GREEN BAY – The Packers returned to Ray Nitschke Field for a warm practice Tuesday wearing shoulder pads.
Here are five things we learned:
- Tucker Kraft took another big step forward in his return.
Kraft, the second-year tight end, took 11-on-11 snaps for the first time in camp, continuing the progress he began when he returned to individual practice last week.
Kraft missed all OTAs and minicamp, as well as the first part of training camp, due to a torn pectoral muscle that required surgery. On Tuesday, he stressed that he was no longer thinking about the injury.
“I’m on the field for a reason, and that’s because I, Gutey (GM Brian Gutekunst) and the sports medicine staff believe my injury is behind me,” Kraft said. “We took the rearview mirror off the roof of the car. It’s gone. We’re all one step ahead.”
There is great curiosity as to what Kraft and fellow 2023 draft pick tight end Luke Musgrave can bring to the offense when they are on the field together, which was less than 100 snaps last season due to injuries to both players.
A play on Tuesday offered a first glimpse when QB Jordan Love threw a screen pass to Musgrave in the flat. One of his lead blockers? Kraft, who made an effective block on safety Javon Bullard, giving Musgrave a significant gain in yardage.
“It was a play where everything just went in my favor,” Kraft said. “Sometimes you have to improvise when you’re out there on the field. It was like a home play — use technique in open space and finish. So it was good.”
While Kraft certainly enjoys the responsibility of being a pass catcher after recording 31 catches for 355 yards and two touchdowns last season (plus another touchdown in the playoffs), he also takes great pride in his blocking abilities and looks forward to getting back into that area as he makes his comeback.
“You can open up a lot of opportunities in our offense by being a reliable run blocker,” he said. “That’s what I want to be. I want the running backs to be able to trust their landmarks when they see me up front, and I want to see explosive runs on offense.”
“It opens up a whole new set of opportunities for me to make plays by being good in the running game. I plan on just being myself. I just want to be myself again out there.”
- The upcoming trip to Denver will be much different from last week’s preseason appearance.
Head coach Matt LaFleur has indicated that the Packers’ regular players will not play in Sunday night’s preseason game in Denver, but will instead use the joint practice with the Broncos on Friday to improve their playing time.
The work might be more useful than actually playing in the game anyway, as teams might dig deeper into their playbooks for a practice whose footage (unlike game film) isn’t shared leaguewide.
“You go through different phases, you go through different stresses and different things from a different pattern,” Love said. “It’s good.”
Love added that he will watch game film from last season against Denver before Friday to refresh his knowledge of the Broncos’ system. In that October 2023 game, the Packers held a clean sheet in the first half before gaining momentum in the second half.
“You get to see a lot more and then you can go back and analyze it on film,” Love said of the joint rehearsal. “It’s good to be able to see new looks.”
- First-round draft pick Jordan Morgan is back on the field.
Morgan has returned to practice on a limited basis following a shoulder injury that sidelined him last week, but he is not taking 11-on-11 snaps yet as Sean Rhyan has taken over the first-team duties at right guard.
Also back in action were cornerback Jaire Alexander, who missed the warm-up game against Cleveland for personal reasons, as well as receiver Dimitri Stanley, defensive lineman Deslin Alexandre and offensive lineman Donovan Jennings.
Rookie running back MarShawn Lloyd, who suffered a hamstring injury in Cleveland, is not training. Fellow running back Jarveon Howard is also out with an ankle injury.
Cornerback Carrington Valentine, defensive lineman Keshawn Banks and linebacker Edgerrin Cooper are out due to injury. Linebackers Quay Walker and Ty’Ron Hopper worked out during drills but did not take 11-on-11 snaps as Ralen Goforth and Kristian Welch worked with the first-team defense alongside Isaiah McDuffie and Eric Wilson.
- The defense won, but the offense also had its moments.
The offensive players performed push-ups again at the end of the unit, but there was some back and forth regarding the success of the unit.
Earlier in the practice, Love threw two long balls to Christian Watson and Jayden Reed, but was nearly intercepted by Welch. Backup QB Sean Clifford was intercepted by safety Zayne Anderson.
In a game-ending red-zone situation that began just inside the 20-yard line and with 22 seconds on the clock, Love scored in three snaps by hitting Dontayvion Wicks to get inside the 5-yard line, throwing the ball on the ground with nine seconds left to stop the clock, and then finding Romeo Doubs near the front pylon for a touchdown.
Rookie QB Michael Pratt wasn’t quite as successful here, as his attempt inside the 10 was thwarted when defensive lineman TJ Slaton blocked a pass at the line of scrimmage and Lukas Van Ness came from the blind side and caused an apparent sack.
The tide turned in the final two-minute drill, as Love’s drive quickly stalled, but Pratt’s possession allowed him to take a big advantage with a shot up the middle to tight end Ben Sims, who set up a field goal.
- The third participant in the kick competition had a tough day.
Rookie kicker Alex Hale, who did not play in the preseason game in Cleveland, was the only kicker to make just 5 of 9 field goals in this practice. He made his first four attempts before missing four in a row – one from 47 yards and three more from 50-plus yards, all wide right, including one that hit the post – before scoring from 44 yards to cap Pratt’s two-minute drive that ended the practice.
