Noteworthy observations and takeaways were available from the performance of each position group coming out of the Green Bay Packers’ preseason-opening win over the Cincinnati Bengals on Friday night.
Wins and losses do not matter this time of the year, but the Packers did beat the Bengals 36-19 in what was a highly entertaining game as far as preseason action goes. Jordan Love made his debut as the starting quarterback. Sean Clifford impressed in the backup role, and several young players were able to play well.
“It was good to get back out playing football,” said coach Matt LaFleur postgame. “I loved the energy from our team. There was a lot of good things to build upon. All in all, I thought it was a really productive week for us. It’s just something to build on and move forward, and I’m really excited about our team.”
Below I go through the Packers position groups one by one with my key takeaway from each, along with a few honorable mentions.
Quarterback: Jordan Love leads efficient scoring drive
The start to Jordan Love’s performance in his preseason debut as the Packers’ starting quarterback was similar to how the last few practices have begun, which is a bit slowly. On his first five attempts, Love quickly had three incompletions: one on a deep ball to Christian Watson that the safety played well, another where he missed Luke Musgrave wide-open over the middle, followed by another pass to Musgrave on an attempted screen that was deflected into the air.
But like many of the previous practices, Love settled in and performed well. Love finished the night playing two series while completing 7-of-10 passes for 46 yards and a touchdown. Matt LaFleur did a nice job of dialing up the quick passing game, which Love was able to take advantage of, but we also saw him make two throws on the run and deliver a touch pass to Romeo Doubs in the end zone.
LaFleur has preached process over results since OTAs when discussing Love’s progress, and for the most part, on Friday evening, he was very sound in that regard, and the results followed. As LaFleur acknowledged afterward, Love did well at getting the offense in and out of the huddle. He took what the defense gave him and was sound in his decision-making while throwing in rhythm. We saw Love go through his progressions, and his footwork was balanced as well.
“All in all, I thought it was a good first performance,” said LaFleur after the game. “It’s only very limited action, and I’m sure he would love to have the throw to Musgrave back, but there’s a lot to learn from. A lot of good came out of it. Just the poise he showed, the command he showed, I thought we were getting in and out of the huddle quickly. I thought it was a really good first exposure for him this season.”
Honorable mention: Although Sean Clifford threw a pair of interceptions on back-to-back positions, one of which was a pick-six, he bounced back very well and put together a very solid performance completing 20-of-26 passes for 208 yards and a touchdown. He made some impressive throws, both downfield and into tight windows, and hung in the pocket, even with pressure around him. Last week, LaFleur called Clifford a “gamer” and discussed his ability to bounce back, which we saw against the Bengals.
“I think he’s got some gamer to him,” said LaFleur. “Even when he hasn’t made the best of decisions, he is a pretty resilient guy and able to bounce back, and that’s something you can’t coach.”
Running back: Emanuel Wilson grabs everyone's attention
The third running back competition is one of the positional battles with the most attention on it this summer. However, the assumption was — and maybe it still is — that either Tyler Goodson, Patrick Taylor, or Lew Nichols would earn that role. Emanuel Wilson was not a part of that conversation. However, right now, he might be — or, at the very least, he has everyone’s attention.
Wilson finished the day with 111 rushing yards on only six carries with two scores, bolstered by an 80-yard touchdown run. With Goodson leaving the game early with a shoulder injury, along with Nichols having missed the last week of practices also with a shoulder injury, there may be more opportunities for Wilson. As LaFleur and Brian Gutekunst both spoke about, special teams play and blocking ability will be key in determining who the third running back is.
Wide Receiver: Young pass catchers impress
There is a lot of inexperience in the Packers’ receiver room but also a lot of upside, and we saw the latter in Cincinnati. Christian Watson finished with two receptions for six yards, but we saw his gravity as his speed pulls defenders his way, creating opportunities for others, most notably on the touchdown pass to Romeo Doubs, who was in man coverage because the safety drifted to Watson’s side.
Doubs, meanwhile, is often open with his ability to create space as a route runner while also being able to run a wide variety of routes. Jayden Reed’s speed was on display when he got a touch on a jet sweep, as was his ability to make contested catches, something he often did at Michigan State.
