News Packers Team Notes

Thursday Cheese Curds: Offensive line, wideout remain biggest lineup decisions

Arizona Cardinals v Green Bay Packers

Photo by Todd Rosenberg/Getty Images

Matt LaFleur and his coaches will have tough calls to make about playing time on offense, but for the reason you’d hope: too many good options.

Now that the Green Bay Packers finally have Elgton Jenkins back on the field and their full complement of offensive linemen available, it’s time for the position battles to begin in earnest. With second-year pro Jordan Morgan finally able to compete for a starting job at two different positions, it should make the rest of this training camp a fun one for OL coach Luke Butkus and the rest of the offensive coaching staff.

The Packers have preached putting their “best five” on the field for years, and this year will surely be no different. The question will be whether Morgan is one of those five.

Wide receiver is a different story in terms of playing time, as the Packers rotate receivers through the offense in different personnel packages and plays. But like on the offensive line, the Packers have a lot of players who should be able to contribute this season, and getting them all snaps — and targets — is no easy task.

Head coach Matt LaFleur has a plan, though. You’ll be shocked to learn what it is. Read on and find out!

Tough calls may loom for Packers up front, but they like their options | Packers.com
Jordan Morgan is putting the pressure on both Rasheed Walker and Sean Rhyan so far in training camp. OC Adam Stenavich says that it's a good problem to have.

LaFleur has plan to keep Packers' crowded WR room happy - ESPN
Meanwhile, the Packers have a lot of receivers who can contribute tis season, but LaFleur says the recipe to keeping all of those players happy is simple: "winning."

At Packers Training Camp, All Hail the Ball King | SI.com
Wendel Davis has been a defensive QC coach for several years, coming in when LaFleur was hired in 2019. But this year, he's going by a new name, "Ball King," which reflects his role as the guy who leads the team's efforts to improve forcing fumbles.

Sterling Sharpe could have been the GOAT — he steps into HOF despite a short career - The Athletic ($)
Sharpe will officially be enshrined in Saturday's ceremony, a long-awaited honor for one of the most dominant receivers over a short span in NFL history.

Three things to watch for in Chargers-Lions Pro Football Hall of Fame Game | NFL.com
While the enshrinement ceremony The Hall of Fame Game is on Saturday, football is back this evening with the Hall of Fame Game, set to kick off at 8 PM ET.

Highly radioactive wasp nest found at site of former nuclear facility | FOX 19
I'm sure there's nothing to worry about here! (In all seriousness though, it is actually nothing to worry about.)

Source: https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/...remain-biggest-lineup-decisions-jordan-morgan
 
NFL Hall of Fame Game 2025: How to watch & game time for Chargers vs. Lions

Green Bay Packers v Chicago Bears

Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images

Football is back tonight!

Tonight, NFL football returns. Yes, it’s preseason football, and yes, it’s just the Hall of Fame Game, but it’s still football.

This evening, the Los Angeles Chargers and Detroit Lions will kick off the 2025 preseason when they face off just outside the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The game is one part of this weekend’s enshrinement festivities, which will run through the next several days.

This year’s class of players will officially be enshrined on Saturday afternoon, at which time former Green Bay Packers wide receiver Sterling Sharpe will join the exclusive club. Sharpe will join his brother Shannon in Canton, making the pair the first brothers to be inducted.

Sharpe is part of a four-man class this year, which includes defensive back Eric Allen, defensive end Jared Allen, and tight end Antonio Gates.

But before speeches begin on Saturday, there’s a football game to be played. Here are the details for how and when to tune in for tonight’s contest!

Pro Football Hall of Fame Game​

Los Angeles Chargers vs. Detroit Lions​


Game Time: 8:00 PM Eastern
Location: Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium, Canton, Ohio
TV Channel: NBC
Online Streaming: Peacock
Commentators: Mike Tirico, Cris Collinsworth

Source: https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/...-how-to-watch-game-time-for-chargers-vs-lions
 
The Packers should bring back a familiar face

Green Bay Packers v Chicago Bears

Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images

Corey Ballentine was released by the Indianapolis Colts today. Green Bay should sign him back onto their roster.

On Friday, the Indianapolis Colts released cornerback Corey Ballentine, who had signed with the team in free agency this offseason. Ballentine, a former Green Bay Packer, spent the 2022 through 2024 seasons with Green Bay. There, he played a total of 37 games, including seven starts on the defensive side of the ball.

In total, he registered 581 defensive snaps with the team, along with 415 special teams reps. His 195 special teams reps in 2024, as a non-returner, were more snaps played on “we-fense” than kicker Brandon McManus, for reference.

Right now, there are major question marks about the depth of the Packers’ cornerback depth chart. Beyond Nate Hobbs, Keisean Nixon and Carrington Valentine, there are no roster locks on the team. That doesn’t change the fact that the team will need to keep at least five players at the position going into Week 1, meaning that two of the following players will need to make the roster as it stands today: receiver-turned-cornerback Bo Melton, seventh-round rookie Micah Robinson, practice squadder Kalen King, practice squadder Kamal Hadden, undrafted free agent rookie Tyron Herring, reserve/futures player Isaiah Dunn, May pickup Gregory Junior and July pickup Garnett Hollis Jr.

With all that being said, it wouldn’t be the worst idea for the Packers to bring Ballentine back into the fold and have him compete for the fourth or fifth cornerback spot on the depth chart. Again, he’s been an NFL contributor on the defensive side of the ball, which is not something any of the Packers’ cornerbacks behind their top trio can claim, and he’s also been a significant contributor on special teams, which only Junior can claim.

