GREEN BAY, WI: The first seven days of Packers' Training Camp have come and gone, and since I have been fortunate enough to see it up close, here are the biggest things I noticed from each day.
Day 1
Training Camp Recap DAY 1:
Short note recap:
- Stackhouse off of PUP
- Kraft likely to be extended before season starts
- Micah Parsons in the building
- Brandon Cisse shines with a TFL, great coverage in 1s
- Jordan Love balls out, scores 3 TDs, 2 rushing
- WRs shine: Touchdowns from Christian Watson, Isaiah Neyor, Brendan Rice, Skyy Moore
- Forced Fumble by Zaire Franklin on MarShawn Lloyd, Xavier McKinney recovers
- Play Of The Day: Pick Six from UDFA Rookie, Marlon Jones 99 yards to the house off of Kyle McCord
- Xavier McKinney two TFL, flying around
- Practice Time: 1 hour, 31 minutes
My biggest takeaway from day one: without pads, the offense used a lot more bootleg schemes than we had seen last season. Allowing Love to use his feet and throw on the run will be another big element in an offense that has playmakers at every position. Christian Watson stuck out, as he made a big play for a touchdown, but so did rookie Cornerback, Brandon Cisse. Cisse, who got to run with the first team quite a bit, would make a big play, recording a tackle for loss (TFL). Another takeaway was the impact that players like Isaiah Neyor and Skyy Moore were having on the second and third teams. Your play of the day would come on a pick-six from the undrafted free agent rookie, Marlon Jones, as he would take it 99 yards to the house off of Kyle McCord. Overall, the first day had many back-and-forths, but it was just good to see the team make plays on both sides of the ball.
Day 2
Training Camp Recap DAY 2:
Short note recap:
- Matthew Golden goes off: multiple 10-yard receptions, 20-yard receptions
- Christian Watson stays hot: 2 big plays from Love
- Jordan Love stays on fire: 8 big gains to Golden, Watson, Reed
- LVN was all over the field. Pressure from outside at Edge, as well as inside
- DDS working with the 1s, pressure on Love from the Edge
- Edgerrin Cooper sack
- Jayden Reed 60 Yard Touchdown on WR Screen
- Jonathan Baldwin pick six with 2's
- Practice lasts an hour 42 minutes
When you look further at Day 2, it was the day of Matthew Golden finding his footing to get into a groove with Jordan Love during the start of the season. Golden would record five receptions, all of which, besides one, would go for ten or more yards, including two twenty-plus-yard plays. Christian Watson would continue to stay hot, while Jayden Reed would see his name come up more as well, and Love would have eight completions to the trio of Golden, Watson, Reed. One thing to note on the defensive side without pads is that they aren't allowed till pads come on. Lukas Van Ness, Dani Dennis-Sutton, and Edgerrin Cooper.
Day 3
Training Camp Recap DAY 3:
Short note recap:
- Golden going off with back-to-back big contested catches
- Kept the chains moving in 2 Minute
- Christian Watson goes off in the red zone with two touchdowns
- 3 straight practices with 1 or more touchdowns for Watson
- St. Juste pick-six off of Tyrod Taylor
- Nixon, Valentine, St. Juste step up huge in team time, especially two-minute drill
- Neyor, Sturdivant continue to shine
- Jayden Reed WR Screen Touchdown
- Practice ends, lasts an hour 42 minutes
Day three got off to yet another great start for the offense with Jordan Love finding Matthew Golden, as well as Christian Watson quite a bit. Golden would make some big plays through great coverage in traffic to continue his streak of being on fire. Watson would then contribute with multiple touchdowns while in the team red zone period. Watson has now made a touchdown grab in three straight practices and continues to shine with Love throwing him the ball. The secondary has been consistently making plays otherwise, though, as Keisean Nixon, Benjamin St. Juste, and Carrington Valentine showed out today. Each had a few big plays in the two-minute drill today to slow down the offense as much as it could have been. The big play of the day was a Jayden Reed Wide Receiver screen pass that would go the distance for the score.
