It’s been an exciting start to training camp thus far, and the Packers are eager to get back to game action against another team. The Packers will kick off their first game of the preseason this Saturday against the New York Jets. The Packers have twelve training camp practices under their belts, including Family Night. Regardless of what happens, it’s just good to have Packers’ football back. Here’s everything you need to know heading into the weekend.
- 📅 Saturday, August 9th
- 🕗 7:00 PM CDT
- 📍 Lambeau Field – Green Bay, WI
- 📺 NFL Network
- 📻 Packers Radio Network Affiliates
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It’s still unknown whether the starters will play or not. On Tuesday, Matt LaFleur was noncommittal, but he expects them to be ready either way. “We’ll see,” LaFleur said. “However, I’m feeling in the moment. I just told all these guys, ‘Get ready to play football.’ They’re football players. Everybody’s got to go into it expecting to play.”
What to Watch For
Bo Melton in Game Action
Melton’s transition from wide receiver to cornerback has been better than anyone was expecting, but he’s proven this position switch is more than just a feel-good story. “He’s done a nice job…it’s just getting an adequate number of reps to go and get comfortable out there at a very difficult position to play,” said head coach Matt LaFleur. “I’m really pleased with not only how he’s approached it, but how he’s gone out there and executed.”
With some injuries at the cornerback position, Melton has found himself getting reps with both the first and second units, and he’s been up for the challenge. After one-on-ones last week, The Athletic’s Matt Schneidman wrote, “Melton, who I think is a safe bet to make the initial 53-man roster after switching positions, in part because of his special teams prowess, took two reps against wideouts Romeo Doubs and Will Sheppard and broke up both passes.”
It’ll be interesting to see how he fares against a different team. He’s bound to get an abundance of reps. Whether or not he performs well on Saturday remains to be seen, but Melton’s transition to cornerback clearly is more than just a fun experiment. “I believe in him, and I’m excited to see where this can go. Everything’s not going to look perfect, but I was fired up,” said defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley. “I love the guy. You win with guys like Bo.”
Melton has positioned himself well for his performance in training camp thus far. His ability to impact offense, defense, and special teams gives him a unique leg up over the other cornerbacks on the roster. Saturday will be a good measuring stick to test if this move is the real deal.
How Will Jordan Morgan and Anthony Belton Hold Up?
Training camp has been an up-and-down experience for both Morgan and Belton thus far. Some reps look great; other reps are a struggle. With neither Rasheed Walker nor Zach Tom expected to play much, if at all, on Saturday, Jordan Morgan and Anthony Belton should both see a lot of work.
With Rasheed Walker battling a groin injury, Morgan will be the starting left tackle and should play a large chunk of snaps. Morgan has held up well at times. His athleticism is evident, and his footwork is adequate. His biggest problem is that he lacks functional strength. There are times a strong bull rush will go right through him. Take a look at this rep matched up with Lukas Ven Ness from Family Night. Yikes.
Battling two positions can be difficult for any offensive lineman. Belton has been tasked with learning both left and right tackle. The 2025 second-round pick has the size to play tackle in the NFL, but many draft experts pegged him as a likely candidate to move inside to guard. The Packers have been reluctant to move him inside thus far, but it might not be long. Belton has shown a mixed bag of results thus far as a tackle. On the rep below, fellow rookie Barryn Sorrell gets by him rather easily.
Saturday should serve as a strong litmus test for both Morgan and Belton. Both players have shown strong reps on tape, both in team drills and one-on-ones. But they both have lacked the consistency the Packers desire. Morgan and Belton should both see a majority of the reps at tackle. Both players would benefit from a strong performance against the New York pass rushers.
Can Warren Brinson and Nazir Stackhouse Keep Things Rolling?
The rookie defensive linemen have both generated some buzz through training camp. The two “knuckleheads” have taken turns impressing, both in team drills and in one-on-ones. Karl Brooks and Colby Wooden have not lived up to expectations thus far. With some uncertainty along the Packers’ defensive line, there are opportunities for both Brinson and Stackhouse to work their way into roles on the defense.
The sixth-round pick started slow, but over the last week and a half, he’s been much better. Family Night was an excellent night for him. He was in the backfield a number of times. He was able to generate pressure on the quarterback and disrupt a running play at the line of scrimmage. Assuming Brinson plays (he left Wednesday’s practice with a jaw injury), he would have a nice opportunity to solidify his spot on the defensive line.
Stackhouse started strong, but his performance has simmered down. The undrafted free agent came in and quickly made a name for himself. He was making splash plays day after day. Stackhouse started by taking reps against the third-stringers, but he has worked his way up the depth chart. “Yeah, he’s done a really nice job,” Matt LaFleur said. “He’s earning more and more opportunities. I think at some point we’re going to have to see him in there against the ones.”
With Kenny Clark taking it easy on Saturday, both Brinson and Stackhouse should see plenty of work. They may even get some work against old friend Josh Myers. Each player is fighting for a spot on the 53-man roster, but if they continue their strong preseasons, they may even work their way into roles on defense. After Clark and Devonte Wyatt, there are a number of snaps up for grabs. It should be interesting to see if Brinson and Stackhouse can go and grab them.
The New-Look Jets
This is a much different team from the recent Aaron Rodgers-led Jets teams. Rodgers is in Pittsburgh, former head coach Robert Saleh is back in San Francisco, and former general manager Joe Douglas is back in Philadelphia. The Jets have an entirely new front office and coaching staff. They also brought in a new quarterback. Times are changing in New York.
Aaron Glenn, the former Lions defensive coordinator, is the new head coach. He surrounded himself with a nice mix of experienced and young, up-and-coming coaches. Glenn brought over Tanner Engstrand from Detroit to call the offense, pairing him with an experienced offensive mind, Scott Turner. Glenn brought in Steve Wilks as his defensive coordinator. Wilks is an accomplished defensive coach with head coach experience. Chris Bango (a former Packer) was selected to run the special teams unit.
It was a busy off-season for the Jets’ front office. One of the Jets’ boldest moves this offseason was deciding to move on from Aaron Rodgers. The Jets invested everything into the Rodgers experiment, and it failed. New general manager Darren Mougey and Glenn will now look to Justin Fields to quarterback the offense this season. They also selected Armand Membou with the seventh overall pick to fortify their offensive line.
It’s hard to know what the Jets’ new offense or defense will look like on Saturday. Although they will likely keep their play-calling very vanilla, Fields and backup quarterback Tyrod Taylor both bring a unique element to the offense because of their running ability. It’s fair to assume the Packers will see some designed quarterback runs. It should be a good test for the young players along the Packers’ defensive line.
On defense, Glenn typically implements a lot of man-to-man coverage and blitzes. He may not deploy as many different pressures on Saturday, but he will want his defense to play aggressively. The Packers’ young receivers should get a good taste of strong, man-to-man coverage, which is a different look from what they’ve seen in camp thus far.
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