Football is finally back, and so am I. What a different vibe around the Green Bay Packers compared to this time last year. We enter 2024 with the Pack seen as a trendy Super Bowl pick, maybe just a tick behind the San Francisco 49ers and Detroit Lions.
As always, the three-week preseason schedule is a death march, with the primary motivation being keeping as much of the team as healthy as possible leading up to the season opener in Sao Paulo against the Eagles.
But there is plenty to watch and learn over these next three weeks. Here are the 10 things I’ll be focused on when the Packers battle the Cleveland Browns on Saturday afternoon, in reverse order of anticipation.
10. Kickoffs
The radical new kickoff rule will likely be a work in progress for teams all season, and how teams attack it in the preseason may look very different when the real games start. Will the new rules make All-Pro kickoff returner Keisean Nixon more dangerous, or will they zap him of his dangerous speed and elusiveness?
What will the unit look like? Looking closely at who’s out there will provide some clues as to who has a better chance of locking up spots on the fringes of the roster. Will the new rule cause teams to use players with different athletic traits than what we are accustomed to seeing since speed is not the top priority?
9. The Right Tackle Spot With Zach Tom Sitting Out
Tom’s return to practice this week was the biggest development for the team. He is one of the five most valuable players on the roster, partly because of his standout talent and partly because there is a lot of uncertainty behind him on the depth chart.
When the Pack allowed the dependable Yosh Nijman to move on, auditions were open for a new swing tackle. So far, no one has stepped up to claim the job. Whoever the team has trotted out there — Andre Dillard, Kadeem Telfort, Luke Tenuta, Caleb Jones — they all seem to have one thing in common: getting trucked by Rashan Gary, Preston Smith, Lukas Van Ness, or whoever is matched up across the line. It would be nice to see someone give the coaching staff a sense of security if Tom misses time during the regular season.
8. The Backup QBs
Heading into the 2023 preseason, we knew we’d get a taste of Jordan Love and a whole lot of rookie Sean Clifford. To my surprise, Clifford looked more than ready to take on the backup role. Of course, he was playing against backups and a very vanilla defense, but at least he looked like he could step up in a pinch.
Of course, expectations are much different for the Pack this year, and they need to have a lot of confidence in their backup as legit Super Bowl contenders. Drafting Michael Pratt in the seventh round (about three rounds later than he should have been selected) provides some healthy competition for Clifford, and I’m betting he steals the job by the end of the preseason. Whoever ends up backing up Love, it’s safe to say that the promise of the season will be torpedoed if No. 10 misses significant time to injury.
7. Kicker Competition
It can’t be a great sign that the Packers added a third guy to the mix this week with the signing of former Oklahoma State kicker Alex Hale, an Australian who’s relatively new to the game. If losing Love is reason No. 1 that this season could go into the tank, not having a reliable kicker is a strong No. 2. These preseason games will only provide some of the data the team uses to settle on a guy, but it’s the most important data.
Anders Carlson and Greg Joseph have shown a penchant for missing PATs, which can’t be tolerated, and they have both been inconsistent this preseason. It’s entirely possible the Pack’s 2024 kicker is not currently on the roster. But a strong showing in the preseason by one of these three guys, beginning Saturday afternoon, could land them the gig.
6. Development of Lukas Van Ness
Hopefully, we won’t see much of Rashan Gary and Preston Smith in the preseason, despite Matt LaFleur saying that the starters will get some snaps. And with J.J. Enagbare a bit dinged up and playing with a partially torn ACL, they’ll likely keep him mostly under wraps as well. That opens the door for Lukas Van Ness to show his potential for making a second-year leap.
Most believe Jeff Hafley’s scheme should benefit Van Ness, allowing him to play from a three-point stance like he did at Iowa – something he’s much more comfortable with. He should get plenty of snaps in this preseason to give us a glimpse of what he might become in Year 2.
It remains to be seen if the Pack keeps a fifth DE on the roster; Brenton Cox, an undrafted free agent from a year ago, has the best shot to use the preseason to show he belongs. The guys behind him are banged up, and Green Bay signed a couple of bodies to fill in. But Cox’s future with the team will likely come down to how he plays in these three games.
