Packers-Texans Preview: 11 Players To Watch, Starting With Jordan Love

Here are the key players to watch, one from each position group, as the Green Bay Packers host the Houston Texans on Saturday night.

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Once upon a time, the NFL preseason was about getting ready for the regular season. Now, it’s about figuring out depth charts, 53-man rosters and 16-man practice squads.

“The guys that we have who have played in this league a long time, you’ve got a pretty good idea of what they can bring to the table,” Green Bay Packers coach Matt LaFleur said on Thursday, two days before Saturday night’s preseason opener against the Houston Texans. We also know that some of those guys, you don’t want to subject them to any more risk in the preseason, so I think there’s constant conversation going on in terms of what we’re trying to get out of each game, who we need to see and who we need to put in certain positions to get a great evaluation.”

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Here are 11 players, one in each position group, looking for a great evaluation.

Quarterback: Jordan Love

Last year’s first-round pick hasn’t played in a game for his team since Dec. 20, 2019, when Love threw for 317 yards and three touchdowns in a 51-41 loss to Kent in the Tropical Smoothie Café Frisco Bowl. That’s 603 days ago. His last game overall came 572 days ago, when he completed 4-of-6 passes for 26 yards in the Senior Bowl.

“I’m super-excited for it,” Love said last week. “This is the moment I’ve been preparing for even since last year not having preseason. It’s almost like I’ve been training a year just for this first preseason game. I’m sure excited to get out there and get back to playing ball.”

These next three Saturdays could serve as Love’s audition to be the team’s starting quarterback next season. Obviously, the relationship between MVP Aaron Rodgers and general manager Brian Gutekunst is on shaky ground. Moreover, the Packers are a projected $50.8 million over next year’s salary cap. Trading Rodgers and handing the keys to Love in 2022 could take care of half of that deficit. Whatever Love does in the preseason will be a big part in determining what direction the team would like to take for next season.

Love has had an up-and-down training camp, with some eye-popping throws, some dumbfounding mistakes and a few wounded ducks. It will be interesting to see, perhaps not so much in this first preseason game, how much talent LaFleur surrounds Love with during these exhibitions to get a better gauge. When Love had a full group of receivers during the three-day minicamp, he had one sensational practice.

Go through the photo slideshow for other players to watch.

Running back: Patrick Taylor

With Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon atop the depth chart and Kylin Hill in strong position to make the roster as the projected kickoff returner, the question at running back is whether the Packers will keep three or four on their 53-man roster. Based on the practice reps this week, Taylor has the edge over Dexter Williams for that potential fourth spot. Taylor, however, hasn’t played in a game since the 2019 Cotton Bowl. He’s looked good during training camp but he’s yet to break a tackle on a running play, pick up a blitzer or dodge a defender on a third-down catch in a live situation. The early signs are positive but he’s got to show it under the lights.“I feel like I can bring a number of things,” Taylor said this week. “Being able to understand pass protection, being able to protect on third down as a big back, being able to catch the ball out of the backfield as a big back and sometimes line up in the slot, out at wideout. Being able to run inside and outside the tackles and also contribute on special teams on all four phases – kickoff, kickoff return, punt and punt return.”

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Offensive line: Jon Runyan

There’s been a rotation at the guard spots throughout training camp, with Runyan at left guard and Lucas Patrick at right guard on one series, Braden at left guard and Patrick at right guard on another series and Runyan at left guard and Braden at right guard on another series. That changed on Thursday, though, when the No. 1 line had Runyan at left guard and Patrick at right guard.A sixth-round pick last year, Runyan impressed in limited playing time as a rookie. Now, it appears he’s the front-runner at left guard, the position usually manned by Pro Bowler Elgton Jenkins. Clearly, his performances the next three weeks will determine whether Runyan (if Jenkins is still at left tackle) will get the nod for Week 1 in New Orleans.“We’ve got a lot of guys rotating around, in and out everywhere,” Runyan said this week. “You don’t really know what you have until there’s live bullets and you’re going against a different team. And then you can kind of see what you’re made of and you get a lot more comfortable a lot faster with the guys around you. So, definitely looking forward to these preseason games coming up.”

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Tight end: Jace Sternberger

Sternberger, a third-round pick in 2019, is having his best training camp – which really isn’t saying much. His performances his first two seasons, not to mention a two-game suspension to start the upcoming regular season, had him potentially on the roster bubble entering camp this summer. He’s strung together some quality practices, though. The Packers have a strong tight end group with some clearly defines roles. Robert Tonyan will catch passes, Marcedes Lewis will block and Josiah Deguara will line up everywhere. Can Sternberger do enough in the preseason to fend off Dominique Dafney and have a role upon his return?

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Receiver: Reggie Begelton

The receiver group is strong, too. It would appear five spots are locked up with Davante Adams, Allen Lazard, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Randall Cobb and Amari Rodgers. The Packers figure to keep at least six. While Devin Funchess, based on track record, would seem to have the best chance, there’s an opening for an under-the-radar player to make a move with a strong preseason as a receiver and on special teams.Perhaps no receiver has caught more passes on the practice field than Begelton, with Love having built a rapport with the CFL transplant. With his long and winding road to Green Bay, he’s incredibly the second-oldest receiver on the team. He spent all of last season on the practice squad and played two offensive snaps in the one game he was elevated to the gameday roster.“The way I look at it, it’s actually fun,” he said of the competition. “If it was easy, would you really enjoy the process? Especially when you come out successful at the end? Yeah, you could say I’m behind the 8-ball, but I’m not looking at it that way. I’m going out there. I’m doing what I can do. I’ve done what I can do and I’m trying to take advantage of every opportunity that I personally can get, so I’m making this fun. I know it’s a competitive room and like I said, at the end of the day it’s just fun.”