Source: https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/...-corey-ballentine-released-indianapolis-colts
 
Packers internal growth on offense starts with tight end Luke Musgrave

Green Bay Packers Mandatory Minicamp

Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images

The third-year tight end could unlock new dimensions of the Packers’ offense.

The Packers made no secret about their desire to upgrade their playmakers this offseason. Any chance he got, Brian Gutekunst talked about a need for urgency at wide receiver, then ramped up that urgency by adding receivers with two of his first three picks in the 2025 NFL Draft.

If the group follows the same path as the safeties did last year, Gutekunst’s wide receiver fix should work. The corps should be better this year. Growth on offense can be achieved just by adding new pieces to the mix.

But that’s not the only source for growth. The Packers can also improve internally, and while there’s some room for growth at receiver (namely, just holding onto the dang ball), the biggest growth opportunity is at tight end — specifically in the lanky frame of Luke Musgrave.

Musgrave has played so little through two seasons (just 18 of 34 regular season games) he enters this year as a virtual rookie, albeit one who has 41 career catches under his belt. Those catches were hard to come by last season. The Packers force-fed Musgrave the ball in his actual rookie year; he averaged 4.5 targets per game over the first 10 games of his career before a lacerated kidney essentially scuttled what remained of his 2023 campaign.

2024 was rough; there’s no two ways about it. He opened the year firmly behind ascendant Tucker Kraft on the depth chart and managed just five catches in four games before a torn ligament in his ankle sidelined him for more than two months. He made a late-season cameo appearance, but the damage was done. His second season was essentially lost.

Now, though, Musgrave is on the road to redemption. A strong start to training camp finally has him looking like the lightning to Kraft’s thunder. While Kraft rumbles through opposing defenses, Musgrave has the speed and length to be a vertical terror. He ran an excellent 4.61-second 40-yard dash at the 2023 scouting combine, making him the second-fastest tight end on the roster right now (Ben Sims is just a hair faster in the 40 dash at 4.59 seconds). You could see glimpses of his burst early last season, though the targets didn’t come.

They are now. In practice this week, Musgrave was on the receiving end of a pair of big completions, beating Carrington Valentine twice. Xavier McKinney described one of the plays as just a “good-(expletive) catch,” according to PackersNews.com.

Now, if the Packers want to lean into 12 personnel on offense, Musgrave is poised to be a perfect running mate for Kraft, just as Gutekunst and company envisioned in 2023. A lot of the league meta-game on offense is headed toward 12 personnel, but the Packers have lacked playmakers at tight end outside of Kraft. Musgrave’s arrival could open a new door for the Packers, adding a new avenue of growth on top of their offseason skill position acquisitions.

Source: https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/...n-offense-starts-with-tight-end-luke-musgrave
 
Family Night Open Thread

NFL: JUL 25 Green Bay Packers Training Camp

Photo by Larry Radloff/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

The Packers are back at Lambeau Field!

The Green Bay Packers are streaming their practice at Lambeau Field, Family Night, on the official team website.

Join along for the conversation! We’re going to be posting updates as news starts to trickle in.

If you need a refresher on what’s happened this summer, check out our training camp subgroup, which includes all of our practice recaps from this offseason.

Updates:

Here are the players who won’t be practicing today, according to The Athletic’s Matt Schneidman:

  • RB Emanuel Wilson (unknown)
  • RB MarShawn Lloyd (groin)
  • WR Christian Watson (knee)
  • WR Dontayvion Wicks (unknown)
  • WR Sam Brown Jr. (ankle)
  • TE Tucker Kraft (unknown)
  • OT Rasheed Walker (groin)
  • OT Travis Glover (shoulder)
  • OL John Williams (back)
  • DE Collin Oliver (hamstring)
  • DE Arron Mosby (groin)
  • CB Nate Hobbs (groin)
  • CB Kamal Hadden (hip)

Wilson, Wicks and Kraft all practiced yesterday, but Wilson went down with an injury.



Apparently, the injury for Kraft is a groin injury. We’re up to five of those now. Someone save my players’ groins. It’s being called a knee injury for Wilson.



Starting lineup in team:

Love
Jacobs
Doubs - Golden
Fitzpatrick - Musgrave
Morgan - Banks - Jenkins - Rhyan - Tom

LVN - Wyatt - Clark - Gary
Simmons - McDuffie - Cooper
Valentine - Nixon
Williams - McKinney

— Andy Herman (@AndyHermanNFL) August 3, 2025


The hands on Matthew Golden on full display. pic.twitter.com/EtC0oFCep1

— Kyle Malzhan (@KyleMalzhan) August 3, 2025

Lukas Van Ness powers through LT Jordan Morgan for a sack of Jordan Love pic.twitter.com/9toqegH9Q3

— Matt Schneidman (@mattschneidman) August 3, 2025

Omar Brown picks off Malik Willis on the goal line. That’s the second-year safety’s third INT of camp. pic.twitter.com/Ou10y0MAy1

— Matt Schneidman (@mattschneidman) August 3, 2025

After Sean Clifford finds the bottom of the net two times in a row, Jordan Love swishes one. pic.twitter.com/dKRNYnE1UZ

— Rob Demovsky (@RobDemovsky) August 3, 2025

Sean Clifford, Taylor Elgersma and Malik Willis went back-to-back-to-back into the bucket from the 15-yard line to the back-left corner of the end zone. Each QB did their own Lambeau Leap.

Jordan Love later hit one and all four QBs jumped into the stands. pic.twitter.com/lQFqSbkQmt

— Matt Schneidman (@mattschneidman) August 3, 2025

Romeo Doubs catches 6 punts but drops one while No 7 is on its way.