Samori Toure is much improved this season, hauling in three passes from Sean Clifford for 56 yards, including a touchdown. Dontayvion Wicks threw a key block on Goodson’s touchdown run and made three catches for 68 yards, one of which was in traffic. Lastly, Malik Heath showcased his physicality with his downfield blocking and, again, made more plays in the passing game, totaling 36 yards on three catches. He’s not a burner, but he knows how to create separation.
Tight End: Tyler Davis suffers significant knee injury
Unfortunately, the Packers suffered several injuries during Friday’s game, including to Tyler Davis, who suffered a “pretty significant” knee injury, according to Matt LaFleur.
“Unfortunately,” said LaFleur after the game, “Tyler Davis, that’s going to be a pretty significant injury.”
Davis was a core special teams player in 2022, playing the most special teams snaps on the Packers while finishing third in tackles. He was also the Packers best blocking tight end in training camp this year, an important aspect of playing the position in the LaFleur offense. Green Bay was already going to have to rely heavily on rookies Luke Musgrave and Tucker Kraft, but that is even more true now, with only those two and Austin Allen healthy at tight end. The learning curve for first-year tight ends is steep, but that seems to often be especially true as blockers.
“TD, my heart hurts for him,” added LaFleur. “He’s been a key contributor to our success over the last couple of years. Whether it’s on teams or carving out a role on our offense. He’s the consummate professional, a great teammate. Just a great human. And we are going to miss him.”
Honorable Mention: Luke Musgrave has been playing with the starting offense since he arrived in Green Bay, so we know that he is going to be a big part of the offense. But we caught a glimpse of potentially how big his role could be as he was targeted three times by Love out of his 10 total targets. Musgrave will be able to create mismatches, lining up both from the slot and out wide, and we are going to see him targeted heavily over the middle of the field.
Offensive Line: A lot of movement
With David Bakhtiari not suited up, we saw a familiar offensive line combination with Yosh Nijman at left tackle, then followed by Elgton Jenkins, Josh Myers, Jon Runyan, and Zach Tom. This specific unit only played the first two series with Love, but overall, they held up well, including Tom in particular–although the Bengals were also without their top pass rushers and run defenders.
The second offensive line unit then saw a lot of movement. Jenkins played just two snaps with this group before exiting the game, a decision that was not injury related. Royce Newman then came in for him. Jon Runyan played both right guard and center with the second unit, a move that LaFleur said after was to get Runyan some live reps at center because you “want to have guys ready” in case something happens. With Runyan at center, Sean Rhyan was at right guard. The left tackle was Rasheed Walker, and the right tackle was Caleb Jones, who left with an ankle injury and was replaced by Luke Tenuta, who also suffered an ankle injury.
Walker looked very good at tackle, holding up in pass protection while also creating running lanes. Both Newman and Rhyan really struggled, however. Both were still on the field in the fourth quarter, which to a degree, tells us where they stand right now.
Interior Defensive Line: Jonathan Ford pushing for the sixth roster spot
Matt LaFleur said recently that Jonathan Ford has “upped his game,” and we saw that in Cincinnati as he was stout in the middle against the run and even made his way into the backfield on a few occasions. It’s not a given that the Packers keep six interior defenders. While they need help in the run game, and Ford can be a backup nose tackle option to TJ Slaton, it’s rare that we see a six-man rotation. Also, the play of Colby Wooden and Karl Brooks, both of whom flashed once again, could give the Packers the confidence to keep just five defensive linemen on the roster. But with that said, Ford is certainly making a roster push.
Edge Rusher: Brenton Cox has best performance of the summer
Given his potential, athleticism, college production, and the fact that LaFleur mentioned how well Brenton Cox had played during offseason programs, there is a lot of attention on him as the potential next undrafted rookie to make the Packers roster. However, up until the first preseason game, Cox’s training camp had been kind of quiet, even while routinely going against the Packers’ third-team offense. But that changed against the Bengals as he put together what was easily his best performance of the summer. Cox generated several pressures and tipped the pass that was eventually intercepted by Dallin Leavitt. It’s still a crowded path to the 53-man for Cox. Keeping six edge rushers would be a lot, and the only other player at that positon that perhaps the Packers would consider moving on from is Justin Hollins, but he has seen a lot of snaps with the starters this offseason, as well as with the special teams unit, not to mention that he was productive once joining the team last season.