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Defensive line: TJ Slaton

With Kingsley Keke having missed the first 11 practices of training camp and Kenny Clark out with a groin injury, Slaton has gotten a lot of snaps with the No. 1 defense. That figures to be the case on Saturday, too, with Keke almost certainly out after returning to practice on Thursday and Clark sidelined the past week.The Packers’ run defense was bad last season. With a strong preseason, the beefy but surprisingly athletic Slaton could earn himself some playing time when the regular season begins.“You know me, I’m taking by the neck,” Slaton said this week. “I’m just trying to really get in, really work with the ones, communicate with Dean (Lowry) and Tyler (Lancaster), because we’re both in there because Keke and Kenny aren’t going. It’s the ones. So, you’re trying to go as hard as you can just so you can prove that you fit, that I’m here. So, that’s all I’ve been trying to do is make sure I have the things down and make sure I can get all the adjustments right and correct. Just play hard when you’re out there, especially when you’re going against the 1s. You want to play hard and put your dominance out there. That’s all it is.”

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Outside linebacker: Tipa Galeai

With Randy Ramsey on injured reserve, there’s a hole on the roster for the No. 4 outside linebacker. Galeai, Jonathan Garvin, Delonate Scott and newcomer Chauncey Rivers are battling for that spot. While Garvin, last year’s seventh-round pick, is ahead of the other three on the depth chart, Galeai has made more splash plays on the practice field. The problem is he’s a bit undersized so his pass rushes have been all or nothing. Either he’s used his quickness to get into the backfield or he’s been violently shoved aside by the likes of Billy Turner and Dennis Kelly.“Damn good football player,” position coach Mike Smith said of Galeai on Sunday. “He’s another one that needs to get the special teams rolling because if that joker can put on 10 more pounds, he’s a demon. He’s got a great get-off to beat you on the edge. He’s got to get better with his power. If he puts some weight on, he’s going to be a damn good player in this league.”

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Inside linebacker: Oren Burks

The depth chart has been clear cut since Day 1 of camp. Krys Barnes and De’Vondre Campbell are the starters and Ty Summers and Oren Burks are the No. 2 tandem.As a linebacker, Burks has been a bust as a third-round pick in 2018. He’s got fewer tackles in three seasons than Barnes had as a rookie last year. His disappointing play is why the team signed Campbell in June. But he is a valuable player on special teams. Summers led the team last year with 12 tackles while Burks was second on 10. And there does seem to be a legitimate effort to fix the club’s perennially downtrodden special teams. That said, the Packers have cap issues and moving on from Burks would save $945,000.“I just take pride in being the best version of myself, finding ways to add value to the team,” Burks said this week. “I’ve always been kind of a team-first guy, moving outside, inside, all that kind of stuff. For me, I just see it as being a better football player. I think that’s something here we can change the culture around special teams and really make a difference in that third aspect of the game. It’s going to be really important for us to make that next step and to really progress and take that next step as a team is special teams, so I take a lot of pride in that.”

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Safety: Henry Black

This one is similar to Stokes. Black has spent all of training camp as the third safety and sixth defensive back. That was the role played for most of last season by Will Redmond. At some point, Redmond will return to practice – he’s missed the first dozen practices with an injured foot but has been going hard with his rehab work. Once he’s back on the field, their battle for a key position will begin.“Henry’s a guy, he flies around, he does a great job of, whether it’s on special teams, he’s a young player who’s growing and learning our defense and we need to continue to see that throughout the course of the preseason,” Gray said. “He’s going to get a lot of reps in there at safety, get lot of live game action in those preseason games and we’ll see what we have from a guy like him.”

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Cornerback: Eric Stokes

The first-round pick has had a School of Hard Knocks type of training camp. Going against Rodgers and Adams on the practice field is tough duty, and Stokes, not surprisingly, has taken his lumps. Veteran Kevin King returned to practice on Thursday after missing the first 11 practices with a hamstring injury. Presumably, the starting battle between the two will start when the team returns to the practice field next week. This will be a big week, with a game on Saturday, joint practices against the Jets on Wednesday and Thursday, and a preseason game against the Jets next Saturday.“I like his demeanor,” defensive backs coach Jerry Gray said on Sunday. “When you see a young guy that’s not getting frustrated because he’s going against good players, that’s a good sign. Hey, look, I may get beat on an out. I may get beat on a hitch, it may be a back-shoulder fade. These are hard plays to cover, but the biggest thing is I don’t see him drop his head. I don’t see him do any of that. He’s coming back for more coaching points. That’s a good sign.”

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Special teams: JK Scott

Scott, coming off three consecutive below-average seasons as the team’s punter, is the clear front-runner in the battle against Ryan Winslow. But, unlike the long snapping competition, nothing will be settled until Scott and Winslow perform under the lights.“JK is doing very well,” coordinator Maurice Drayton said. “He’s improving. We’re working on the fine details of the technique portion of punting. Very excited with his progression. He still has to continue to get better on a daily basis to build that consistency.”Drayton added: “You’re always in a battle, whether it’s with another human being that’s currently in your building or with yourself. We’re constantly challenging our guys to get better each day. The battle is with the man in the mirror.”

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