As much as I remind myself and know that preseason scores don't matter, it sure moves my optimism meter in the positive direction when the Packers put on a good performance like they did in Denver. The first drive by the offense has been overhyped a bit — it was efficient, but they were helped by a couple of breaks. There was the non-fumble decision on Watson (which I actually disagreed with) and some helpful penalties by the Broncos. To me, the best thing to take from that drive was how good Jordan Love looked. He was in full command, owned the pocket, stayed balanced and his passes were accurate. He punished the Broncos when they blitzed by calmly hitting a receiver in any resulting open space created. He made adjustments at the line when he sensed some trickery the Broncos were up to. He threw the ball away when he was being backed up by a strong rush and had no obvious open receiver. Love was clinical.
So the Packers have a kicker and a kick returner? Is that even allowed? It's like a dream scenario we Packers fans never could have imagined to be a real thing.
Speaking of kick returners, although Pierre Strong had the big kickoff return, he's likely not going to be on the 53-man roster. Skyy Moore, however, is the type of returner I would see other teams employ and wistfully wonder why the Packers returners couldn't look like that. Well, no need to be wistful anymore. Skyy Moore knows the keys to being a good returner; stay north/south, don't break stride, pick a hole and attack it. If it doesn't work, you might get lit up, but more times than not, you'll be productive and occasionally break off a big one. Watching Savion Williams return kicks last year had me yelling at the TV. As soon as he approached the scrum, he would slow down and look for space east/west. Either he was being careful because he was afraid of getting lit up or he just didn't know how to return kicks. He did return 14 kicks as a freshman in college, but that was back in 2020 and he was never asked to do it again over the following four years of his college career. Maybe we know why...
All offseason, whenever I had conversations with anyone about the Packers and the topic turned to the cornerback room, I invariably always had to remind the other person not to forget about Kamal Hadden. I really though Hadden was coming on strong at the end of last season and was inserted into the Ravens game in December when the Packers cornerbacks were getting torched, specifically Carrington Valentine, if I am remembering that correctly. From looking lost at times in the 2025 preseason to the coaches feeling he was good enough to throw into an important December game highlights the type of progress he had made over the course of tlast season. And just as he was getting his chance, it all came crashing down with that horrendous injury. But I didn't forget about him. I kept bringing up his name as someone to look out for, assuming of course that he recovered from that injury. One thing I didn't foresee was the Packers moving him to slot corner, but after watching what he did there last week, it sure seems to make sense. And the Packers know he can also play boundary corner, so he possesses that V chromosome (versatility) the Packers love.
Is there a team that is better at finding multiple unheralded wide receivers that look good enough to be on an NFL roster? Every year we have the, "Will the Packers keep 7WR discussion?" My answer has pretty much always been "no" and I think I've only been wrong once. This year we have Isaiah Neyor, Michael J Sturdivant and WIll Sheppard (who was actually my favorite under-the-radar WR last training camp). All three of these have made plays in camp and the preseason games that are NFL-level. So this is when many fans start wringing their hands and saying their favorite will get claimed and won't make it through to the Practice Squad. Of course, that rarely happens, and I'm betting at least two of them, and maybe all three, are released and end up on the Packers practice squad.
Jonathan Ford has made an impression, something he never came close to doing in his previous stint with the Packers. A former 7th round pick by the Packers, he was signed off the Packers practice squad by the Bears and spent two seasons with them before being waived last December and claimed back by the Packers. "Journeyman" seemed to be his NFL lot in life, but last Friday, there he was on the starting defense as the nose tackle in between Devonte Wyatt and Karl Brooks. Of course, Javon Hargrave was not participating, but he was still given the spot over Nazir Stackhouse and 3rd round draft pick Chris McClellan. I don't think this means he's won a job. Without an injury or unlikely trade, it's a crowded room for a 3-4 defense that will likely be in nickel most of the time. I've seen people propose trading Brooks for a cornerback or a tight end, which may sound like a good idea to us fans. For the Packers, they may like the idea of making room for McClellan and Brinson, but the Packers seem to consider Brooks a starter and he's cheap, in the last year of his rookie contract. However, if the Packers think they won't be able to resign him for next year, then it might make some sense. My gut tells me, no, however.
Marshawn Lloyd - I will give him the benefit of the doubt for the rust factor, but he hopefully will realize he has to be more decisive when there isn't an obvious running lane for him..And that's going to happen fairly frequently based on what we've seen from the interior of this offensive line, at least the group we've seen. Maybe with Banks back at LG it will get better, but that's a big maybe.
As for the other guard spot, I studied the Packers first two drives yesterday afternoon and studied how Burton and Monk did against the Broncos starters, who were in for both of those possessions. Both Monk and Burton had opportunities (or the misfortune) of having to block the Bronco's Zach Allen. Monk got manhandled, Burton held his own. Suffice to say I hope to see Burton getting snaps at RG with the starters in today's joint practice and Friday's game.
There's no way to sugar-coat it. It's been ugly so far for Tyrod Taylor. I mean, he's missed some throws by yards, not inches or even feet. The Packers want him as the backup quarterback for his experience, but he has to play better than what he's shown, doesn't he? And no, I'm not lobbying for McCord as the backup, he's strictly practice squad development material at this point, even if he has outplayed Taylor.
Enjoy the final preseason game and be sure to earn your Packers Super Fan stripes by watching until the very end!
Go Pack Go!
PLEASE SUBSCRIBE TO OUR CHEESEHEAD NATION WEEKLY NEWSLETTER HERE.
__________________________
"Jersey Al" Bracco is the Editor-In-Chief, part owner and wearer of various hats for CheeseheadTV.com and PackersTalk.com. He's a lifetime Packers fan living in the land of the Giants (and Jets). Follow Al on twitter at @JerseyalGBP.