He casually catches it with one hand pic.twitter.com/YX2xnX3O4k

— Weston Hodkiewicz (@WesHod) August 3, 2025

Omar Brown has three INTs tonight. Just had his best one of the night on a deep ball from Willis to Hicks. Bounced off his helmet and caught it as he fell to the ground.

— Matt Schneidman (@mattschneidman) August 3, 2025

Source: https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/2025/8/2/24479772/green-bay-packers-family-night-open-thread-2025
 
Video: All of Jordan Love’s Family Night throws

Green Bay Packers Mandatory Minicamp

Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images

Family Night was a little shaky for QB1, in part because of the tackle situation.

Did you miss the Green Bay Packers’ Family Night practice broadcast? Do you still want to see how quarterback Jordan Love performed in the team periods?

Well, do I have a treat for you. Below is a video of two minutes and four seconds of Love passes from Saturday’s action.


All of Jordan Love's Family Night throws pic.twitter.com/ojHWYFxFGi

— Justis Mosqueda (@JuMosq) August 3, 2025

To say the least, this isn’t the best we’ve seen of Love, because there weren’t many thread-the-needle opportunities yesterday. Most of the completions were of the checkdown variety, and he missed a couple of deep shots by a little.

It’s worth mentioning that these throws came from different periods, so the objective was a little different for each series. For example, there was an open “move the ball” period, a backed-up period — with the offense near their own end zone, a third-down period and a two-minute period.

That’s why you’ll see some funky clips in this video, like a throw out of the end zone. But make the decision for yourself on whether the night was a success or not.

You can also watch how the Packers’ first-team offensive line looks like in pass pro, if you’d like. Jordan Morgan, Aaron Banks, Elgton Jenkins, Sean Rhyan and Zach Tom (left to right) were the players seeing playing time with Love under center, aside from Tom being subbed out for Anthony Belton in the two-minute drill.

I don’t think Morgan or Belton played great, which is one reason why Love had some issues throwing the ball. None of them played as poorly as Kadeem Telfort, who got worked at right tackle on the second-team unit, or Donovan Jennings, who snapped the ball over Sean Clifford’s head twice, though.

Below are some Telfort clips (#76) if you want to go down that rabbit hole.


Source: https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/...ws-video-jordan-love-family-night-throws-2025
 
Packers Analysis: The team’s 1st-team snap counts on Family Night

Green Bay Packers Mandatory Minicamp

Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images

We charted every single first-team snap that the Packers had last night so you can learn who is getting real burn with Green Bay’s top units.

For the fourth straight year, we’re going to be charting the Green Bay Packers’ first-team snaps this summer. While we don’t have video of practice, we do have the broadcast of Family Night and will get the team’s preseason games, which the starters sometimes play in.

As much as I’d like to put this series to rest, it unfortunately is worth tracking because of how high the correlation is to players making the roster. Let’s go through who got first-team looks on both offense and defense on Family Night before diving into some core special teams thoughts.

Running Back​

  • 21 snaps: Josh Jacobs
  • 14: Chris Brooks

Quarterback is obvious, so we’re just going to skip that position entirely. At running back, it’s worth noting that both Emanuel Wilson (knee) and MarShawn Lloyd (groin) were non-participants in practice on Saturday due to injury. It’s not surprising in any way that Josh Jacobs and Chris Brooks, two players who made the 53-man roster last year, were the most played backs when Jordan Love was under center, but it is worth mentioning that the three other healthy running backs on the team — Amar Johnson Jalen White and Israel Abanikanda — didn’t get a single look with “the ones.” If they’re going to make any sort of dent on this roster, it’s going to need to come in the preseason.

Receiver​

  • 27: Matthew Golden (22 wide, 5 slot)
  • 22: Malik Heath (16, 6)
  • 21: Romeo Doubs (20, 1)
  • 11: Mecole Hardman (4, 7)
  • 10: Jayden Reed (0, 10)
  • 10: Luke Musgrave (TE) (1, 9)
  • 4 Savion Williams (4, 0)
  • 1: Ben Sims (TE) (0, 1)
  • 1: Julian Hicks (1, 0)
  • 1 Josh Jacobs (RB) (1, 0)

I wanted to point out the wide receiver and slot split here off of the rip. While there’s been some optimism that Jayden Reed can develop into a larger role, the Packers have used him in very specific situations so far in his career. Usually, he’s only on the field in three-receiver sets as the slot receiver. For example, over the last two years, Malik Heath has played nearly five times as many two-receiver sets as Reed. On Saturday, all of Reed’s snaps came with him in the slot (pre- or post-motion) out of three-receiver sets, more of the same.

A really positive sign here is that rookie first-round pick Matthew Golden is very much in the mix as a top receiver on the team, despite the Packers historically slow-playing rookies’ first-team reps. The second play of team drills was an end-around to Golden. They probably like him A LOT on the relative scale of rookies they’ve had roll through the building.

I wouldn’t make too much of Malik Heath getting a bunch of outside receiver reps here, because Savion Williams was pulled out of the game for an apparent injury, according to head coach Matt LaFleur’s press conference, and both Dontayvion Wicks (unknown) and Christian Watson (knee) missed action. I will say, though, it is interesting that Heath got more snaps than Mecole Hardman, who probably has to win the punt return job to be the sixth receiver on the 53-man roster.

