Five Packers Veterans On the Hot Seat

These five veterans will have plenty at stake when the Green Bay Packers practice for the first time in training camp on Monday.

Green Bay Packers running back AJ Dillon / Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Green Bay Packers training camp will begin on Monday. Over the next month of practices and preseason games, jobs will be won. Emanuel Wilson and Malik Heath are two examples from last year.

The same is true in reverse. Jobs can be lost in camp, too, whether that means a one-way ticket to the bench or the unemployment line.

Temperatures will rise during the summer in Green Bay, and so will the seats under these five players.

RB AJ Dillon

Dillon’s return to Green Bay was a surprise. After two disappointing seasons, he hit free agency. Instead of looking for a younger and more explosive running back to pair with Aaron Jones, the Packers released Jones, signed Josh Jacobs and re-signed Dillon to an unusual one-year contract.

The guaranteed money is almost nonexistent, and with that comes a lack of a guarantee of a job.

Jacobs will be the clear-cut top option and get the majority of the carries.

The Packers used a third-round pick on MarShawn Lloyd, who was one of the top backs in this year’s draft and offers potential for more explosive plays.

Wilson is not to be forgotten in the backfield, either. He led the league in rushing last preseason.

Dillon has said and done all the right things and came into the offseason program in excellent shape, but if he’s not more productive, he could find his way to the bench, or worse.

G Royce Newman

As a fourth-round pick, Newman entered his rookie training camp in 2021 at the back of the depth chart but wound up starting 16 games.

In three seasons, Newman started 24 games. In 2021 and 2022, he ceded his control of a starting spot once the offensive line was healthier. After a starting a couple games last year, he lost control of the top reserve spot to Sean Rhyan.

With three more offensive linemen added in this year’s draft, Newman is entering what could be his final stand in Green Bay. A poor camp preseason could see Newman become a candidate to be moved in the mold of a deal that sent Issac Yiadom to Green Bay in exchange for Josh Jackson midway through camp in 2021.

LB Quay Walker

Walker is not going to be released or traded barring something shocking. There was, however, a bit of a message sent to Walker this offseason.

In this year’s draft, the Packers used a second-round pick on Edgerrin Cooper and a third-round selection on Ty’Ron Hopper.

The hope is for Cooper is to become Walker’s running-mate to give the defense a duo of athletes with impressive size-speed combinations.

Walker’s inconsistency, however, could thrust Cooper into being viewed as Walker’s replacement. The Packers will have to decide on Walker’s fifth year option at the end of the season. If he puts together another season like the one he did a year ago, the Packers are unlikely to pick that up.

Usually if that option is not picked up, the writing is on the wall.

Walker will have every opportunity to be put into position to make a lot of plays in Jeff Hafley’s new defense. If he does not make those plays, however, his future will become uncertain.

CB Eric Stokes

Speaking of players and fifth-year options, Stokes is someone who fits the mold. The Packers declined his fifth-year option this offseason after two seasons of injuries and disappointing play.

Stokes should be fully recovered from the foot injury that prematurely ended his 2022 season and the hamstring injuries that ruined his 2023.

Now, Stokes has competition for his spot on the field.

As a seventh-round rookie, Carrington Valentine outperformed Stokes a season ago. Those two will be pitted against each other during camp.

Stokes has the talent and the track record. As a rookie, he looked like a player who could form a dynamic duo with All-Pro Jaire Alexander. His performance must return to that level. If it doesn’t, he likely will find himself on the bench before hitting the free agent market next offseason.

G Sean Rhyan

Rhyan’s career in Green Bay has been complicated.

As a third-round pick in the 2022 draft, he played one snap as a rookie and finished the season in the doghouse after being suspended for the use of performance-enhancing substances.

Rhyan arrived at training camp last summer buried on the depth chart and with no guarantee of a roster spot.

By the end of the season, to his credit, Rhyan had earned his way into a rotation with Jon Runyan Jr. at right guard.

With Runyan signing with the Giants in free agency, Rhyan will enter training camp atop the depth chart. The starting job could be his for the taking. The run game was significantly better with Rhyan on the field a year ago. That’s something that could play to his advantage as the Packers are looking to break in a couple of shiny new toys in their backfield.

Rhyan, however, finds himself in a competition to lock down that spot.

This year’s first-round pick, Jordan Morgan, was seen as a better fit at guard in some circles. After splitting time at tackle and guard during the offseason practices, Rhyan could be pushed to the bench of Morgan is deemed one of the team’s best five linemen.

More Green Bay Packers News

The annual 90-to-1 countdown of the #Packers roster has hit the home stretch. Players 5 through 8 include the team's "War Daddy," Jayden Reed, who could be the rebuttal to all that No. 1 receiver nonsense. ⬇️https://t.co/n7s2M4CbSA

— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) July 17, 2024

Training camp previews: Quarterbacks | Running backs | Receivers | Tight ends | Offensive line | Defensive line | Defensive ends | Linebackers

All-NFC North Team: Quarterbacks | Running backs | Receivers | Tight ends | Offensive line | Defensive line | Linebackers

Hot Reads: Love will report to training camp | Consensus QB rankings | PFN’s Top 100 | Five ceiling raisers for 2024 | Five breakout players for 2024 | Who will win big training camp battles? | Training Camp Schedule

Most Important Packers:5-8 | 9-12 | 13-16 | 17-20 | 21-24 | 25-29 | 30-34 | 35-39 | 40-44 | 45-49 | 50-54 | 55-59 | 60-64 | 65-69 | 70-79 | 80-90