The Green Bay Packers training camp practices concluded on Thursday, and now the preseason is in the books after beating the Seattle Seahawks 19-15 on Saturday at Lambeau Field. Here are my instant takeaways from what I saw in the press box.
— There were 14 players inactive, which included David Bakhtiari, Jaire Alexander, Aaron Jones, Dontayvion Wicks, Bo Melton, Tarvarius Moore, Luke Tenuta, Eric Stokes, Lew Nichols, Henry Pearson, Tyler Goodson, De’Vondre Campbell, Romeo Doubs, and Rashan Gary. The only real surprise was that Doubs was out, and he was sidelined with a hamstring injury. The extent of the injury is unknown at this time.
— The starting offensive line once again consisted of Rasheed Walker at left tackle, Josh Myers at center, and Zach Tom at right tackle, with Elgton Jenkins and Jon Runyan in their usual spots. It sure does seem that Walker has surpassed Yosh Nijman on the depth chart. I don’t think the Packers will trade Nijman – there’s really no such thing as too much depth at offensive tackle – but he does appear to be the fourth option right now, along with the Packers also having Caleb Jones, who they seem to like.
— With the second team offense, we saw both Runyan and Tom at center. Following the Cincinnati game when we saw Runyan at center then as well, Matt LaFleur said “you’ve got to have guys ready to go in case something bad happens, so just wanted to get him some game reps.” I still think Myers starts Week 1, but the Packers are getting a look at others.
— Rudy Ford was again starting at safety next to Darnell Savage. As I wrote recently, all signs point to him being one of the starters in Chicago. The second unit was Jonathan Owens and Anthony Johnson. It feels like these four plus Dallin Leavitt is going to make up the safety room.
— You can add Malik Heath to the roster lock category. With Romeo Doubs out, he was starting alongside of Christian Watson and Jayden Reed. He again made several more receptions and had a few nice downfield blocks.
— With Heath starting ahead of Samori Toure, there may be some speculation about whether or not Toure makes the 53-man roster. I still believe he does. he has been a big part of the offense throughout training camp, seeing his share of snaps with the starters. If they kept him a season ago in a more experienced receiver room as the seventh receiver, I tend to think they would keep him this year as well. Another question at this position is if Grant DuBose has had enough time to put together the body of work needed to make the team? He had a quiet performance today. As of now, I tend to think the Packers keep seven receivers again.
— Daniel Whelan had two impressive punt attempts — one going for 58 yards and the other (which was negated by a penalty on Seattle) pinned the Seahawks at the 11 yard line. As more time goes by, I tend to think the Packers roll the dice on Whelan’s potential and take the $1.5 million in cap savings by releasing Pat O’Donnell. With that said, relying on a rookie holder and kicker is a risky move.
— I thought the starting offensive line continued to do really well in pass protection.
— Jordan Love finished the day 9/15 for 63 yards with one touchdown pass, 21 rushing yards and a passer rating of 91.8. At least on the initial viewing, there many of Love’s initial reads weren’t there, but his pocket presence was really good as he was able to navigate any pressure that came his way. While he did underthrow Christian Watson on a downfield attempt, he again took care of the ball, didn’t force anything as he went through his progressions, and led another scoring drive.
— TJ Slaton finished off an impressive summer with a strong preseason performance. Not only has he been really good against the run, but he’s routinely flashed as a pass rusher as well. He is the second interior defensive lineman on this roster behind Kenny Clark.
— There’s something about kicking in Lambeau from Anders Carlson. Some of his best performances this summer have come in this environment. He was 2-for-2 on field goals, which included a make from 57 yards. As LaFleur, Brian Gutekunst, and Rich Bisaccia have all said, power is not an issue for him. The two qualities that the Packers really liked about him – his bounce back ability and power – have been on display all summer.
— Innis Gaines got caught looking in the backfield on the touchdown pass to Jake Bobo, but he was a starter on several different special teams units. That, coupled with his ability to play either from the slot or as a traditional safety is why I think he has a good chance to make this team.
— Corey Ballentine, another fringe roster player, saw some snaps with the starting defense at cornerback and played on a few special teams units as well. If Eric Stokes begins the season on PUP, that fifth cornerback spot could be between Ballentine and Gaines.
— The defensive line combination of Jonathan Ford, Colby Wooden, Brenton Cox, and Karl Brooks was wreaking havoc in the second half. Cox didn’t play in the first half, but had two quick run stops and a batted pass in the third quarter. Keeping six edge rushers is very much in play for the Packers.
— Patrick Taylor again out-snapped Emanuel Wilson on special teams snaps. Wilson had another good performance as a ball carrier, but special teams are going to be the deciding factor.
— Royce Newman, Sean Rhyan, and Caleb Jones were all playing into the fourth quarter. Presumably, if the Packers keep nine offensive linemen – which they often do – then these three players are battling for two spots. If they go heavy and keep 10, then all three could make it. Jones was taking some first team reps in Thursday’s practice—the team really seems to like him, while Rhyan has been more consistent than Newman, who also had two penalties in this game alone.
— I’m not sure what to make of where Tariq Carpenter stands in regards to making the final roster. On one hand, he was a core special teams player last season, and has seen some snaps in that capacity this summer—although at times not as often as I would have expected. Defensively, he had a nice play against the run today, where he identified the play and navigated his way around the blockers to make a play in the backfield. But he largely looks lost at his new position. Based on playing time, while Eric Wilson could be a veteran cut, I think the Packers keep him. So the question is, do they keep four linebackers or roster Carpenter as the fifth? For what it’s worth, he was out there the entire fourth quarter.
— Jadakis Bonds capped off two good weeks of practice with a big play in this game on a pass from Alex McGough. I expect him to be on the practice squad.
— It’s been an up and down summer for Tucker Kraft, but I thought he had some nice plays as a blocker on the initial viewing. The quicker he can consistently hold his own in that capacity, the better it will be for the Packers offense, especially without Tyler Davis.
— Rosters have to be finalized and cut down from 90 players to 53 by Tuesday, Aug. 29.