Packers camp is well underway and just two preseason games remain before the season kicks off. There wasn’t much to takeaway from game one. There likely won’t be much from game two, but there are definitely trends to take note of as camp continues.
The Packers Are Getting Healthier
When camp began, there was some mild concern with the names on the injury list. Everyone knew that Parsons and Kraft would be out to start, but then there was Bako Bewele, Wyatt, Banks, Hargrave, etc. Key players that Green Bay needs on the field to be successful. Since then all of those players have made their way back to the practice field.
Even injury scares that have popped up mid camp to Golden, Reed and Lukas Van Ness have been minor and those players are back as well. It’s a long season and anything can happen, but so far Green Bay fans have to be happy with how the injury issues have resolved themselves so far.
Starting Spots Still Not Settled
Ideally a team about to enter it’s second preseason game would have most of it’s starting lineup figured out. The Packers are getting closer, but there are still a few key spots up for grabs.
First are the two guard spots. While it is seeming more and more like Jacob Monk may be the RG week one, the LG spot is a real fight between Aaron Banks and 5th round rookie Jager Burton. After the game against Pittsburgh, LaFleur seemed to be running out of patience for Banks as he continued to miss practice and said that it would be difficult to keep Burton out of the starting lineup. This seemed to have the intended effect as Banks returned to practice yesterday
For the moment at least it seems that Banks has some real work to do to reclaim his starting spot.
The last true competition seems to be at the second corner spot. Rookie Brandon Cisse took over one starting spot early in camp and seems to have locked that spot up. The other side seems to be a open battle between Nixon, Valentine and the newly acquired Benjamin St Juste. More than any spot on the team it feels like this battle could be determined by the next preseason game and the joint practices with Arizona. I would say Nixon has the slight edge, but another performance like last week could see him sent to the bench.
Packers Standing Out
While the camp battles continue, there are also a number of players that have stood out as well. One of the most important players for Green Bay this season has started off strong and figures to see a much bigger role this season vs last:
I expect Golden to take over much of Romeo Doubs did for the Packers last season, and so far that seems to be the case. Golden has been living in the middle of the field and with a healthy Watson and Kraft he should see a lot of favorable coverage.
Speaking of Kraft, he’s been back at practice doing 11 on 11s for just a couple of days, but already seems to be in midseason form:
If Kraft is the player he was before the injury, and the WR stays healthy, this Packers offense should push for a spot in the top 5 offenses in the league.
