The Green Bay Packers will kick off the preseason schedule on Friday in San Francisco. After two weeks of training camp practice, it’s time for Matt LaFleur’s team to hit players wearing different helmets and uniforms.
Some players on the 90-man roster used the first dozen or so practices to elevate their stock, whether it’s positioning themselves for a bigger role, a starting job or getting off the roster bubble.
The crew here at Packers Wire put together a list of players trending up during Packers training camp so far:
DL Jarran Reed
Somewhat quietly, Reed has emerged as a consistent disruptor for the Packers defensive line to start training camp. Signed to a one-year deal this offseason, Reed has worked as a starter next to Kenny Clark and Dean Lowry and proved capable against the run and effective as a pass-rusher, providing a big reason why Matt LaFleur keeps calling the defensive line a “salty” group. He’s played a lot of football in his career and has flashed big-time disruptive ability in the past. Maybe playing with all the talent in Green Bay’s defensive front will fully unlock his potential as a three-down player. If Reed is good, the Packers front is going to be a handful in 2022. — Zach Kruse
WR Romeo Doubs
The darling of training camp. He keeps making “wow” plays and earning praise from everyone around him, including quarterback Aaron Rodgers. It won’t always be sunshine and rainbows for the rookie, but he’s proved he belongs every single day and is now in contention to be a starter at receiver come Week 1. Doubs has deep speed, deception within his route-running and a “my ball” mentality with the ball in the air. Even as a rookie, it appears he’ll play an important role in the Packers passing game this season. — Zach Kruse
OL Zach Tom
The Packers’ other fourth-round pick is also making a run at a starting job for Week 1. Tom has played first-team snaps at left and right tackle and is a legitimate option to start on the right side if David Bakhtiari and Elgton Jenkins aren’t ready for the start of the regular season. Tom doesn’t have ideal offensive tackle size, but he’s athletic, smart and understands how to use his hands, leverage and angles to get people blocked consistently. If he performs well during the preseason, it might be tough to keep him off the field. As of now, he’s one of the team’s five or six best healthy offensive linemen. — Zach Kruse
QB Jordan Love
Love appears to be in the middle of taking a big step in Year 3. Everyone in Green Bay has praised his improvements in accuracy, footwork, dealing with pressure and decision-making, especially as of late. Maybe the game is slowing down for him and his underlying talent can finally shine bright. While practice reps are important for development, Love needs to show his improvement in the live-game environments of the preseason. He’s going to play a ton during the three games. This is his chance to show the Packers (or the 31 other NFL teams) that he’s ready to run a team and perform the game’s hardest position at a high level. — Zach Kruse
CB Rico Gafford
If we consider Shemar Jean-Charles and Keisean Nixon near roster locks at the cornerback position – which I do – then in all likelihood, there is one roster spot available this summer. And up to this point, Rico Gafford appears to be in the driver’s seat.
Gafford was signed this offseason as a receiver before ultimately converting to cornerback, the position he played in college at Wyoming.
Gafford possesses impressive 4.22 speed and has been utilized in a variety of ways on special teams, including as a return man, a jammer, a gunner, and on the field goal block team.
It’s also important to note that he had spent his career prior to signing with Green Bay in Las Vegas playing under Rich Bisaccia.
With a loaded cornerback room, special teams are going to be Gafford’s path to making this roster, but he has also made several pass-breakups on the defensive side of the ball over the Packers’ first 11 practices. — Paul Bretl
OLB La'Darius Hamilton
The edge rusher position not only has a few roster spots up for grabs but playing time as well behind Preston Smith and Rashan Gary.
For the most part, this competition still remains wide open. Jonathan Garvin, Tipa Galeai, Kingsley Enagbare, and Randy Ramsey have all had their opportunities with the second-team defense, rotating in throughout practice. Most have even had some snaps with the first-team defense.
However, in the midst of that revolving door at edge rusher, there has been one constant on the second unit – La’Darius Hamilton.
Hamilton was signed off the Tampa Bay practice squad early last season. He would appear in five games, total 64 snaps, and log three pressures.
As good as this Packers starting defense looks on paper, there are question marks surrounding the depth at a few positions, most notably at edge rusher.
Last season, when Smith and Gary weren’t on the field, there was a noticeable lack of impact plays from the rotational players, which is something that will have to improve in 2022. — Paul Bretl
DL Devonte Wyatt
Wyatt is starting to show why he was a first-round pick. Before Friday’s family night practice, the defensive tackle out of Georgia had been having a quiet rookie training camp. Then, under the bright lights at Lambeau Field, something clicked. Wyatt was getting after the quarterback, making plays against the run, and drawing penalties. During the 11-on-11 period, Wyatt found himself matched up with fellow rookie Sean Rhyan and had arguably the top play of the night when he implemented a nasty spin move to generate pressure against backup quarterback Jordan Love. To his credit, Love hung in there to deliver a beautiful 54-yard touchdown into the hands of Samori Toure, but Wyatt was forced to hold up with Love wearing a protective red jersey. Wyatt’s athleticism helped him stand out at Georgia and the NFL Combine, and now it’s starting to show up against NFL talent. — Brandon Carwile
OL Jake Hanson
Hanson’s rise is pretty remarkable. In 2020, the Packers used a sixth-round pick on Hanson, who started 49 games at center over four years at Oregon. In his first training camp, Hanson had trouble matching the strength of NFL defensive linemen and adjusting to working with the quarterback under center. To make matters worse, he was all while battling a nagging hip injury. Green Bay released Hanson as a rookie during their final cutdowns but signed him to the practice squad the next day. Last season, Hanson appeared in five games but remained buried on the depth chart. Fast forward to today, and the team may need him to play a significant role early in the season. Injuries to David Bakhtiari and Elgton Jenkins have forced the Packers to do some shuffling up front, and while Hanson has done some work at center, he has recently been on the field with the starters at guard. Yesterday, Green Bay released their first unofficial depth chart, and Hanson was listed as the starting right guard. Hanson is a perfect example of why you should never give up on a player too early. — Brandon Carwile
DL TJ Slaton
The 340-pounder who can dunk a basketball is enjoying what appears to be a second-year leap. Slaton can be close to impossible to move in the run game, making him an ideal lineman to play on the nose in early-down situations. He’s eating up blocks, beating single teams and letting the linebackers and safeties play fast and get to the football. His improvement inside will let disruptors like Kenny Clark and Jarran Reed do more attacking in 2022. Don’t be surprised if big No. 93 is on the field a lot this season, especially when the Packers are in the base defense with three down linemen. — Zach Kruse
OLB Rashan Gary
Brian Gutekunst says Gary keeps “wrecking” practices. Matt LaFleur worries about Gary hurting the confidence of his offensive line. No player has been more impressive at Packers camp. After a breakout 2021 season, Gary is taking another step and becoming a truly dominant player to start his fourth season. David Bakhtiari and Elgton Jenkins aren’t practicing, so Gary isn’t getting the Packers’ best at offensive tackle. But he’s still winning in a big way every single practice. Even more disruption from No. 52 looks possible, if not likely, in 2022. He’s a star. — Zach Kruse
