The Green Bay Packers are now one full week into their training camp schedule. This has included six total practices, five of which were at full speed, with two being in pads, along with a number of standout performers.
Of course, there is still a long way to go, and nothing from a depth chart or positional battle standpoint is set in stone at this point. For many of the players, especially the inexperienced ones, in Packers training camp, right now it’s about finding consistency to couple with those flashes or impressive performances and improving each day.
“The sole focus each and every time you go out there is to try to get better each and every day in everything they do,” said Matt LaFleur. “In order to do that, you have to give max effort, you got to be deliberate about what you’re doing. Know the ins and outs, the details, the why of everything we are asking these guys to do.”
Below is a closer look at my standout performers through the Packers’ first six training camp practices. This isn’t to say that there aren’t others, there absolutely are, but these are the players who have caught my attention.
1
WR Christian Watson
Matt LaFleur has said on a few occasions that Christian Watson is playing much faster this summer, which I’m sure is in large part due to his experience within the system. Although known for his speed and vertical presence, Watson’s versatility and knowledge of the game, as LaFleur recently pointed out, is what makes him unique. This gives the offense the flexibility to move him around the formation in search of mismatches and also allows Watson to run a variety of routes–adding more unpredictability to the offense and making Watson more difficult to defend. All of this has helped lead to several of the big plays that we’ve seen from him over the last week. The deep ball that Watson caught from Love on Tuesday began with him motioning pre-snap and matched up with Innis Gaines.
“What’s so unique about Christian,” said LaFleur “is you can line him up at the Z and tell him the next play when somebody might out, hey you got to go play F, or you got to go play X, and he doesn’t blink. And that’s tough for most guys to do, to switch your brain around like that. I just think that his ability to do that is unique and is a great asset for us because it gives us a lot of flexibility of who we want to get in the game with him.”
2
RB Tyler Goodson
As they say in the NFL, “the more you can do,” and the Packers have Tyler Goodson doing a little bit of everything on offense. He’s been a ball carrier out of the backfield. He’s caught passes. Goodson has lined up both out wide and in the slot, along with being utilized often as the gadget or motion man–a role that I do expect to be more prominent this season with Jordan Love at quarterback. Goodson has shown that when the ball is in his hands he has that playmaking ability. As of now, he seems to be the front-runner for that third running back role.
3
OL Zach Tom
We’ve seen Elgton Jenkins line up at different positions, at times frequently, in past seasons, and now we are seeing Zach Tom do it as well. Perhaps because of how often it happens, we can forget about how difficult of a job this can be, moving from tackle to center all in the same practice. But in watching Tom, it doesn’t seem to be an issue. Whether at right tackle or at center, he has held up extremely well. Tom was very good in pass protection last season and mentioned after Tuesday’s practice that he put on 15 to 20 pounds over the offseason to help in the run game. Matt LaFleur often talks about putting the best five offensive linemen on the field, and without question, that includes Tom, the question to figure out is whether that’s at right tackle or center.
4
WR Samori Toure
During the offseason, Samori Toure put on about 8 to 10 pounds to help with his durability throughout the long NFL season. As a former seventh-round pick with just over 100 career snaps, Toure is in a unique situation as one of the “veterans” in the receiver room, but it’s a role he has embraced. Toure’s most impressive play this summer came during a two-minute drill, where he ran an out-and-up, in which Rasul Douglas jumped on the initial out, allowing Toure to create space as he caught an unofficial 33-yard pass down the left sideline. Overall, I would call Toure’s performance up to this point all-around solid. He’s been able to create space, and when the ball comes his way, he makes the catch. Toure has spent most of his time in the slot and is going to carve out a role within the offense this season.
5
QB Jordan Love
Does Jordan Love still need to be more consistent? Absolutely. However, he put together a really impressive performance during Saturday’s practice, completing 16-of-22 passes, including going 4-for-7 in an end-of-half two-minute drill that resulted in a field goal for the offense. We’ve also seen a few ‘wow’ throws where he has been able to throw his receivers open. LaFleur said recently that what the Packers want to see Love get right at this time is the process, with the thought being that if the process is done consistently correctly, the results will follow. The process, according to LaFleur, includes getting in and out of the huddle efficiently. Having a good base in the pocket, while throwing on time and in rhythm. It also includes going through his progressions, sound footwork, and mechanics. The culmination of those performances mentioned above illustrates the pre-throw process being done right by Love and with more regularity. Again, more consistency is needed, but we are also seeing why the Packers felt comfortable moving on to Love as well.
