GREEN BAY, Wis. – When the Green Bay Packers face the New York Jets in Saturday night’s preseason game, one Packers player will see some familiar faces on the other sideline.
Running back Israel Abanikanda was a fifth-round pick by the Jets in 2023. To say Abanikanda will have a chip on his shoulder because he was released by the Jets last season wouldn’t be correct. Instead, Abanikanda has a chip on his shoulder because of everybody who’s doubted him.
“I’m trying to show everybody what they think I couldn’t do: catch, block, kick return,” Abanikanda said. “So, I’m trying to show them what I could do. Exactly what I could do.”
“All through my life,” he added, “a lot of people have been saying I could only run the ball. So, I’m psyched to show everybody’s wrong, prove everybody wrong.”
There’s no doubt Abanikanda can run the ball. At Pittsburgh in 2022, he led the ACC with 1,431 rushing yards and the nation with 20 rushing touchdowns.
That he didn’t catch the ball in college isn’t the same as he can’t catch the ball. Abanikanda caught 37 passes during three seasons at Pitt. That’s a little reminiscent of former Packers running back AJ Dillon, who caught only 21 passes during three seasons at Boston College but caught 84 during his final three seasons in Green Bay.
“That’s what I’m saying. That’s what I’m saying,” Abanikanda said. “People think you can’t do it but I’m going to show them that I am going to do it, I will do it and I’m going to do it. For sure.”
Pro Bowler Josh Jacobs will start and get a little work against the Jets on Saturday, but MarShawn Lloyd and Emanuel Wilson are out with injuries. So, there will be a lot of snaps given to Abanikanda and undrafted rookies Amar Johnson and Jalen White.
“Iz got a little bit of stuff to him,” Jacobs said on Thursday. “We were just talking about it today on the sideline. I can’t wait to see him actually go full-go. Obviously, the two rookies, we’ve been around them for a minute. I just want to see live reps. It’s always different when you know you’re getting tackled and you know you got to really run. We’ll see.”
Abanikanda carried 22 times for 70 yards with the Jets as a rookie. Last preseason, he carried 21 times for 129 yards (6.1 average) and forced 12 missed tackles, according to Pro Football Focus. The Jets released him late last season; the 49ers released him last month.
Having proven he can run the ball, is he looking forward to proving the critics – including the team on the other sideline – wrong?
“Yes, sir. Yes, sir. Definitely wrong,” he said. “Yes, sir. Yes, sir. That’s the only goal. Every day. It’s the same as Friday. Every day, that’s my goal.”
Here are 11 more Packers players to watch against the Jets.
QB Taylor Elgersma
Green Bay Packers quarterback Taylor Elgersma passes the ball during the first day of training camp on Wednesday, July 23.
Green Bay Packers quarterback Taylor Elgersma (19) passes the ball during the first day of training camp on Wednesday, July 23. / Tork Mason / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Coach Matt LaFleur said he’d do his best to give all four quarterbacks “meaningful snaps” against the Jets. After Jordan Love and Malik Willis, former fifth-round pick Sean Clifford and undrafted rookie Taylor Elgersma will continue their battle to be the third quarterback.
Neither player has taken the bull by the horns, though Elgersma threw the only touchdown pass on Family Night.
This is an under-the-radar important battle. This year’s No. 3 quarterback will be the early front-runner to be next year’s No. 2 quarterback if Malik Willis leaves in free agency.
“He’s got the arm talent,” coach Matt LaFleur said. “It’s just the consistency, and it’s always hard for a guy where a majority of the reps are going to Jordan and Malik. Both he and Sean, they’ve got to maximize their opportunities. They’re getting limited reps in practice, so a lot of their training comes post-practice in regards to working through the scripts, so when they get in those situations on Saturday night, the expectation is you’re going to go out there and execute.”
New WRs Golden, Williams, Hardman
After the passing game underperformed last season, the Packers signed Mecole Hardman in free agency and drafted Matthew Golden in the first round and Savion Williams in the third round.
Golden and Williams are locks to make the roster. The only question, which the preseason will help answer, is what their roles will be in Week 1.
Golden has routinely been one of the most productive players on the field. His 4.29 speed in the 40 got the headlines during the draft process but it’s not the speed that’s made him so effective. It’s the crisp routes and excellent hands.
“You just really respect his work ethic so far, and I think that’s going to go far in allowing him to just play fast when his opportunity’s called,” general manager Brian Gutekunst said recently.
Green Bay Packers wide receiver Savion Williams (83) catches a pass during training camp.
Green Bay Packers wide receiver Savion Williams (83) catches a pass during training camp. / Tork Mason / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Williams was in and out of practice for the first week, including dropping out of Family Night, but he is coming off a strong week of practice. He should be an immediate asset on jet sweeps and end-arounds. While those plays haven’t worked on the practice field against Green Bay’s defense, perhaps they’ll be more effective against another team in live action.
“When I get my chance, I’ve got to make my opportunity count,” Williams said.
Unless Gutekunst finds a way to keep seven receivers on the roster, it could come down to Hardman and Malik Heath for the final spot. They’ve both made plays on offense, including Hardman with a 20-yard touchdown in 2-minute this week. Those downfield opportunities had evaporated in Kansas City.
“Yeah, I think I’m enjoying it,” he said. “Just trying to learn the playbook, all the details, trying to get it all down. They put a lot of receivers in different spots here to run different routes, so just trying to just get everything down. But, so far, it’s been good.”
The ace up Hardman’s sleeve is his proven kickoff- and punt-return ability. It’s hard to believe the Packers will use starting receiver Jayden Reed or starting cornerback Keisean Nixon in those roles in the preseason, so Hardman will get his chance.
