Etling Wins One Race, Tries to Win Another

No. 3 quarterback Danny Etling recorded the longest Packers preseason touchdown run in two decades, punctuating it with a "surreal" Lambeau Leap.

GREEN BAY, Wis. – How fast is Danny Etling?

“It depends on who’s chasing me,” he said with a smile.

Etling’s 51-yard touchdown run iced a 20-10 preseason victory over the New Orleans Saints on Friday night at Lambeau Field.

On third-and-1, offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich called a running play. When Etling put the ball in the belly of running back Dexter Williams, the safety crashed inside to get Williams, so Etling kept the ball. As he turned to sprint to his right, all he saw in front of him was the lush summer turf of Lambeau Field.

“I wasn’t quite expecting that,” Etling said.

Ultimately, Etling was fast enough to hold off linebacker Nephi Sewell in a race to the end zone. Sewell, for what it’s worth, ran a 4.67 in the 40 at this year’s Scouting Combine.

For some preseason perspective, Etling’s run was the longest by the Packers since De’Mond Parker had a 54-yarder in 2001. It was the longest touchdown run by the Packers since Herbert “Whisper” Goodman’s 56-yard dash in 2000. The Packers hadn’t had even a 30-yard run in the preseason since Alex Green in 2013.

It’s not the first time Etling has been off to the races. As a rookie seventh-round pick with the New England Patriots in 2018, Etling had an 86-yard touchdown run - a play referenced by Rodgers during an in-game interview. A year later, when he arrived for training camp, coach Bill Belichick told him he was moving to receiver and put him on special teams.

Aaron Rodgers was all about backup QB Danny Etling's 51-yard touchdown run 🙌

(via @packers) pic.twitter.com/AKbxX3024S

— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) August 20, 2022

“We were making fun of him,” coach Matt LaFleur said. “He played in a preseason game in Detroit and we pulled up the tape in the quarterback room just to see how he did and, for a guy that didn’t have much experience at all, he’s definitely an athletic guy. And for a quarterback even to be placed in that position, I think that says a lot about just not only his athleticism but his toughness, as well.

“And he’s a hell of a worker. Every day after practice, he’s out there throwing to some of our equipment managers and getting guys in the right spot because you don’t get the reps that you need. And so he loves this. He loves it. He is fully invested, fully committed to be the best player he can be. It’s tough. That is always a tough position when you’re the third guy because you just don’t get the reps that you really need in practice to develop, so you have to do a lot of things on your own. He takes the initiative and he’s got a great mind. He always asks great questions and he’s just really fun to be around.”

LaFleur and Aaron Rodgers can make fun of Etling all they want. But facts are facts: Rodgers’ career-long run was a 35-yarder in 2009. He’s had only one run of longer than 20 yards over the last five seasons and only one touchdown run of longer than 20 yards in his career.

So, while Rodgers is one of the great passers in NFL history, he can’t hold a candle to Etling as a scrambler.

A bit gassed, Etling made it to the goal line and into the seats with a Lambeau Leap.

“It’s a surreal experience,” he said. “You hear about it all the time. It’s just an historic thing. Even as a quarterback, you think you’ll throw a lot of touchdowns. You don’t always think you’ll run one in and get the Lambeau Leap. That’s something that will live with me forever.”

It’s been a crazy career for the 28-year-old Etling. His time as a receiver with the Patriots lasted only a couple weeks before he was released. He spent the 2019 season on Atlanta’s practice squad and the 2020 season on Seattle’s practice squad. In 2021, Etling spent part of training camp with the Vikings and served practice-squad stints with Seattle, Denver, Green Bay and Jacksonville.

This summer, Etling’s put himself in position to stick around on Green Bay’s practice squad, giving him an opportunity to learn alongside Rodgers and venerable position coach Tom Clements.

“I think it’s really just taking it day by day,” Etling said. “Understanding what this league is, you have to make plays when you get your opportunities and execute the offense. You have to continue to strive to be the best player you can be each day. That’s all I’ve really focused on. Whether or not you make a roster or anything like that is so out of your control. In a lot of senses, you just control how you play and being a great teammate, really.”