Day 4
Training Camp Recap DAY 4:
Short note recap:
- Brandon Cisse has been showing a lot of flashes with the 1's lately
- PBU against Melton in Team Time against the 1's
- Matthew Golden continues his dominance
- Contested catches have been his highlights thus far
- Will play the "X" spot this season
- Keisean Nixon had two PBU in Redzone today
- Kamal Hadden is off the PUP List
- Bullard BIG play in Redzone
- Bo Melton contributed to two touchdowns today. One reception on the goal line, one toss on a hook and ladder play to Strong for the score
- Sorrell, LVN, Oliver shine on the Defensive Line
- Plays of the day: Melton TD, Oliver Sack, Hook and Ladder from Melton to Strong
- Hour 42-minute practice
Training Camp Day Four got off to a nice start for Rookie Cornerback, Brandon Cisse. He would get to run a lot with the 1's on defense again, and would make some noise. He would record a PBU on Bo Melton, but it wasn't long before Matthew Golden would show out again. Jordan Love and Golden have been on a heater recently, as Golden caught a few contested catches again today. Keisean Nixon would respond to that in team time, as he would have two PBU in the red zone today. The pressure would pick up heavily, as Barryn Sorrell, Collin Oliver, and Lukas Van Ness would get to the Quarterback. Pierre Strong, who has put together some very nice days thus far, was able to capitalize with a long touchdown today. The Packers would run a hook and ladder, in which Strong would have the ball tossed to him by Melton, which would go the distance.
Day 5 (1st Day Of Pads)
Training Camp Recap DAY 5:
Short note recap:
- Matthew Golden SHINES: Big plays over the middle, 5 receptions in Team Time, really getting a rhythm down with Jordan Love
- WR ROOM SHINES!
- Jayden Reed 60-yard touchdown
- Christian Watson with a HUGE play in two-minute
- Will Sheppard came up clutch for the 2's in the two-minute drill on 3rd and 15 when Tyrod Taylor hit him in stride for a 60-yard strike
- BIG ANTHONY CAMPBELL is making play after play. He has 4 batted down balls in the last three practices
- Offensive Line has been a strong point thus far, especially in pass protection
- Secondary wins: Xavier McKinney with the first INT against the 1's; Brandon Cisse on a Cornerback blitz gets home, as well as Jaylin Simpson
- Plays of the day: Jayden Reed 60-yard touchdown, Will Sheppard 60-yard reception, Xavier McKinney's interception in team
- Trey Smack goes 5/8, 2/3 on game winners (missed from 52)
End of practice: hour 43 minutes
Training Camp Day Five brought us the first day of pads in Green Bay, as the trenches were finally allowed to show who was truly winning battles throughout the day. Matthew Golden once again got off to a hot start, as Jordan Love would fire a few over the middle to Golden, who would have yet another big day. The Wide Receiver room would continue to have a big day, as Love uncorked one to Reed 60 yards downfield for a big touchdown. When in two-minute, the Packers would do a drill down two, with 50 seconds left on the clock. Love would fire a big gain to Watson, then set up the offense for a win with a ball to Reed. Trey Smack would come on for a game-winning, 52-yard field goal, but would miss it wide left. The two's would win on a big play from Tyrod Taylor to Will Sheppard for 60 yards.
One standout of the day would be "Big Ant" or Anthony Campbell, a UDFA a year ago out of Miami. Campbell has always had the size; he just needed the right training. This happened when he found a trainer over the last year by the name of Jared St. John. St John has been working with Campbell over the offseason, and when asked the biggest thing that he and "AC" emphasized this offseason, he told me, "Mastering rush moves at full speed and developing confidence in those moves. Up to the point of this offseason, a lot of the work went into developing coordination and rhythm at slower, more controlled paces. Hit the gas this summer." That work seems to have paid off, as "Big Ant" has knocked down four passes at the line of scrimmage in three practices, and even recorded a sack with the 2's as recently as this morning.
Day 6 (2nd Day Of Pads)
Training Camp Recap DAY 6:
Short note recap:
- 1v1's Recap
- Cisse and McKinney went 5-0 combined
- Trio of Golden, Watson, Reed went 5-1
- Jordan Morgan locked up, went 3-1. Only loss was to Sorrell
- Golden Shines again
- Golden and Love in rhythm
- Back-to-back receptions during team
- Has become a go-to target
- Jacobs Shines
- Big gain off of a draw play
- Backside bootleg screen for a big gain
- Getting involved in the outside run
- Skyy Moore Wins
- 3-0 in 1v1s
- Big gain off of a jet sweep
- Working as a main return man
- Blitz Game Wins
- Barryn Sorrell sack against 1's
- Simpson/St. Juste sack on CB Blitz
- Evan Williams sack
- Plays of the day: Neyor big catch, Simpson/St. Juste sack off of a Cornerback blitz, Love to Watson crosser for big gain
- End of practice, hour 47 minutes total
Training Camp Day Six brought us more of the same. Big plays on both sides of the ball, but for the first time this season, we got to see some 1v1's before team time. Some of the key takeaways included Xavier McKinney and Brandon Cisse going 5-0 combined in their matchups, while Skyy Moore showed his worth on offense, going 3-0 by himself.
