Packers Training Camp Practice News and Notes, 7/25: Brandon McManus shines

Green Bay’s kicker is 15 of 15 in camp after going 20 of 21 last regular season.

A couple of Green Bay Packers stars are emerging in training camp after three days of practice. The pads still need to come on, but several players are consistently performing this summer.

Unfortunately, there are also two new injury situations to follow, which have led to the offensive line reshuffling yet again. Let’s get into the news and notes from Friday’s practice.

Participation

Packers head coach Matt LaFleur broke the news on Friday that left guard Aaron Banks, their big free-agent signing of the offseason, is currently dealing with a back issue that caused him to drop out of practice yesterday. According to LaFleur, Banks will be day-to-day. He did not practice on Friday.

Aside from Banks, the other players who were non-participants in practice today were running back Amar Johnson (hamstring), receiver Christian Watson (knee), receiver Savion Williams (concussion), offensive lineman Elgton Jenkins (back), offensive lineman John Williams (back), defensive end Collin Oliver (hamstring) and linebacker Quay Walker (ankle). Walker was activated from the physically unable to perform list this week, but Watson, John Williams and Oliver remain on the PUP. Walker has only gone through walkthroughs with the team since his return. Johnson and Jenkins are on the non-football injury list, while Savion Williams’ injury is new.

Offense

Without Jenkins or Banks, the Packers’ offensive line, according to Packer Report’s Andy Herman, was made up of Rasheed Walker, Jordan Morgan, Sean Rhyan, Jacob Monk and Zach Tom. That’s a shake-up, as Morgan was playing right tackle yesterday with Travis Glover coming in at left tackle in place of Banks. Instead, it’s Monk, not Glover, who got the tap on the shoulder to be the “starter” today. With that being said, Glover did play guard at times with the first-team offense when Morgan kicked out to left tackle. Both Monk and Rhyan flipped between center and guard, too, today.

We always knew the offensive line situation was going to be fluid this summer, but it’s hard to get a grasp on what the staff is thinking for Week 1 when there are also two starters out of the lineup. Don’t expect the line to be settled anytime soon.

Per the Green Bay Press-Gazette’s Ryan Wood, first-round receiver Matthew Golden was used often as a motion man in Friday’s practice. Usually, Jayden Reed has been the Packers’ chess piece receiver. As LaFleur said in his press conference yesterday, though, he would like to be able to have the option of every receiver going in motion if they had the skillset.

If you’re one wanting to buy hype into receiver Dontayvion Wicks, who arguably was the best route separator on the team last year, he caught a 49-yard touchdown from Jordan Love today in the competition period. Here’s to Wicks coming down with more balls in 2025.

Defense

On the defensive side, the starters today in the Packers’ base 4-3 defense were defensive ends Lukas Van Ness and Rashan Gary, defensive tackles Kenny Clark and Devonte Wyatt, linebackers Edgerrin Cooper, Isaiah McDuffie and Isaiah Simmons, cornerbacks Keisean Nixon and Nate Hobbs and safeties Evan Williams and Xavier McKinney.

If there’s anything to take away from the early camp rotation, it’s that Simmons has the edge over 2024 third-round pick Ty’Ron Hopper and Kristian Welch as the team’s first linebacker off the bench and that Williams has the lead at safety opposite of McKinney over 2024 second-round pick Javon Bullard. Everything else is pretty much chalk.

One of the standouts from camp so far has been cornerback Carrington Valentine, who is fighting for playing time this year. Valentine has made interceptions in back-to-back practices and posted a PBU in the competitive period today. For Valentine to win a starting job as an outside cornerback this year, it will mean that Hobbs will have to kick into the slot on nickel downs, pushing Bullard into a reserve role.

Overall, the defensive side of the ball won the practice again, typical for this point in training camp. It was a shock that the offense forced the defense to do punishment pushups after the first practice of training camp. Since then, it’s been all defense.

Special Teams

Kicker Brandon McManus has been absolutely lights out this summer. He’s now 15 of 15 in training camp and has made three field goals of over 50 yards, too. He went 20 of 21 with the Packers last year, which was some much-needed consistency from the position after late-stage Mason Crosby, Anders Carlson and Brayden Narveson.