No devastating injuries and a solid performance on both sides of the ball and on special teams — just what the doctor ordered for the first game of the preseason.
Here are my observations from the Green Bay Packers’ win in Cleveland:
The first-team offense got its feet wet, but there was no need to jump into the pool. One series, three plays, and a 65-yard Jordan Love–Dontayvion Wicks connection. Take a seat, boys. That brief appearance gave us our first look at Josh Jacobs: a nifty eight-yard run and a reception that lost a couple. Just seeing Love uncork a deep one in rhythm to Wicks reminds us that this offense is primed to take a major leap this season.
Then there’s A.J. Dillon. Through the first three weeks of camp, we’ve heard about his slimmed-down physique and hunger to show he’s primed for a bounce-back season. He showed none of that in Cleveland. Granted, he was running behind a backup offensive line, but he was stymied every time he touched the ball.
On the other hand, Emanuel Wilson picked up right where he left off last preseason, showing burst and wiggle. The second-best offensive play of the day came on his 23-yard run, which featured a wicked move and a sweet downfield block by QB Michael Pratt. If the coaches are comfortable with his pass protection and he can show some special teams value, there’s no reason to keep Dillon on the roster (even if he’s a lovable dude off the field).
If the Packers keep six receivers, the battle for the final two spots figures to boil down to Bo Melton, Malik Heath, and Grant DuBose — maybe in that order — as we head into the season. DuBose might have leapfrogged those guys so far this month. He’s been the talk of training camp and kept it going with a productive game in Cleveland. Melton had a game to forget, fumbling (and recovering) an end around and dropping a couple of balls. This will be a fun competition to watch over the next two games.
Both backup quarterbacks were solid. Sean Clifford looked like the same guy we saw last summer. He appears in command of the offense and should be able to hold things down for a game or two if Green Bay needs him to. Rookie Pratt was also impressive, including that block where he laid out to spring Wilson. Another fun competition to track in the next two games.
On to the defense, where Lukas Van Ness and rookie safety Evan Williams stole the show. Van Ness was consistently in Cleveland’s backfield in his limited snaps (again, against backups); he looks like a guy who could make a serious leap in Year 2. Williams has been another camp darling, with four picks and all the traits you want in a safety. He led the team in tackles and forced a fumble.
Fellow rookie Javon Bullard also looked good. Both of these guys will be big-time assets to the defense this season. The Pack had a few snaps with both of them on the field, along with Xavier McKinney. Safe to say, the safety position will no longer be a weakness for this unit.
Jeff Hafley’s defense shined, allowing less than three yards per carry, tallying three sacks, and winning at the line of scrimmage most of the night. A strong first performance. By the way, Jaire Alexander was out for a personal matter and was the only starter who didn’t take the field. Hmm…
The kicking competition remains fierce, with Anders Carlson and Greg Joseph making all their kicks. We’ll give Joseph a slightly higher grade because his kicks were right down the middle, while Carlson seemed to flirt with the goalposts every time.
There were two big negatives coming out of this preseason debut. MarShawn Lloyd pulled up with a hamstring injury on his one carry, an impressive eight-yard run, and was done for the day. A hip injury cost him the first couple of weeks in camp, and now he’s nursing a hammy. It’s starting to look like the team may not be able to count on him contributing right away (which may cause them to hang on to Dillon).
The other downer was that three rookies drafted in the first three rounds were out with injuries. We didn’t get to see if first-round pick Jordan Morgan looks comfortable at right guard. Linebackers Edgerrin Cooper and Ty’Ron Hopper continue to miss time, while vets Isaiah McDuffie and Eric Wilson get increasingly comfortable in Hafley’s defense. There is still plenty of time for them to show their stuff, but neither appears to have a shot at winning a starting job, barring injury.
We’ll wait to see if any other players came out of the game nicked up, but it appears Lloyd was the only casualty. This week will feature a practice with the Denver Broncos ahead of their Sunday night game at Mile High. Hopefully, most of those banged-up rookies will be good to go.