My biggest takeaway was watching the offensive playmakers in Golden, Watson, and Reed go 5-1 in their combined matchups. Moore would also have a big gain off of a jet sweep, worked as the main return man, and would even earn comments from General Manager Brian Gutekunst as "someone the roster WILL have going forward". This all but confirmed that Moore will make the 53-Man Roster, which makes it an uphill battle for anyone else in that Receiver room due to having Golden, Watson, Reed, Williams, Melton, and now Moore all but confirmed to make the roster.
As far as the trenches, Jordan Morgan locked up and would go 3-1 in his battles, with his only loss to Barryn Sorrell. Sorrell would also record a sack against the 1s. One thing that Jonathan Gannon has shown more of is his ability to use different styles of blitzes, especially in the secondary. This would lead to an Evan Williams sack, as well as one from Simpson and St. Juste. The other two big plays of the day were a crosser from Love to Watson, as well as a leaping reception from Neyor.
Day 7 (3rd Day Of Pads)
Training Camp Recap DAY 7:
Short note recap:
Golden On One
- Catch in traffic for a nice gain on a slant against Nixon
- Continues his groove with Jordan Love
- Has become a go-to target each day
Lloyd Leaps Up
- Big touchdown down the right sideline on a nice burst of speed
- 2nd TD of the day on a reception this time from Jordan Love
- Lloyd has shown each day that he has that explosion back in his game once again
LB's Stand Out
- Multiple TFL for Hopper
- Franklin TFL x2
Big Ant Back
- Sack on Taylor with the 2's
- Chasing down Love with the 1's showing his high motor
- Making a big play each day
Neyor Has A Day
- Drones threads a ball to Neyor on an out route against Oladapo
- Nice block on Sheppard WR Screen
- Touchdown on a spinning grab in the red zone from McCord
Plays of the day: Drones threads ball to Neyor, Big Ant sack on Neyor, Lloyd big touchdown down the right sideline
End of practice: Hour and 43 minutes
Yesterday, while a lighter day with Family Night coming up tonight, the Packers took the field and made some big plays once again. With Josh Jacobs dealing with a groin injury, which isn't expected to be long-term, MarShawn Lloyd would step into the RB1 role for the day. Not only did he fill in, but he would excel, creating a huge run down the right sideline for the touchdown, as well as adding a receiving touchdown during the red zone. Lloyd, who has dealt with his fair share of injuries, hopes to have put that past himself, because the explosion that he plays with has never seemed to have left him.
Anthony Campbell, the UDFA a year ago out of Miami, would make another appearance in my recap notes as he would have yet another day filled with some nice plays, including a sack on Tyrod Taylor with the 2's. Campbell, while facing an uphill battle in a room filled with a lot of talent in De'Vonte Wyatt, Chris McClellan, Javon Hargrave, Warren Brinson, Nazir Stackhouse, Karl Brooks, Jonathan Ford, and company, has been making the right plays at the right time. He will be one to watch this preseason when they can finally go against other teams.
One name I seem to keep seeing flash when watching camp is Wide Receiver Isaiah Neyor. Neyor, a Practice Squad member of last season for the Packers, has been shining each day throughout camp as well. Yesterday, he made multiple plays both in the receiving game as well as the blocking game on a Wide Receiver screen pass to Will Sheppard. Neyor will look to continue the momentum in preseason in yet another really talented room.
Speaking of the Wide Receiver room, General Manager Brian Gutekunst would talk about a new acquisition in the room, Skyy Moore, and tell the media that he "will be a part of the team's plans going forward". As I mentioned in Day 6, this all but confirms that the Receiver room will include Christian Watson, Matthew Golden, Jayden Reed, Savion Williams, Bo Melton, Skyy Moore, and, depending on how this roster shapes up, maybe a seventh Receiver in that room can make it. It is noteworthy, though, that the Packers kept only six on the 53 Man Roster last season.
Overall, it has been a great first week of practices, filled with many standout performances. Tonight, with Family Night, they will get their first taste of the crowd in Lambeau Field, and then the first game week of the season will be upon us.