We are now two weeks into Packers training camp, and on the eve of their first preseason game. While injuries are generally the most impactful news out of camp, there are times where player performances are worth mentioning. Lets look at the players that have stood out the most as the season draws near.
The Winners
Brandon Cisse – When Cisse was drafted, the overall consensus was that Green Bay had made the correct pick based on value and need, but that Cisse would be a bit of a project. Well that does not seem to be the case after two weeks of camp. While injuries may have given him the opening, Cisse has consistently been running with the starting defense, while presumed other starter Keisean Nixon has been in a rotation with new Packer Benjamin St. Juste. Whether this ends up being the right call we won’t know until seasons start, but Cisse is undoubtably one of the biggest winners of camp so far.
Jordan Morgan – “The best news is no news”. An old saying that fits exactly what you’d want to hear when it comes to a new player taking over a key spot on the line. Morgan’s first two years in Green Bay were underwhelming to say the least. Moved around the line on multiple spots in his second year after injuries derailed his rookie season, Morgan seems to have settled in at left tackle. There hasn’t been one report of him struggling, and even a few comments on how well he has looked in the spot. If he can just be average, the ceiling for the offensive line, and the team as a whole gets a lot higher.
Matthew Golden – The Packers do not have the depth at WR of previous years. I won’t make the argument that less depth is better for the team as a whole, but it can be better for individual players. By all accounts Matthew Golden is one of those players. Golden is in line to absorb a lot of the snaps that Romeo Doubs used to get and seems to have answered the call so far:
With Doubs and Dontayvion Wicks both out of the building, expectations are higher than ever for last years first round pick. So far he seems up to the challenge.
The Losers
Anthony Belton – Like Jordan Morgan, Belton played tackle almost exclusively in college and then the Packers attempted to move him to guard. While Morgan was the obvious replacement for Rasheed Walker, with Zach Bako Bewele the entrenched starter at RT, there wasn’t an opening for Belton at tackle. His transition to guard has not gone smoothly. While the early days of camp made it clear the Packers wanted him to take the right guard spot, he was recently demoted to the 2nd squad in favor of Jacob Monk. As it stands right now Belton could open the season as a swing tackle that doesn’t see the field barring injury.
Keisean Nixon – The flipside to the emergence of Cisse has Nixon finding himself in a rotation with St Juste over the past several practices. While Nixon likely opens the season as a starter opposite Cisse, it feels like he has an incredibly short leash. For a player that opened camp rumored to want more money, keeping his starting job now seems to be the best he can hope for.
Trey Smack – 71.4%. That’s disappointing for a team that spent two picks to move up for the kicker. Am I worried yet? No, he’s a rookie playing in a completely different environment. Camp is the time to work out the kinks and the last few days have seen better numbers. That being said, Smack has essentially been handed the job at this point, so hopefully the early camp hiccups are just that.
