Family Night had over 60,000 people at Lambeau Field to watch the new version of the Green Bay Packers on Saturday night. The event was broadcasted by the team's official website, so it was a good opportunity for fans around the world to watch the roster on the field for the first time this season — even before the first preseason game, on Saturday, at the Cleveland Browns. So, let's evaluate the ten most important factors of the practice.
1) Jordan Morgan can impact immediately You never know with rookies, but early indications are encouraging for the Packers with first-round rookie Jordan Morgan. Last week, offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich said they would focus on Morgan playing at right guard, and it seems like he will start there. Early in training camp, Sean Rhyan was practicing with the ones, but Morgan has overtaken the position.
He was the right guard in every snap Jordan Love had, and his performance was solid. Morgan is a technician, and his footwork is impressive. Maybe Morgan will be a tackle eventually, but he was mostly selected to play at guard early, and his immediate impact is a realistic outcome.
2) Romeo Doubs is him Standout of Family Night was probably...
.who else? Romeo Doubs. Beat Stokes for TD on slant in red zone Beat Nixon for TD on fade in red zone Made tough contested catch vs.
Jaire Ran an absolutely sick route to get wide open for big gainer in 11-on-11 No wide receiver has had more starting snaps and valuable targets than Romeo Doubs . Jordan Love likes him, the coaching staff likes him, and it's hard to argue that he is their primary receiver at this point. Doubs might not be a star, but he is a reliable piece who has taken steps forward with his game — especially his route running.
His strong hands to get contested catches are still his major ability, but he's getting better as an all-around receiver. 3) Wicks is a backup Talented writer Justis Mosqueda tracked every Family Night snap to evaluate who played the most with Jordan Love. And it's clear who the starting trio is built with.
Of the 26 Love snaps, Romeo Doubs was on the field in 21, Christian Watson in 19, and Jayden Reed in 16. Those are the starters. Dontayvion Wicks had a promising rookie year down the stretch, but it happened mostly when Christian Watson wasn't available.
And it seems like this trend will continue early on. On Family Night, Wicks had only six starting snaps, just ahead of Bo Melton, with five. It's good to have depth, and for the Packers it's exciting to have Wicks as a WR4.
But this is not good news if you have Wicks' fantasy shares. 4) They still love Dillon Josh Jacobs didn't do team drills because of a groin issue, and rookie MarShawn Lloyd is just coming back from injury, but it's clear how they value AJ Dillon. He had 21 snaps with the starters, and the most likely scenario is that he will start the season as the primary backup behind Jacobs.
He knows the system, he is experienced in the NFL, and Matt LaFleur has praised him throughout training camp. Eventually, Lloyd might be the best option to share snaps with the starter, but Dillon is under contract through 2024 and they will take advantage of that. 5) Love is better at throwing deep Jordan Love drops a dime to Christian Watson for a TD over Jaire Alexander in 1-on-1s pic.
twitter.com/zwbk0pLMVJ Last training camp and during his first games of the 2023 season, no issue was bigger to Jordan Love than throwing deep. His inaccuracy was concerning, and the Packers left points on the table because of that.
Love got progressively better at it throughout his first season as a full-time starter, and early indications are that he is still developing. He threw some beautiful deep balls on Family Night, and even though the net drill wasn't pretty, Love did well with real receivers. 6) Stokes is himself again Eric Stokes is confident, he's moving well, and he is clearly the starter opposite Jaire Alexander.
The Packers couldn't have hoped for a better restart for Stokes, who hasn't played at a high level since his rookie year in 2021. Stokes allowed a catch for Romeo Doubs, which is normal, but he also had an eye-catching pass defended and showed he's getting ready to leave the seasons affected by injury behind him. 7) RT possibilities and concerns After practice, right tackle Zach Tom said he will start doing team drills this week.
Jordan Love and Matt LaFleur might be relieved. Without the starter, the Packers were forced into a rotation trying to find the best alternative, and it hasn't been pretty. On Saturday, veteran Andre Dillard started at first, with 12 snaps.
He was followed by Kadeem Telfort and Caleb Jones, and pressure from that side was consistent. Maybe throughout the season they will consider moving Jordan Morgan there if needed, but for now tackle depth is an issue. 8) Sean Rhyan at center? Rhyan didn't start with the ones, being surpassed by Morgan as previously said.
But he did have snaps with the ones at two other positions. He replaced Elgton Jenkins at left guard in some snaps, but it was notable that he played at center too. Josh Myers is the presumed starter, but if Rhyan won't start at guard, there can be a real competition at center.
9) Javon Bullard's versatility The Packers wouldn't show much of what they really intended to do because the practice was being broadcasted. So they played base defense at a high rate, which limits snaps for defensive backs. Even so, rookie second-round Javon Bullard showed how impactful he can be, with 12 snaps at safety and six as a nickel corner.
Keisean Nixon is the starting nickel, but Bullard is probably the first alternative behind him. And at safety, he will share snaps with Evan Williams and Anthony Johnson Jr., with free agent addition Xavier McKinney as the main piece.
10) Defensive line plan Kenny Clark is the dominant force in the interior of the defensive line. Behind him, it's a rotation. TJ Slaton will play even more, probably, because he is better suited for early downs in addition to obvious running situations.
Former first-round pick Devonte Wyatt will have a significant role , for sure, but his run defense was poor in 2024. That means he will be on the field basically on passing downs, because his ability to generate pressure from the interior is real. This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.
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