5. The Day 3 Rookie Defenders
Let’s be honest, every preseason, we’re all most interested to see the rookies in action after three months of wondering who might be able to contribute right away. Gutey loaded up on Day 3, and three of those guys have turned heads in camp. Safety Evan Williams has already picked off four passes and is pushing second-round pick Javon Bullard to start opposite Xavier McKinney. He seems to have a natural feel for the game and has shown that he understands what this defense is asking him to do.
Third-round pick Ty’Ron Hopper is part of a suddenly very deep unit, with Quay Walker and Isaiah McDuffie penciled in as starters, veteran Eric Wilson impressing daily, and second-round pick Edgerrin Cooper expected to make an immediate impact – though an injury will likely keep him out of the preseason opener.
The knock on Hopper was his penchant for missing tackles. We’llsee if that remains a liability. And then there’s CB Kalen King, selected at the end of the seventh round. His fall from a potential early Day 2 pick to nearly going undrafted seems to have fueled him, and he’s giving vibes that he may follow Carrington Valentine as a last-round corner who can step in and play if needed.
4. The Back End Of the WR Group
The top four guys will likely see very little action in August, but there’s a ton of competition behind them for what is likely the last two spots in the group. Bo Melton is in the driver’s seat as the fifth guy, based on how he blew up in January.
That leaves Malik Heath, Grant DuBose, Samori Toure, and Dimitri Stanley looking to stake their claim as the sixth guy. After missing his rookie year, DuBose has stood out and is a likely practice squad guy if he doesn’t make the opening 53. I have a sneaking suspicion he will show enough in August to earn a spot with the big boys.
3. MarShawn Lloyd
Okay, I’m not sure how much of Lloyd we’ll see in this game, if any, since he’s missed a good chunk of the beginning of camp. But I know the team is dying to see what his skill set could bring to this offense.
For now, A.J. Dillon appears to have a stranglehold on the No. 2 spot, based on his knowledge of the system, his ability to pass protect, and his slimmed-down physique. But the hope is that Lloyd eventually steals his snaps because of the game-breaking talent he possesses. It might be the second half of the season before we see that, but he can plant the seeds this month. And he needs to show that ball security won’t be an issue.
2. Javon Bullard
No position has undergone quite the upgrade as the safety position. After being ignored last year, Gutey has finally invested in the back end of the defense, signing McKinney and drafting three safeties.
Bullard is the former Georgia star and might become the team’s nickel corner in a year or two, but he has the inside track as the other starting safety if he can hold off Williams. Like Williams, Bullard looks ready to step right in and make plays, something he’s done day after day in camp. He and Cooper add top-end athletic ability to this unit. Like you, I’ve been waiting three months to see him in action.
1. The Starters Will Play (a little)
Matt LaFleur changed things up last preseason by playing his starters some in the preseason – mainly to give Love and the offense a chance to get some game action in, but also because the team had been lousy in recent season openers when the starters sat out August.
He’s sticking with that decision again this year, knowing he’s putting his guys at risk, but balancing that with the upside of letting them knock off some rust and get a feel for game day.
As I write this, the Browns haven’t announced whether their starters will get some snaps. However, it’s unlikely, based on what they’ve done in the past. With the preferred right side of the offensive line out (Tom and rookie RG Jordan Morgan will not play), the Pack better hope that Myles Garrett and Za’Darius Smith sit this one out. Otherwise, I’d have Love on a very short leash.
This ranks at the top of my list because we’ve all waited many months to see Love back on the field with his stable of standout ball-catchers. We’ve waited to see Josh Jacobs as the new leader of the backfield. We’ve waited to see what Hafley’s defense looks like, with guys like Rashan Gary and Preston Smith playing up on the line, with Eric Stokes hoping to change his career arc and show the promise he displayed as a rookie. And what McKinney can bring as one of the top safeties in the league.
Sure, we’re still a month away from the real thing, and we may see the starters for just one or two series, but it will be great to see this team on the field again. As always, the most important outcome of these three games is that they come out of them as healthy as possible.