Tight End​

  • 23: Luke Musgrave
  • 11: John FitzPatrick
  • 2: Ben Sims

I’m going to be honest here, these numbers might not be 100 percent accurate. I tried my best charting the snaps on the grainy feed I screen-recorded of the practice, but all of Luke Musgrave, John FitzPatrick and Ben Sims rolled up their jerseys yesterday, look similar from an accessories standpoint and wear the numbers 88, 86 and 89. I stress again: I tried my best.

If these numbers hold, it shouldn’t be a shock that FitzPatrick played more snaps than Sims with the first-team offense. Last year, after FitzPatrick was picked off the Atlanta Falcons’ practice squad, he began to out-snap Sims on both the offensive side of the ball and on special teams. Depending on how many tight ends special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia believes he needs on his unit, the team could keep as few as three at the position. Starter Tucker Kraft was out with an unknown injury that LaFleur described as something he had been pushing through. There is no expectation that this is a serious issue, as LaFleur said he just wanted to give Kraft some rest.

Offensive Line​

  • 36: Jordan Morgan (left tackle)
  • 36: Aaron Banks (left guard)
  • 36: Elgton Jenkins (center)
  • 36: Sean Rhyan (right guard)
  • 28: Zach Tom (right tackle)
  • 8: Anthony Belton (right tackle)

Because preferred left tackle Rasheed Walker was out with a groin issue, second-year first-round pick Jordan Morgan played every snap at left tackle on Family Night. The offensive line was consistent, from a personnel standpoint, until the two-minute drill where second-round rookie Anthony Belton subbed in for Zach Tom. Outside of the performance of the tackles (Morgan, Belton and Kadeem Telfort all struggled), the only news of note here is that Sean Rhyan played every snap as the right guard with the first-team unit. Previously, he had been rotating with Morgan and Jacob Monk in camp.

Defensive End​

  • 20: Rashan Gary
  • 20: Lukas Van Ness
  • 2: Brenton Cox Jr.
  • 1: Barryn Sorrell
  • 1: Kingsley Enagbare

It’s pretty clear that Lukas Van Ness is going to be the starter opposite of Rashan Gary. He played in 20 of the 22 defensive snaps before mass subs (more than half of the first-team defense was on the bench) entered the mix. Something must have changed between now and the trade deadline, when the Packers chose to play Kingsley Enagbare as Preston Smith’s preplacement following Smith’s in-season trade to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Collin Oliver, the team’s fifth-round rookie, has not played in camp yet due to a hamstring issue. Green Bay can probably only be able to keep five players at the position, which means one of Brenton Cox Jr. or Enagbare will end up being cut. Whichever one survives the cutdown deadline, though, will probably be the top backup at the position in 2025.

Defensive Tackle​

  • 19: Kenny Clark
  • 18: Devonte Wyatt
  • 3: Karl Brooks
  • 2: Colby Wooden
  • 2: Warren Brinson
  • 1: Nazir Stackhouse

There wasn’t a lot of consistency here, in terms of playing time, other than Kenny Clark and Devonte Wyatt starting. Undrafted rookie Nazir Stackhouse has been building some hype lately and was on the field for one snap with the first-team unit before mass subs, but ultimately, this unit’s performance in preseason games will decide who does or doesn’t make the team.

Linebacker​

  • 21: Isaiah McDuffie
  • 17: Edgerrin Cooper
  • 13: Isaiah Simmons
  • 4: Ty’Ron Hopper

Quay Walker is still rehabbing his ankle injury, but was fully suited up for Family Night yesterday. The assumption is that he and Edgerrin Cooper will be the team’s starting linebackers in two-linebacker sets this year, with Isaiah McDuffie coming off the bench in three-linebacker looks. The top backup will be special teams ace and former first-round pick Isaiah Simmons, but third-round second-year player Ty’Ron Hopper did play a couple of snaps before mass subs.

Cornerback​

  • 21: Keisean Nixon
  • 20: Carrington Valentine
  • 2: Bo Melton
  • 1: Kalen King

Cornerback is another position dealing with injury. Free-agent signing Nate Hobbs (knee) was unable to play. Previously, Hobbs split time between outside cornerback (in two-cornerback looks) and slot corner (in nickel looks) this summer. With Hobbs out of the mix, it was clear that Carrington Valentine, who picked off Love and had a positive night overall, was going to be the next man up. Behind Valentine are Bo Melton, the converted wide receiver, and second-year player Kalen King. Kamal Hadden (hip), who got call-ups to play special teams over King last year, was injured on Saturday, though, so maybe Hadden will displace King for the fifth cornerback spot on the 53-man roster. Keep that in mind.

Slot​

  • 11: Javon Bullard (S)

With Hobbs out, safety Javon Bullard played every single slot rep for the Packers’ first-team defense on Saturday. The team just doesn’t seem interested in playing someone other than those two at the position this year, if push came to shove.

Safety​

  • 22: Xavier McKinney
  • 18: Evan Williams
  • 3: Javon Bullard
  • 1: Kitan Oladapo

Bullard and Evan Williams have been splitting time at safety opposite Xavier McKinney this summer, but with Hobbs out, most of Bullard’s snaps came in the slot. Again, this shouldn’t have been a surprise to anyone. What is a little interesting here is that second-year player Kitan Oladapo got a look over Zayne Anderson, who was previously the top “reserve” player at the position in 2024.

Special Teams​


The team didn’t really work on kickoffs or kick returns in practice, so I’m not going to get into that. I’m also not going to focus on the field goal block team, as the unit mostly played “defense stay” personnel during their looks on Saturday.

What we can glean at, though, is the team’s punt protection personnel and their field goal protection units. These, generally, give us a good look at who the team is leaning toward keeping deeper on the 53-man roster, where special teams ability is absolutely a factor.

