Kalen King (Photo: Tork Mason, USA TODAY Sports)
By Mark Eckel
The quarterback from Canada was better than the kicker from Ireland.
That just about sums up the Green Bay Packers 23-19 preseason win over the Indianapolis Colts, Saturday at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Quarterback Taylor Elgersma, the Canadian Heisman Trophy winner, engineered three scoring drives and looked like a legitimate prospect in his first extended NFL playing time.
Elgersma completed seven of his 11 passes for 109 yards and led the offense to two touchdowns and a field goal.
That field goal was the only one made by Irish kicker Mark McNamee, who missed a 39-yard field goal attempt and an extra point that would have broken a 16-16 tie.
Fortunately for the Packers they are not going to need the kicker. It's Brandon McManus' job. They probably won't need Elgersma, either, at least not yet.
If, as expected by many, backup quarterback Malik Willis leaves as a free agent after the season, the Packers are going to need a dependable backup for Jordan Love. There are three ways to find one.
One is to sign an overpriced journeyman backup who will be his third or fourth team in as many years.
Two is to draft one, but if you're counting on a rookie to be QB2 that pick better come no later than Day 2 of the draft.
Three is to hope you have the guy on your roster and develop him. That might be Elgersma. The 6-5, 227-pound QB certainly looks the part. He's going to need time to develop, for sure. And that's what the 2025 season on the practice squad could be for him.
Here are some other thoughts on a game that featured the Colts starters against the Packers backups for most of the first half.
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If you didn't realize before, you should now. The Packers are almost certain to keep four running backs on the 53-man roster. Behind Josh Jacobs will be Emmanuel Wilson, last year's No. 2, second-year man Marshawn Lloyd, the 2024 third-round pick, and Chris Brooks, the third-down back.
Lloyd got his first extended work Saturday and carried six times for 15 yards behind the backup offensive line and caught a 33-yard pass on a wheel route. He was all targeted three other times. All of his action came on the first two series of the game.
Brooks came in and carried for a first down on 4th-and-1.
A fifth running back to watch is Israel Abanikanda. It's hard to imagine him making the final roster, but why is he the main kick returner? He returned five of the team's six kickoffs (for 120) yards.
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Wide receiver Julian Hicks, who spent all of 2024 on the team's practice squad, is going to have a difficult time making the roster this year. The team should hope he returns to the practice squad, however. Hicks, 6-2, 201, shows both good hands and good route running ability. That's two good traits for a young receiver.
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Second-year safety Kitan Oladapo stood out on more than a few plays Saturday. Remember he missed most of the preseason last year with injury. The 2024 draft pick out of Oregon State could make an impact in sub packages for Jeff Hafley's unit this season.
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I'm thinking more and more Kalen King is going to be the fourth, or fifth, cornerback on the roster when it comes down to making the final cuts. Pretty sure it's not going to be Kamal Hadden.
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Kristian Welch is a better football player than Isaiah Simmons.
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Jordan Morgan, who will be a starter somewhere on the offensive line, played well again Saturday. The rest of the players who played up front? We'll get into that for a story later this week.