The Green Bay Packers are nine practices into training camp. What’s up next for practice No. 10? Family Night at Lambeau Field. Saturday night’s main event will feature a full practice with live tackling and 11-on-11 work. It kicks off at 7:30 p.m., and the team will live-stream it all on Packers.com.
Who should you be watching closely during Family Night?
Here are five players to watch:
S Evan Williams
Rookies can become a little awestruck on Family Night, practicing in front of 65,000 people (or more!) under the bright lights of Lambeau Field. It’s certainly a different kind of experience that can’t be found anywhere else. However, fourth-round safety Evan Williams has shown that no moment has been too big for him through the first two weeks of training camp. He’s been a surprise standout, flashing his ball skills even while running with the starting defense. Now, it’s time to see if he can replicate that success and comfortability in what will feel like an actual game. Williams is currently competing with Anthony Johnson Jr. and fellow rookie Javon Bullard for first-team reps alongside Xavier McKinney. He’s made a strong impression thus far, but a good performance on Family Night could give him a slight edge. — Brandon Carwile
K Anders Carlson
The second-year kicker is fresh off a 4-for-7 performance during Thursday’s practice and is now 25-for-31 through nine practices. Meanwhile, Carlson’s competition, Greg “The Leg” Joseph went 7-for-7 and is now sitting 29-for-31. It was last year during family night when Carlson started to gain momentum throughout training camp when he went 8-for-9, including a 51-yard bomb. Consistency was the issue during Carlson’s rookie campaign and up until Thursday’s practice he was off to a strong start to camp. Can the second-year kicker bounce back in a big way on Saturday in front of a packed Lambeau Field to get back to par? — Brennen Rupp
WR Grant DuBose
The top four receivers look mostly set in stone, and Bo Melton, Malik Heath and Samori Toure have all played meaningful snaps in regular season games. Just don’t forget about DuBose, a seventh-round pick last year who is impressing through two weeks of camp. Can he put together another big performance and continue making things interesting in the receiver competition? Coach Matt LaFleur was complimentary earlier this week. “Very detailed guy, gives great effort, great hands, can run through the ball, strong.” It’s time to see those attributes in action during Family Night. –– Zach Kruse
CB Kalen King
The rookie seventh-rounder had a pick-six on Jordan Love to start the week. With Carrington Valentine working through a hamstring injury, it’s possible King will get a bunch of looks with the first- and second-team defenses. The Packers aren’t short on receivers, so any rep for a young cornerback will be a battle. Can King keep making plays, especially when the lights come on at Family Night? Not so long ago, a rookie cornerback named Sam Shields made a splash during the annual practice at Lambeau Field. King seems to have a knack for the finding the ball, whether he’s playing in the slot or outside. — Zach Kruse
TE Luke Musgrave
All the receivers have made highlight plays during training camp. Musgrave has been a little quiet in the passing game, but don’t let dampen his potential as a second-year breakout candidate. Can Musgrave use his speed and size to create a few big plays? His hype train for 2024 could really get on the fast track if he’s able to produce a few highlights during Family Night. — Zach Kruse