Linebacker: A lot of blitzing from this position
Matt LaFleur has said that he wants to see a more aggressive defense, and we certainly saw that on Friday night. Whether it was the starters, the second unit, or the third unit, we saw the Packers’ linebackers blitzing very often. Isaiah McDuffie, Tariq Carpenter, and Jimmy Phillips were used the most in this capacity. I really did love the aggressiveness, especially with how passive, at times, it felt like this unit played last season. Rather than letting the offense do the dictating, the defense takes back some of that control when they blitz, as long as pressure is created. I’ll be interested to see if that becomes a regular part of this year’s defense once the regular season begins.
Cornerback: What a performance from Carrington Valentine
With Jaire Alexander out with a groin injury, just as he had in the previous two practices, Carrington Valentine was playing with the ones and really impressed. We saw Valeninte come away with an interception, two pass breakups, and he made a tackle in the run game, preventing the ball carrier from turning upfield as they tried to bounce outside. LaFleur talked about it after the game, but you see Valentine’s athleticism and length while in coverage, and as he said to reporters following the draft, he is very comfortable on an island.
“I think he’s got the skill set you look for,” said LaFleur. “He’s athletic. He’s long. And he competes–he’s not afraid. I love that about him. He’s got a great demeanor. He is extremely coachable. I think he’s working really hard, and quite frankly, from the moment we’ve gotten him, he’s had a great attitude, comes into work each and every day. You saw it early on and continue to see it, a guy who shows up and makes plays, competes. Really excited about what he can turn into, develop into, but it’s only one game. He’s got to realize that, all these guys do. It’s one game, and you’ve got to go out and do it consistently. That starts by your practice habits, and hopefully, it translates to the field on game day.”
At the beginning of OTAs, Valentine was with the third-team defense. He has now cemented himself as a boundary cornerback with the second unit and appears to be the fourth option on the depth chart. If he continues to play like this, while his role won’t ever be big, given who is at the top of the depth chart, he could carve out some specific responsibilities on this defense.
Safety: A glimpse at where things stand?
Over the last week of practices, it has been Jonathan Owens starting next to Darnell Savage. That was again the case in Cincinnati. Tarvarius Moore was then the third safety rotated in, taking Savage’s spot next to Owens. Lastly was Rudy Ford, who before halftime, played next to Moore. Then coming out of the half, it was Ford and Dallin Leavitt. Anthony Johnson is currently the sixth option in that position group.
Ford was playing next to Savage for all of OTAs, minicamp, and even the start of training camp, but now could be the fourth option. Although he was able to provide some stability to the position in 2022, he was originally signed by the Packers to be a flier on special teams. With LaFleur saying that this position group was going to be heavily rotated, perhaps this is all part of the discovery process, but on the flip side, Owens and Moore have been locked into the second and third spots for over a week now and preseason action is usually more telling than practice.
Specialists: More ups and downs for Anders Carlson
After an abysmal week prior to Family Night, Anders Carlson had made 19 of his last 23 field goal attempts entering the preseason. Then, after starting 3-for-3 on extra points while also making a 45-yard field goal, he would miss a pair of extra points, both to the right. Gutekunst said last week that the team knew there would be inconsistency in relying on a rookie kicker, and they approached the summer with patience.
However, in a season where scoring points and being efficient in the red zone could be challenging with a young offense, Green Bay can’t afford to miss out on extra point and field goal opportunities. If the Packers want Carlson to be their kicker of the future, that can still happen from the practice squad–it doesn’t have to be either start him or let him walk. Perhaps they give Carlson a little more time, but one would think that bringing in some competition is on Gutekunst’s radar.
“I don’t want to look too far into it,” said LaFleur after the game. “It’s one game, but as long as you learn from it, get better, and make the necessary adjustments, then a lot of times you come back stronger from it.”
