After a pair of joint practices earlier on Wednesday and Thursday, the Green Bay Packers will conclude the week with their preseason matchup with the New England Patriots.
This has been an important week for the Packers in terms of evaluating their roster. Although nothing will be fully determined after this week, the last several days will carry a lot of weight in those final roster and playing time decisions that will be made in a few weeks.
“This is going to be a big week for our guys,” said coach Matt LaFleur, “in terms of this just being the most exhausting week of the preseason for these guys. We got practice today (Sunday), practice tomorrow, walkthrough on Tuesday, and we will get two practices versus the Patriots, and we got two more games. I think we got a long way to go yet.”
Here is a position-by-position look at the key things to watch for as the Packers and Patriots preseason game unfolds:
Quarterback: Jordan Love vs. Patriots defense
On Friday, GM Brian Gutekunst talked about the importance of the Packers’ young offense playing together, so it does sound like we will see Jordan Love play on Saturday–although how much remains to be seen. The joint practices provided mixed results for Love and the Green Bay offense. Wednesday’s performance was promising, but on Thursday, New England dominated the day. The Patriots’ defense does a really good job of disguising coverages, mixing up personnel, and isn’t afraid to blitz. All of which are things that I would expect most defenses to throw at Love in an effort to cause some confusion. In the midst of all that, it will be important that Love goes through his progressions, maintain his timing and rhythm, and take what the defense gives him–hopefully leading to accurate passes and no turnovers.
Running back: Patrick Taylor and Emanuel Wilson
As both Gutekunst and Matt LaFleur have discussed, what the running backs do without the ball will ultimately determine who the third running back is, with special teams and blocking being the key aspects of that decision. Last week, Emanuel Wilson had a big day on offense but didn’t play any special teams snaps. LaFleur mentioned earlier in the week that he will have to show more consistency in that phase of the game as well as with blocking. Patrick Taylor, meanwhile, was a core special teams player last season and played 10 snaps in Cincinnati. During practice this week, his blocking abilities were on display as well, both in picking up blitzes and in being a lead blocker for Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon on a few plays. Taylor may not be flashy on offense, but Gutekunst and LaFleur have told us exactly what they are looking for at the position, and Taylor checks those boxes.
Tight End: The entire position
There is a lot going on within this position group that is full of potential, but also a lot of question marks. Luke Musgrave continues to be a focal point in the offense, frequently targeted over the middle of the field and used in a variety of ways, from lining up on the boundary to even getting the ball on a jet sweep. Tucker Kraft had a quiet performance in Cincinnati but will be asked to do more, specifically as a blocker without Tyler Davis. Austin Allen is also going to get more opportunities as well, and in order to make the team, he will have to stand out as a blocker and on special teams.
Wide Receiver: Malik Heath and Grant DuBose
Malik Heath continues to make plays on offense and has taken on the ‘goon’ like role in the Packers offense, a term of endearment for LaFleur, with his willingness as a blocker. Heath, however, did play just one special teams snap last week, and like at running back, I imagine being able to contribute in that phase of the game will be important when it comes to making the final roster. During practice this last week, he did see snaps as a flier on the punt coverage unit.
Grant DuBose was participating in team drills for the first time this week as well, which hopefully means he will be able to play on Saturday. DuBose put together some good practices early in the week and made a catch during the two-minute drill of Thursday’s joint practice with the second-team offense. As always, keep your eyes on special teams for DuBose, but after being injured and with ground to make up, it’ll be important that he makes some plays on offense as well.
Offensive Line: Sean Rhyan
It really feels like Sean Rhyan, Royce Newman, and Jake Hanson are competing for one or maybe two roster spots on the offensive line. Throughout training camp, Rhyan has been the most consistent of the trio, with Hanson missing a majority of the practices with an injury. Rhyan gave up a few pressures against the Bengals but overall had a sound performance. Showing more consistency this week could solidify him as the front-runner of this group for that final roster spot.
Interior defensive Line: How does this unit fare vs. the Patriots running game?
As I’ve written before, I’ve been impressed with the play of the interior defensive line this summer. This unit looks a lot faster and have been able to generate consistent push. Devonte Wyatt and TJ Slaton both appear to be making developmental leaps, while Colby Wooden and Karl Brooks have made an impact almost immediately. This group is going to face a good challenge by taking on the run-heavy Patriots. During Wednesday’s joint practice, the defensive front was able to dominate the day. On Thursday, however, New England was able to find more success. If the Packers’ defense as a whole is going to improve in 2023, it starts with being better against the run, and putting opposing offenses in predictable passing situations, where the front can get after the quarterback and the secondary can play more aggressively.
Edge rusher: Lukas Van Ness
It’s easy to see the burst and power that Lukas Van Ness brings to the edge rusher position. However, you also see the rawness of his game as well. Against the Bengals, there were plays where he lost track of the ball, and at times, it didn’t look like he had a plan of attack as a pass rusher, other than just trying to run through the offensive tackle. The edge rusher group as a whole had a really strong week of practices, but Van Ness was a bit on the quieter side. The Packers have had Van Ness run a number of stunts to try to get him some free runs at the quarterback.
Linebacker: Isaiah McDuffie and Eric Wilson
The good news is that, according to Gutekunst, it doesn’t sound like De’Vondre Campbell’s ankle injury will keep him out long-term. But in the meantime, that means relying more heavily on Isaiah McDuffie and Eric Wilson. As a unit, I’ve been impressed with the linebacker play this summer, against both the run and the pass. This week, in particular, both McDuffie and Wilson were able to stand out. McDuffie had two run stops in one practice, one where he got to the boundary to stop the ball carrier from turning upfield and another where he filled a gap at the line of scrimmage. Wilson had two pass deflections during Thursday’s practice that popped into the air and resulted in interceptions. He also forced a pressure as a blitzer.
Cornerback: Can Carrington Valentine keep making plays?
With Jaire Alexander missing portions of practice over the last week – although he returned to team drills for the joint practices with New England – Carrington Valentine has seen a lot of reps with the starters and taken full advantage of the opportunity. With his athleticism and length, he has been able to routinely make plays on the ball, something we saw in Cincinnati, where he logged two pass breakups and an interception. He was also in on a few tackles as well. But as Joe Barry said on Friday, as a rookie, it’s important that he continue to build upon the performances he has put on tape.
Safety: Does anyone step up?
The Packers have been giving Rudy Ford, Tarvarius Moore, and Jonathan Owens opportunities to play with the starters and alongside Darnell Savage since training camp began. However, it doesn’t sound like anyone has taken firm control of that positional battle.
“It’s going to be interesting to see how that shakes out,” said Gutekunst on Friday. “I think this game (New England) and the Seattle game, it’ll be important for somebody to step forward, and I don’t think anybody’s done that yet.”
Based on playing time with the ones, Owens appears to be the front-runner for that starting spot, but it was Tarvarius Moore who had the more impressive performance during the first preseason game. After a 2022 season where missed tackles and coverage breakdowns happened far too often, ultimately, what the Packers are looking for at this position is consistency.
Special Teams: Consistency from Anders Carlson
There were more ups and downs this week in practice from Anders Carlson. After beginning the day on Wednesday going 5-for-5 on field goal attempts, four of which were in the 40 to 50-yard range, he would miss both of his kicks as time expired in the two-minute drills. What Gutekunst and Rich Bisaccia like about Carlson is his big leg and ability to bounce back, two things that he has been able to showcase this summer. However, consistency eludes him. But, even so, from the sounds of it, Gutekunst has no intentions at this time of bringing in competition. For one, that would take away valuable practice reps from Carlson, but he also recognizes that patience with a rookie kicker is crucial.