On the punt team, the gunners/fliers were cornerback Bo Melton and linebacker Isaiah Simmons. The offensive line was made up of defensive end Lukas Van Ness (guard), defensive end Kingsley Enagbare (guard), linebacker Isaiah Hopper (tackle) and linebacker Isaiah McDuffie (tackle). If Enagbare earns this job over Brenton Cox Jr., that could be enough to push Cox off of the 53-man roster, considering the team spent two mid-round picks on rookies there this April.

In the deep protection unit, the wings were linebacker Kristian Welch and running back Chris Brooks, with safety Zayne Anderson being the personal protector for the punter. Welch is interesting because I’m not sure if there’s room to keep six linebackers on the 53-man roster.

On the field goal protection team, the line of scrimmage players were tackle Anthony Belton, tackle Kadeem Telfort, guard Aaron Banks, tackle/guard Jordan Morgan, guard/center Sean Rhyan and defensive end Warren Brinson. The only roster bubble players in this group are Telfort, who might have been subbed in for either the injured Rasheed Walker or Travis Glover, and Brinson. Hopefully, we get a look at what this unit looks like when they’re healthy down the line. The wings on the protection unit were Zach Tom and tight end John FitzPatrick, yet another sign that FitzPatrick has the edge over Ben Sims at the position.

Source: https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/...nts-family-night-2025-depth-chart-update-2025
 
Omar Brown emerges as contender in safety depth battle

NFL: Green Bay Packers Minicamp

Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

There’s still some shuffling near the top of the depth chart to be done, but Brian Gutekunst’s 2024 rapid rebuild of the Packers’ safety group is still largely holding strong.

Xavier McKinney figures to again be a leader, if not the outright best player, on the Packers’ defense, and Evan Williams and Javon Bullard give the Packers options alongside him. For my money, McKinney’s partner on the back end should be Evan Williams with Bullard figuring things out in the slot (and based on last year, there’s a lot of figuring out to be done), but that’s a scheme question, not a talent one. Because of Gutekunst’s investment last offseason, the Packers have at least three safeties they like, and that’s a lot more than they could say two years ago.

Beyond McKinney, Williams, and Bullard, though, competition is heating up. If the Packers intend to keep five safeties on their initial 53-man roster (they haven’t kept more than that since 2016, when they had six), that means three of their five spots are already locked up. The presence of Kitan Oladapo, a 2024 fifth round pick, probably accounts for a fourth spot, meaning there’s a real chance any other safety contenders on the roster are competing for just one job.

And as of the Packers’ Family Night Scrimmage, those contenders should include Omar Brown.

Brown, a 2024 undrafted free agent who spent last season on the Packers’ practice squad, announced himself with three interceptions on Saturday night. He didn’t log any time with what passed for the first-team defense, but it’s hard to discount that kind of performance even if it was against fellow backups. Beating up the lower levels of the depth chart is the first step on climbing the ladder toward a bigger role.

Prior to his time with the Packers, Brown was a part-time starter at Nebraska after playing his first three years of college ball at the University of Northern Iowa, where he was twice named to FCS All-America teams. While at Nebraska, the bulk of his reps came in the slot; in 2023 alone, he lined up for 434 snaps as a slot defender according to Pro Football Focus, almost three times as many as at any other spot. He earned third-team All-Big Ten honors for his work there.

Coming out of Nebraska, Brown was not a particularly highly rated prospect. He was Dane Brugler’s 34th rated safety in the 2024 edition of The Beast and was prospect 292 on the NFL Mock Draft Database consensus big board. Part of that was probably due to his specialized (or small, depending how you want to look at it) role at Nebraska, but he also wasn’t a great tester in the pre-draft process. Not bad, by any means, but not great. His RAS card is pretty middling across the board, with his only elite numbers coming in the 10-yard split of his 40-yard dash time.

But Brown found himself a job in Green Bay and appeared in two games at the end of last season, logging eight snaps on defense and 16 on special teams.

Now, one Family Night explosion does not a career make, and Brown has a long way to go if he wants to unseat the other significant contender for the Packers’ final safety spot: Zayne Anderson.

Anderson is a long-time favorite of special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia (he was second on the team with 257 special teams reps last season) and has gradually carved out a bigger role on defense, even starting two games last year when the Packers were beset by injury at safety late in the year.

That may not sound like much, but that’s a pretty difficult resume for a newcomer to overcome. If Anderson is both a trusted member of the Packers’ special team units and a spot starter on defense, Brown would have to show out quite a bit between now and the end of training camp to unseat him. Three interceptions on Family Night is a good start, though. Now he’s just got to build on it.

Source: https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/...n-emerges-as-contender-in-safety-depth-battle
 
Packers re-sign cornerback

Indianapolis Colts v Green Bay Packers

Photo by Todd Rosenberg/Getty Images

Corey Ballentine, who made seven starts in Green Bay, has been added back to the Packers’ 91-man roster.

The Green Bay Packers announced on Monday that they have re-signed cornerback Corey Ballentine, who was released by the Indianapolis Colts last week. Ballentine signed with Indianapolis in free agency, where he received nearly half a million dollars in guarantees on his one-year deal with the team.

Prior to his stint with the Colts, Ballentine played 37 games over three seasons with the Packers, including seven starts made on the defensive side of the ball. In total, he played 581 defensive snaps (488 coming in 2023) and 415 special teams reps with Green Bay.