OL Jordan Morgan
Last year’s first-round pick, Jordan Morgan, has a chance to be Lou Gehrig to Rasheed Walker’s Wally Pipp.
Walker has been a sturdy left tackle the past two seasons but is out with a groin injury. That’s opened the door for Morgan to win the starting job. So far, the results have been underwhelming. Perhaps facing the Jets, a defense that features premier pass rusher Will McDonald, will give Morgan the upper hand.
“Some good and then some where he’s got to get better,” was LaFleur’s analysis. “I think you can say that about everybody. Again, he’s a young player, but he’s getting a lot of exposure at that spot, so with that comes a lot of opportunity.”
If Morgan struggles against the Jets, he might have to turn his focus to challenging Sean Rhyan at right guard.
DE Brenton Cox
Green Bay Packers defensive end Brenton Cox Jr. (57) celebrates sacking Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.
Green Bay Packers defensive end Brenton Cox Jr. (57) celebrates sacking Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. / Dan Powers/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Last year’s trade of Preston Smith opened the door for Cox. After being a healthy scratch during the first half of the season, he took full advantage.
In seven games, he had four sacks – more than Lukas Van Ness had in 17 games. Of 131 edge defenders who played at least 97 pass-rushing snaps (Cox’s number), Cox according to Pro Football Focus was second in pass-rushing productivity, which measures sacks, hits and hurries per pass-rushing snap. Only Detroit star Aidan Hutchinson was better.
Cox is having a solid camp. Saturday’s game will be his first opportunity to really turn things loose and attack a quarterback not wearing a red jersey.
“I never had this many opportunities, so getting the reps,” Cox said. “Seeing what I can do, I surprise myself sometimes. Going out there and playing hard and having fun.”
DT Nazir Stackhouse
The Packers have had at least one undrafted rookie make their Week 1 roster for 20 consecutive years. The leading candidate this year is defensive tackle Nazir Stackhouse, who has taken a bunch of second-team reps over the past couple weeks ahead of veteran Colby Wooden and sixth-round draft pick Warren Brinson.
Stackhouse has been hard to block all summer. Now, he’s got to show he can do it in a real game, when the speed and ferocity are ramped up.
LB Isaiah Simmons
Green Bay Packers linebacker Isaiah Simmons (28) smiles as he rides a bicycle to practice at training camp.
Green Bay Packers linebacker Isaiah Simmons (28) smiles as he rides a bicycle to practice at training camp. / Tork Mason / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
There might be only one starting position truly up for grabs on defense. That’s at linebacker in the base defense, with Isaiah McDuffie and Isaiah Simmons battling to start alongside Quay Walker and Edgerrin Cooper.
Simmons got off to a hot start but has cooled a bit. His athleticism is, obvious, though, and he's got a chance to be a real X-factor on defense. But first, he’s got to nudge aside the steady McDuffie.
“He’s doing a great job just doing all the little things the right way,” LaFleur said before Family Night. “I think he’s picked up our defense … and then he’s going out there and executing. He’s done a lot of great things. We’ve been lining him in a lot of different positions in regards to on the ball, off the ball. Doing a good job of setting edges. Certainly, this athleticism, it’s hard not to see that.”
CB Bo Melton
How big of a surprise has Bo Melton been in his transition from receiver to cornerback?
“I definitely wasn’t expecting to make tons of plays,” he said this week after taking some first-team reps in the absence of Nate Hobbs and Keisean Nixon. “I ain’t made a million of them, but I’ve made some plays. I was like, ‘OK,’ so I did surprise myself with the skills I brought to the table.”
Melton is one of the great stories of training camp. Changing sides of the ball in the NFL almost always is the equivalent of a wounded-duck Hail Mary that lands 10 yards short of the goal line, but Melton is a borderline lock to make the 53-man roster and could wind up playing a key role on defense at some point this season.
This will be his first really big test: facing an unfamiliar offense and unfamiliar players running unfamiliar route combinations.
“I feel I did pretty good, made some plays,” he said. “Still got a lot of corrections I have to do (but) I feel like I’ve been making some plays here and there, some splash plays. It’s been fun, too.”
CB Kalen King
Kalen King as a seventh-round pick last year spent his rookie season on the practice squad and didn’t play at all in the regular season. He’s clearly one of the team’s most improved players, having shown he can play in the slot as well as on the perimeter. He broke up two passes on Thursday, part of an extended stretch of quality play that has him in position to make the 53.
“I did a lot of different things this offseason compared to last season,” King said this week. “For example, this offseason, I stayed in Green Bay so I didn’t leave. I was here doing rehab for my wrist, training with Marcus (Jones), talking to the nutrition guys and Colin (Whitaker) and just changing my nutrition habits, getting more sleep, just approaching my approach with meetings and walk-throughs. With everything, I feel like I’m more intentional, more dialed in.”
S Omar Brown
With All-Pro Xavier McKinney out with a calf injury, all the safeties will be moving up a notch. That means more opportunity for Omar Brown, the star of the show on Family Night.
The safety room is crowded. The entire quintet from last season – McKinney, Evan Williams, Javon Bullard, Zayne Anderson and Kitan Oladapo – is back for this season. That means it’s going to be hard for Brown to break through. But if he keeps making plays, he’s going to burst through the door.
“I think he’s done a great job, I really do,” LaFleur said this week. “He’s been really consistent and he continues to maximize his opportunities. When you do that, you get noticed and then, ultimately, you get more opps.”
From our superb new intern, Jacob Slinkman of @uwgb, here are five things to watch for tonight's #Packers preseason opener.https://t.co/E5Ot6FdARZ
— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) August 9, 2025