depth chart. If Gary is available Week 1, however, the Packers will have to choose between Hollins’ reliability or Cox’s upside. As of now, and based on where each player has been utilized, Hollins may not be a full roster lock, but I feel that he’s close.

– Relatively speaking, there was a decent amount of blitzing done by the Packers’ defense during OTAs–both in team drills but also when the offensive and defensive units were working separately. Perhaps they were emphasizing that to test Jordan Love and the young offense, or maybe we will see more of it, in general, this season. Time will tell, but what I will say is that watching Nixon blitz from the slot sure was fun.

– If Eric Stokes begins the season on PUP, then at a minimum, there will be two roster spots available at cornerback if the Packers keep five and potentially three if they choose to roster six players. Fighting for those roster spots are Carrington Valentine, Shemar Jean-Charles, and Corey Ballentine. Like running back, special teams contributions will likely be a key factor in this decision. Ballentine was a core special teams player for the second half of last season, while Valentine, a 2023 draft pick, played nearly 300 special teams snaps at Kentucky. Jean-Charles was a primary special teams player early on in 2022 before being injured. After that, he was often a healthy scratch upon his return.

– I wrote about this following last Tuesday’s practice, but keep your eyes on safety Tarvarius Moore, who has been taking snaps with the starters. Rudy Ford has been the clear No. 2 next to Darnell Savage, but I would also say that Moore has been ahead of Jonathan Owens and Anthony Johnson. This, of course, is subject to change. From a shear numbers standpoint, the Packers likely won’t keep Moore, Owens, and Leavitt, so it will be interesting to see if Leavitt’s special teams contributions are enough for Green Bay to choose him over Moore and Owens, both of whom can contribute on both special teams and defense.