Last season, the only special teamers to record more snaps than Ballentine were linebacker Eric Wilson, safety Zayne Anderson, defensive end Arron Mosby, defensive end Lukas Van Ness and linebacker Ty’Ron Hopper. Between Ballentine (195) and Robert Rochell (121), the Packers lost their two-most-played non-returners on special teams at the cornerback position on free agency.

Now, Ballentine will return to a team that had little proven cornerback depth. While the assumption is that Keisean Nixon, Nate Hobbs and Carrington Valentine will be the Packers’ top outside cornerbacks going into the 2025 regular season, the team still needs to roster two or three more players at the position to get through the wear and tear of a season. Based on how the first-team rotation worked on Family Night, next in the pecking order behind that trio are probably receiver-turned-cornerback Bo Melton and Kalen King, though, Kamal Hadden was out of practice with a hip injury.

In a corresponding roster move, Green Bay released cornerback Gregory Junior, a veteran who has NFL special teams experience, to make room for Ballentine.

Source: https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/...ned-2025-roster-update-cornerback-depth-chart
 
Will Matt LaFleur use his smaller wide receivers?

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One of the popular topics at the Green Bay Packers’ 2025 Training Camp has involved “getting Jayden Reed and Matthew Golden on the field at the same time.” I have no doubt that Matt LaFleur, who is something of a play design genius, can, in theory, design a game’s worth of plays to get Golden and Reed on the field at the same time. They would probably be super-awesome plays. However, the reason for the question, and the root of the problem, isn’t that LaFleur can’t do this, but that he almost certainly won’t do this.

And this may end up being a problem. It’s actually one of the things that lurks in the back of my mind as “a reason that the Packers might be worse than they should be.” Reed played primarily outside in college, and he was just as dynamic then with the ball in his hands as he is now, but he struggled with his catch radius and had a relatively low catch percentage compared to his larger outside peers. Now, in the NFL, he plays more than three quarters of his snaps in the slot.

Matthew Golden also played mostly outside at Texas (76.1% of the time in his final season) and was every bit as dynamic as Reed. However, Golden was clearly better overall, especially with his catch radius and his hands in general. Some will rush to explain the difference as a reflection of Payton Thorne, then at Michigan State, versus Quinn Ewers at Texas, and having watched a lot of both, I would only concede that they are both terrible in their own unique ways.

Anyway, Golden was distinct from Reed in actually catching an incredibly high percentage of his often terribly thrown targets, including over 60% of his contested catches. I would love to tell you how many contested catches Jayden Reed had, but PFF is currently only displaying the 2022 stats for Notre Dame, Army, UConn, and UMass, because it’s the offseason for everyone.

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Anyway, the good news is that while Reed is probably fairly limited to playing in the slot, Golden likely can play outside. He may be small like Reed, but he plays bigger, has better hands, and just looks more along the lines of how good small-outside guys look. And so, it should not be hard to get both players on the field, and even though I spent a few paragraphs kind of ripping Reed, I absolutely do want him on the field. He has been the teams’ most productive receiver since he was drafted, and even if he’s limited a bit in the role he can play, he’s undeniably very dangerous.

But unfortunately, Matthew Golden is tiny, a fact not helped by the enormous helmet he’s been sporting.

Green Bay Packers Mandatory Minicamp

Here at APC headquarters, we sometimes privately refer to Matt LaFleur as a “size queen,” especially when it comes to receivers. Now, we get it, and when push comes to shove, we, too, prefer bigger receivers, and would certainly never kink-shame anyone, but you could certainly take things too far, and I think Matt will, because Matt loves to run. And because he likes to run, he also loves his outside receivers to block. It’s why Malik Heath is on the team, and probably why Savion Williams was drafted. Heck, if anything, Williams is probably even more of a threat to Reed as a “big slot” (That’s slot, you filthy people. Slot.) who can run gadget routes, and maul linebackers.

And blocking is great, and running the ball is great, but the 2024 Packers ran the ball WAY too much. Don’t get me wrong, Josh Jacobs is an asset to the offense, and they have some new beef upfront this year, and I suspect the run game will be incredibly effective, but passing is just, well, better. It’s much more efficient, and taking Golden and Reed off the field just so you can run block better is just shooting yourself in the foot.

LaFleur LOVES the run game though and hates to forfeit the potential run on any given option/check play, so I suspect we’ll continue to see a good amount of 12/21 personnel (meaning only two receivers are even on the field) with at least one of the outside receivers an above-average big blocker. And when we are in 11 personnel, and Reed gets his chance, what are the odds that Golden is ever out there with him?

If I had to rank them right now, with Christian Watson likely injured for a while longer, I would put Golden as the best receiver on the team (highly speculative, and you may fairly call me stupid for this, but early signs are promising) and Reed the second best. Even if that is the case, I think there’s a good chance that, between all the receivers and tight ends, neither of them finishes higher than fourth in targets this year.

Source: https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/...ur-use-his-smaller-wide-receivers-roster-2025
 
Cheese Curds, 8/4: Reactions from Family Night roll in

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If you didn’t know the name Omar Brown before Saturday — which is understandable — you should now, after he recorded three interceptions inside Lambeau Field.

That was part of a consistent theme of the Green Bay Packers’ Family Night practice, which saw the defense keeping the offense in check throughout the evening. Young defensive backs are starting to step up — Brown is just one of them — and they are making life difficult for Jordan Love, Malik Willis, and the rest of the offensive units.

Additionally, the Packers’ pass rush seems to be picking up as well. That’s an area where the team needs more consistency, and hopefully this is a sign of improved play off the edge rather than struggles on the offensive line.

