The Green Bay Packers sandwiched a win over the New Orleans Saints with losses to the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs during the preseason in 2022. Results don’t really matter here. Coach Matt LaFleur and general manager Brian Gutekunst assessed the risk-reward and didn’t play veteran starters, so a bunch of inexperienced fringe roster players were on the field for most of the snaps over the exhibition schedule.
Preseason performance is one part of the evaluation process, and final cuts are coming on Tuesday. Here are the best and worst players from the 2022 preseason (note: players had to play at least 30 snaps and two games to qualify).
Top 5 offense
1. C Josh Myers: 85.1
2. LT Caleb Jones: 85.0
3. OL Zach Tom: 77.5
4. OL Royce Newman: 72.5
5. QB Danny Etling: 71.1
The top four highlight how well the offensive line played throughout the preseason, especially in pass protection. Myers looks ready for a big second-year jump after a dominant stretch to start the 2022 season. Jones really surprised as the second-team left tackle. And Tom was terrific at right tackle and left guard. Combined, the three allowed just one total pressure. Like last preseason, Newman looked strong in the run game at both right guard and right tackle. Etling only attempted 22 passes, but his passer rating was 122.3, and he rushed for a 51-yard touchdown.
Top 5 defense
1. S De’Vante Cross: 87.7
2. S Micah Abernathy: 79.1
3. LB Krys Barnes: 75.6
4. LB Quay Walker: 69.8
5. CB Kiondre Thomas: 68.7
Cross only played 31 snaps but earned strong grades in coverage. Abernathy, an early August signing, was one of the big surprises of the preseason in Green Bay after he delivered an interception, tackled well and looked comfortable in coverage over 111 snaps. Barnes (42 snaps) and Walker (39) were rock-solid tacklers and effective in coverage over limited play time early in all three games. Thomas allowed just one catch over seven targets and delivered two run stops.
Bottom 5 offense
1. TE Tyler Davis: 30.1
2. RB Dexter Williams: 41.7
3. TE Alize Mack: 51.0
4. WR Travis Fulgham: 51.8
5. TE Nate Becker: 52.2
Davis had a drop resulting in an interception and a lost fumble while producing poor grades as a run blocker and pass blocker, threatening his spot on the 53-man roster. Williams dropped both of his targets as a receiver and lost both pass pro snaps. Mack didn’t impress as a receiver (26 routes, zero catches) and was flagged for a holding penalty. Fulgham caught just one pass over 18 routes run. Becker blocked fine but had a drop.
Bottom 5 defense
1. DL Jonathan Ford: 28.5
2. DL Devonte Wyatt: 37.3
3. DL Chris Slayton: 37.7
4. LB Ray Wilborn: 38.7
5. LB Ty Summers: 38.9
Both of the Packers’ draft picks along the defensive line struggled. Ford and Wyatt had issues against the run and were unproductive as pass-rushers. Slayton had five pressures and six stops but got dinged hard for a poor run defense grade. The same goes for Wilborn, but he also gave up five catches (including a touchdown) in coverage. Summers, who was released Sunday, missed a tackle and struggled against the pass.
Jordan Love
Love started all three games and was on the field for 81 total dropbacks. He was a mix of good and bad. The good: Love had five “big-time throws,” and nine drops meant his adjusted completion percentage was 68.5. The bad: Love had three “turnover-worthy plays” and was a little sporadic with accuracy, especially down the field. He was excellent off play-action passes and effective from clean pockets. There was a clear jump in overall performance, but the combination of defensive blandness and the random chaos of the preseason didn’t (and never really does) allow for a true eval of a quarterback.
Special teams
Among those who played in all three games, Krys Barnes finished with the highest special teams grade. Ray Wilborn had the most solo tackles (3). Tariq Carpenter and Kiondre Thomas both had three combined tackles. Wilborn and Tipa Galeai both missed a team-high two tackles. Overall, the Packers finished with the second-worst overall special teams grade during the preseason. Blocking and coverage were both issues, and the group as a whole was responsible for three penalties and nine missed tackles.
