PACKERS GREEN BAY — Jordan Love wanted to make one thing perfectly clear when it came to what wide receiver Grant DuBose did during the Green Bay Packers' preseason-opening win over the Cleveland Browns on Saturday. "Definitely not surprising," the Packers starting quarterback said. It understandably wasn't surprising to Love, who has either watched (for the first four practices while waiting for his $220 million contract extension to be completed) or taken part in (running the No.
1 offense) every practice of training camp so far. "Since we started camp, Grant's been making plays every day," Love said following the Packers' 23-10 win, which he spent as a spectator after his 65-yard touchdown pass to Dontayvion Wicks on the third play from scrimmage. "He's making big-time plays.
He's knowing what he needs to do with his assignments in the blocking game. He's just been a great player so far. So it was not a surprise what he did (in the game).
He's been doing it all camp." Now, in fairness, most Packers fans haven't been privy to what Love has seen this summer — unless they've spent each and every one of their PTO days at Ray Nitschke Field, or they're one of the bike kids who is devoting the last vestiges of their summer vacation watching all practice every day. For everyone else, the 23-year-old kid in the No.
86 jersey making play after play after play was a revelation. The 2023 seventh-round pick not only led the Packers in receptions (five), receiving yards (66) and targets (six), but his catches were big-time clutch plays. After drawing a third-down holding penalty on his first series to keep that drive going, DuBose had a fourth-down conversion (a 13-yard catch on fourthand-3) and a pair of third-down catches (a 23-yard gain on thirdand-9 and a 12-yard pickup on a third-and-3).
He also had a second-down catch that resulted in another first down. The 23-yard reception was a catch-and-toe-drag thing of beauty that came with 10 seconds left until halftime, setting up Anders Carlson's 46-yard field goal to close the half. "The catch on the sideline was fantastic," said backup quarterback Sean Clifford, DuBose's draft classmate and the one who threw the pass.
"Very, very happy for Grant." That seemed to be the overwhelming sentiment from DuBose's teammates, who know the adversity he's had to overcome. And we're not just talking about the challenge of a vagabond college football existence which left him working odds jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic-canceled 2020 season — including as a lot attendant at a Hyundai dealership, a Door Dash delivery driver and carrying groceries out to customers' cars at Walmart.
After missing virtually all of last year's offseason and training camp with a back injury, DuBose finally was cleared for practice with two weeks left in camp. On a roster filled with young receiver talent, he never had a chance to make the 53-man roster. Instead, he landed on the practice squad, where he spent the entire season.
He was only elevated to the game-day roster once, for the Jan. 7 regular-season finale against the Chicago Bears, but was inactive. "Being sidelined for those three months, coming back with two weeks left of camp, getting released, spending the whole year on the practice squad — that taught me to control what I can control and just trust the process.
To keep working, keep getting better," DuBose explained. Get local news delivered to your inbox!.