Let’s look back at Saturday’s practice before we turn our attention ahead to the start of the preseason schedule this coming weekend.

5 takeaways from Packers Family Night | Packers.com
In addition to Brown’s three picks, the Packers defense got interceptions from Kalen King and Carrington Valentine.

Packers Roster Projection After Family Night | SI.com
Perhaps the two surprises on this roster are Nazir Stackhouse over Warren Brinson and no Kingsley Enagbare.

Packers coach Matt LaFleur provides update on Tucker Kraft’s groin injury | Packers Wire
Kraft doesn’t really need the practice time and since he’s dealing with a minor but nagging issue, the team wanted to get him three full days off to get it right before jumping back into practice on Tuesday.

Xavier McKinney doing all he can to help Packers teammates get better | Packersnews.com
McKinney is proving to be a selfless leader, and he’s pitching the quiet environment of Green Bay — with fewer distractions than many other bigger NFL cities — as a selling point to other players.

Micah Parsons trade proposals: Analyzing 3 potential offers for the Cowboys – The Athletic
How would you feel about the team trading two first-round picks and Romeo Doubs for Parsons?

Bears’ Ben Johnson calls out ‘sloppy’ offensive performance | NFL.com
That’s a shame.

Customer allegedly stabbed bakery workers over sandwich he was sold 4 years ago | FOX 19
This guy really did not like eggplant. That’s quite a grudge to hold for four years.

Source: https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/...ght-roll-in-omar-brown-training-camp-practice
 
Green Bay Packers drop 1st depth chart of 2025

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For the first time this offseason, the Green Bay Packers have updated their depth chart for 2025. Let’s go through the Packers’ pecking order at every position, noting which players were first-stringers, second-stringers or reserves in each group. When applicable, the players will be in the exact order as they are listed by the team.

Quarterback

  • Jordan Love (1st string)
  • Malik Willis (2nd)
  • Sean Clifford (reserve)
  • Taylor Elgersma (reserve)

Running Back

  • Josh Jacobs (1st)
  • Emanuel Wilson (2nd)
  • MarShawn Lloyd (reserve)
  • Chris Brooks (reserve)
  • Amar Johnson (reserve)
  • Jalen White (reserve)
  • Israel Ebanikanda (reserve)

Receiver

  • Romeo Doubs (1st)
  • Dontayvion Wicks (1st)
  • Jayden Reed (1st)
  • Matthew Golden (2nd)
  • Malik Heath (2nd)
  • Mecole Hardman (2nd)
  • Savion Williams (reserve)
  • Will Sheppard (reserve)
  • Cornelius Johnson (reserve)
  • Julian Hicks (reserve)

Tight End

  • Tucker Kraft (1st)
  • Luke Musgrave (2nd)
  • John FitzPatrick (reserve)
  • Ben Sims (reserve)
  • Messiah Swinson (reserve)
  • Johnny Lumpkin (reserve)

Offensive Line

  • Rasheed Walker (1st, LT)
  • Aaron Banks (1st, LG)
  • Elgton Jenkins (1st, C)
  • Sean Rhyan (1st, RG)
  • Zach Tom (1st, RT)
  • Jordan Morgan (2nd, LT)
  • Donovan Jennings (2nd, LG)
  • Jacob Monk (2nd, C)
  • Travis Glover (2nd, RG)
  • Anthony Belton (2nd, RT)
  • Brant Banks (reserve, LT)
  • JJ Lippe (reserve, LG)
  • Trey Hill (reserve, C)
  • Lecitus Smith (reserve, C)
  • Tyler Cooper (reserve, RG)
  • Kadeem Telfort (reserve, RT)

Defensive End

  • Rashan Gary (1st)
  • Lukas Van Ness (1st)
  • Brenton Cox Jr. (2nd)
  • Kingsley Enagbare (2nd)
  • Barryn Sorrell (reserve)
  • Arron Mosby (reserve)
  • Deslin Alexandre (reserve)

Defensive Tackle

  • Kenny Clark (1st)
  • Devonte Wyatt (1st)
  • Karl Brooks (2nd)
  • Colby Wooden (2nd)
  • Nazir Stackhouse (reserve)
  • Warren Brinson (reserve)
  • James Ester (reserve)
  • Keith Randolph (reserve)

Linebacker

  • Quay Walker (1st)
  • Edgerrin Cooper (1st)
  • Isaiah McDuffie (1st)
  • Isaiah Simmons (2nd)
  • Ty’Ron Hopper (2nd)
  • Kristian Welch (2nd)
  • Jamon Johnson (reserve)
  • Jared Bartlett (reserve)

Cornerback

  • Keisean Nixon (1st)
  • Nate Hobbs (1st)
  • Carrington Valentine (2nd)
  • Kamal Hadden (2nd)
  • Bo Melton (reserve)
  • Kalen King (reserve)
  • Corey Ballentine (reserve)
  • Micah Robinson (reserve)
  • Isaiah Dunn (reserve)
  • Tyron Herring (reserve)
  • Jonathan Baldwin (reserve)
  • Garnett Hollis Jr. (reserve)

Safety

  • Xavier McKinney (1st)
  • Evan Williams (1st)
  • Javon Bullard (2nd)
  • Zayne Anderson (2nd)
  • Kitan Oladapo (reserve)
  • Omar Brown (reserve)

Punt Return

  • WR Jayden Reed (1st)
  • CB Keisean Nixon (2nd)
  • WR Mecole Hardman (reserve)
  • WR Matthew Golden (reserve)

Kick Return

  • CB Keisean Nixon (1st)
  • WR Mecole Hardman (2nd)
  • WR Matthew Golden (reserve)
  • WR Savion Williams (reserve)

For the most part, this looks accurate based on how we charted the Packers’ usage on Family Night. It’s worth noting here that receiver Christian Watson, offensive lineman John Williams and defensive end Collin Oliver, three players who have yet to suit up for the team in training camp, were not included on this depth chart. There’s also only one specialist on the team per position until Irish kicker Mark McNamee gets his visa situation sorted out, so I didn’t even include the depth charts at those positions.

