The Green Bay Packers will host joint practices during training camp again this summer, but coach Matt LaFleur isn’t ready to officially announce the team headed to Green Bay, according to Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Last season, LaFleur and the Packers welcomed the Houston Texans for two days of joint practices in early August. Although quarterback Aaron Rodgers has publicly expressed his distaste for the idea, the Packers will host another, to-be-announced team for practices during camp.
Prior to last year, the Packers hadn’t hosted a joint practice since 2005.
“I wouldn’t mind if they didn’t do it for another 14 years,” Rodgers joked last August.
GM Brian Gutekunst described the joint practices as a useful evaluation tool, both for veterans and younger players, especially if the new CBA eliminates one of the four preseason games.
Rodgers pointed to a few scary injuries, specifically a head injury suffered by tight end Jace Sternberger on a bad hit during a live team drill, and a few flareups of emotion during special teams periods as arguments against the practices. He also didn’t like running bland schemes against bland defenses during the team work.
However, having a team come to Green Bay for a pair of practices provides an opportunity for a (mostly) controlled, game-like environment with less overall risk of injury.
Just as a reference, the Packers and Texans announced their joint practices in April of last year.