6
TE Tyler Davis
You aren’t going to see too many training camp tweets about Tyler Davis because he isn’t running a ton of routes or catching many passes, but what I believe he’s done really well up to this point is holding his own as a blocker. There was one rep, in particular, where he was one-on-one verse Lukas Van Ness and kept him out of the backfield. With a young tight end room, where there is a steep learning curve, specifically when it comes to blocking, Davis is positioning himself to carve out a role this season if he can continue to play at this level throughout the rest of the summer.
7
DL Devonte Wyatt
Like many young players, Devonte Wyatt is chasing day-to-day consistency. But with that said, when he has flashed this summer, he has really flashed. There have been several occasions on pass rush reps where Wyatt has made his way into the backfield incredibly quickly, using that combination of size and speed that he has. Kenny Clark said earlier this offseason that Wyatt has the tools to be a very productive pass rusher. Where he will need to continue to improve is with his run technique–something Wyatt has acknowledged as well. We often hear about Year 2 leaps for sophomore players, and right now, Wyatt looks poised to make that jump.
8
DL TJ Slaton
With a lot of unknowns and inexperience along the Packers’ interior defensive line unit, it’s been promising to see not only Wyatt playing well but also TJ Slaton. I go into greater detail here, but Slaton is going to play a vital role in whether or not the Packers’ run defense improves this season, which is a must if the overall performance from this defensive unit is going to be better in 2023. Slaton has been able to generate regular push along the interior, bottling things up for the ball carrier, and he’s even had some flashes as a pass rusher as well.
9
LB De'Vondre Campbell
Unless I missed it, I don’t feel that we’ve heard a lot about De’Vondre Campbell this summer. Perhaps this is because there haven’t been many big plays from him, but what he has done is be incredibly reliable and sound at the linebacker position. Consistently, Campbell is filling gaps at the line of scrimmage, flowing sideline-to-sideline to limit run plays outside, and he always seems to be close by in coverage. Campbell dealt with injuries last season but is now fully healthy and playing very well.
10
CB Jaire Alexander
I mean, are we surprised? I debated even putting Jaire Alexander on this list because it’s expected that he stand out. However, he’s been really, really good. The ball either isn’t coming in his direction that often, or he is positioned well to make a play on it when it does, leading to several pass breakups. On top of that, he has been working closely with Watson and Romeo Doubs, either in between drills or specifically matching up with them to really push them and to give them pointers.
11
CB Carrington Valentine
Following OTAs, Matt LaFleur said that Carrington Valentine had done an “unbelievable job.” He has since been able to carry that momentum into the first week of training camp. Valentine’s athleticism and length have put him in a position to make plays on the ball, which he has been able to take advantage of, coming away with a few pass breakups and a pick-six off Danny Etling. Valentine is completely comfortable being on an island in one-on-one situations. He began OTAs working with the third team defense, but could now be as high as the fourth cornerback option on the depth chart, with Eric Stokes still sidelined.
12
WR Jayden Reed
The Packers clocked Reed during the pre-draft process running a 4.37 second 40 time, with that speed and burst being one of the first things you notice about him on the practice field. He has spent most of his time lined up in the slot, and has been able to make plays at all levels of the field, also showcasing the ability to find the soft spot in the defense’s coverage. Reed brings added versatility to the offense, being able to line up all over the formation and able to impact the game in a variety of ways. After the draft, Packers VP of Player Personnel Jon-Eric Sullivan discussed Reed having the skill set to be able to win outside with speed, inside with strength, and also being someone who could be utilized on jet sweeps as well.
13
Players who have flashed
Lukas Van Ness: Van Ness’ speed, burst, and power as a pass rusher are evident. He’s had two reps so far where he’s driven Yosh Nijman and Josiah Deguara into the backfield. I also have to say I’ve been impressed with several of his run defense snaps as well, where he has set strong edges, keeping the ball carriers inside.
Karl Brooks: Brooks had a very good practice on Monday, making his way into the backfield on a few pass rush reps. He is likely the fifth member of the interior defensive line rotation and could carve out a role this year in specific pass rush situations.
Daniel Whelan: Is there a punter competition? Whelan packs a lot of power, more than Pat O’Donnell, but consistency will be key as will his ability as a holder on field goal and extra point attempts, an area where O’Donnell has excelled.
Luke Musgrave: The speed and playmaking that Musgrave brings to the offense is very real. He is going to be targeted heavily over the middle of the field, but one rep that really stood out came with him lined up on the boundary against Corry Ballentine, and on a go-route, he was able to create a step or two of separation.
Bo Melton: It’s been with the third-team offense, but Bo Melton has caught a pair of touchdown passes from the slot. One on a quick slant inside the 10 yard line and another on a downfield reception. Melton has elite speed.