As far as notable nuggets go, here’s my analysis:

  • It’s interesting that running back Chris Brooks is fourth in the pecking order, considering how much the team favored using him in a blocking role during obvious passing situations on Family Night. I think he’s going to end up making this team, be it as the third or fourth running back.
  • Second-rounder Savion Williams not being one of the top six receivers on the roster meshes with the Family Night usage, too, but Williams was apparently pulled mid-way through practice for an issue, so I wasn’t totally sure. I still don’t think that either Malik Heath or Mecole Hardman, two “second-string” receivers, are roster locks, but Williams is — due to his draft status.
  • Donovan Jennings appears to be the team’s 10th offensive lineman, if they want to keep that many on the 53-man roster. Travis Glover is their ninth but has been missing practice recently. In place of Glover, Jennings has come off the bench, which is reflected on the depth chart.
  • Linebacker is the position where I think the team isn’t being totally honest. On Tuesday, when Quay Walker received team snaps in training camp for the first time, it was Walker, Edgerrin Cooper and Isaiah Simmons, not “first-stringer” Isaiah McDuffie, who got the first-look opportunities in three-linebacker sets. I can see a world where Simmons ends up displacing McDuffie, at least in certain downs and distances.
  • Kamal Hadden having the edge at cornerback over Bo Melton and company is interesting. Melton was used as the Packers’ third outside cornerback on Family Night, but both Nate Hobbs and Hadden were out with injuries. This is a position to monitor moving forward, especially since the team signed Corey Ballentine yesterday.
  • Punt returner is a job I thought would go to former All-Pro Mecole Hardman, but he’s listed as a reserve behind receiver Jayden Reed and cornerback Keisean Nixon. If Hardman doesn’t win a return job, I don’t think the chances of him sticking on the 53-man roster are good. Remember, Hardman is a vested veteran, which means his salary will fully guarantee if he’s on the team in Week 1. Considering that Melton can play receiver, too, and that Christian Watson will eventually return to the team, I’m not sure what value Hardman provides for those guarantees if he’s not a starting returner – particularly on the punt team. That’s where the Packers have had issues under special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia, not kick returner, where he’s higher on the depth chart.

Source: https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/...packers-depth-chart-2025-update-training-camp
 
Packers work out 3 on Wednesday

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According to NFL reporter Aaron Wilson, the Green Bay Packers worked out the following players on Wednesday: guard Gunner Britton, guard Sala Aumavae-Laulu and defensive tackle Devonte O’Malley. Just a day prior, the Packers brought in two defensive tackles, so it’s clear that they’re looking to understand their options at that position, specifically.

Britton earned All-Conference USA Honors twice at Western Kentucky before transferring to Auburn in 2023. In his lone year there, he was named a second-team All-SEC lineman. After going undrafted in 2024, he spent last training camp with the Buffalo Bills, where he was released at roster cutdowns. He wasn’t brought back to the practice squad, so he ended up playing in the UFL last year with the DC Defenders, who won the spring league title.

Britton was a pretty notable UDFA back in 2024, receiving $100,000 in guarantees on his deal with the Bills. For perspective, only three of the Packers’ undrafted players in 2025 came close to that number. After being let go by Buffalo, he had workouts with the Las Vegas Raiders, San Francisco 49ers, Pittsburgh Steelers and Miami Dolphins. Since his stint in the UFL, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Cleveland Browns have brought him in.

Aumavae-Laulu began his college career at Navarro College, a junior college, before playing three years at Oregon. In 2023, he was drafted in the sixth round by the Baltimore Ravens, where he played two regular-season games over two years. After the 2024 season, when he spent the second half of the year on the Ravens’ practice squad, he signed a reserve/futures deal with the Seattle Seahawks, hoping for a look with a different staff. He was kept on the Seahawks’ offseason roster until late May, when he was waived by the team.

Since being let go by Seattle, Aumavae-Laulu has had workouts with the Atlanta Falcons and Washington Commanders.

Devonte O'Malley is a DT prospect in the 2025 draft class. He scored a 9.19 RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 164 out of 2022 DT from 1987 to 2025.https://t.co/xizMEeepph pic.twitter.com/hZNUk9vNSy

— RAS.football (@MathBomb) April 1, 2025

O’Malley is an interesting prospect because he’s undersized but productive for the position. He was named an All-MAC player by several publications and posted a 9.19 Relative Athletic Score, but he only measured in at 284 pounds during the pre-draft process.

After going undrafted in April, O’Malley was signed as a free agent by the Tennessee Titans. Since being waived three days ago, he’s already worked out with the New England Patriots and now the Packers. At Northern Illinois, where he was listed at 265 pounds, he posted 22.5 sacks and 31 tackles for losses.

In other roster news, both receiver Sam Brown Jr. and tackle Travis Glover reverted to the Packers’ injured reserve after being waived with an injury designation. This means that no team was willing to pick these players up with their current status. Green Bay recently used those roster spots to add receiver Isaiah Neyor and center Lecitus Smith.

Source: https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/...er-britton-sala-aumavae-laulu-devonte-omalley
 
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