Here’s What Happened at Practice 2 of Packers Training Camp

The Green Bay Packers splished and splashed through a downpour on Tuesday, the second day of training camp without quarterback Jordan Love. Here’s what you need to know about Day 2.

Packers running backs are bringing the intensity during drills amid heavy rain at Ray Nitschke Field. / Tom Silverstein / Milwaukee Journal

GREEN BAY, Wis. – It didn’t just rain at Green Bay Packers training camp on Tuesday. It poured. Not just for a moment but for close to half of the 105-minute practice.

“The problem is it’s not even about the tackiness of the balls. It’s more about the weight of the ball,” quarterback Sean Clifford said. “The ball becomes almost like a med ball where it adds weight to it. So, it’s just hard to track how far it is sometimes when you’re throwing it.”

When it wasn’t raining, it was raining sacks by Rashan Gary and the No. 1 defense.

Here is everything you need to know about Practice 2 of Packers training camp.

Jordan Love’s Day

Quarterback Jordan Love’s “hold-in,” so to speak, reached a second day. As was the case on Monday, he was on the field for practice – though he might have wished he was home in California during the downpour.

With Love not practicing, the Packers signed veteran Jacob Eason.

“Jordan’s definitely involved,” Eason said. “He’s great. Awesome in meetings. I got to chat with him a little bit on the field today. Him and Sean [Mannion, the first-year Packers assistant coach and former NFL quarterback] were talking about certain things and I was listening in. He’s definitely a great football mind, I’ve noticed. We were in the same class, too, so I got to know him a little bit coming out, watched his tape a lot. He’s a great guy. Friendly, helpful, all of the above. Looking forward to working with him.

Player of the Day

Rashan Gary sped around the corner. He drove 300-plus-pound offensive linemen where they didn’t want to go. He stared at those linemen on the way back to the sideline.

A year off a torn ACL, Gary was the dominant force. At one point, he had three “sacks” in a span of four plays – two against fill-in right tackle Andre Dillard and the other against left tackle Rasheed Walker. He added a few pressures, too, to force Sean Clifford to chuck the ball to the sideline.

“I feel more explosive coming out of a three-point stance,” Gary said after spending his first five seasons in Green Bay’s old 3-4 scheme. “Sometimes when you’re in a two-point stance, you can create more false steps. With the hand in the dirt, the false steps are taken away.”

At one point, with Gary on the sideline, Clifford completed a pass to Dontayvion Wicks. Gary was animated about the pressure delivered by Kingsley Enagbare and celebrated enthusiastically.

“Just me being me bringing energy, just trying to bring everybody along and just trying to hold everybody to a high standard as I ask them to hold me to a high standard,” Gary said.

Play of the Day

On the first play of 11-on-11, Rashan Gary got around left tackle Rasheed Walker just as Sean Clifford fired the ball upfield. Rookie safety Evan Williams, looking every bit the receiver he played while in high school, ranged over from the center field and made a terrific all-hands catch while racing to his left.

“It was actually man” coverage, Williams said. “My tight end kind of dived near the sideline, so I was able to get my eyes back to the quarterback, was able to peel off late, saw the ball coming late and made a play on the ball. I don’t know how I held onto it with the conditions out there, but made the catch and tried to send it back for a touchdown.”

Fellow safety Anthony Johnson picked off Clifford moments later.

“Evan made a great play,” Clifford said. “Kind of fell off that flat. One of those, it is what it is. The other one was just an overthrow because I literally couldn’t grip it. I was trying to grip it and rip it but (couldn’t).”

Packers Lineup Notes

- The big note was Evan Williams, a fourth-round rookie, moved into the starting lineup alongside Xavier McKinney at safety. On Monday, Javon Bullard, a second-round rookie, was the starter with McKinney.

“It’s definitely on my goal list to assert myself at that position, as it is with everybody,” Williams said.

The Packers figure to mix and match until someone emerges as the second starter.

- The offensive line was unchanged from Monday. The No. 1 line consisted of left tackle Rasheed Walker, left guard Elgton Jenkins, center Josh Myers, right guard Sean Rhyan and right tackle Andre Dillard. Sometimes, the rotation was Walker at left tackle, Rhyan at left guard, Jenkins at center, first-round pick Jordan Morgan at right guard and Dillard at right tackle.

“You always got to train other guys at that position,” coach Matt LaFleur said. “Certainly, that’s something he’s done in the past for us, so we feel comfortable. His knowledge of the offense, his command up front makes it comforting to have a guy like that to be able to throw in there if need be.”

- Once again, Jaire Alexander and Eric Stokes were the No. 1 corners and Isaiah McDuffie, Quay Walker and Eric Wilson were the No. 1 linebackers. Rookie Edgerrin Cooper continues to rotate in with Wilson.

Packers Practice Highlights

- With the rain coming down in buckets, Sean Clifford’s second pass of the day was dropped by Christian Watson. One play later, tight end Tyler Davis bobbled the ball before catching it against his chest.

- On the play after the Watson drop, rookie linebacker Edgerrin Cooper sliced into backfield. He either would have tackled AJ Dillon for a loss or Dillon would have broken into the clear with a nifty spin move.

- Running back Emanuel Wilson, who had a big run around Lukas Van Ness on Monday, bounced past Karl Brooks for a nice gain.

- Clifford’s aforementioned interceptions by Evan Williams and Anthony Johnson were sandwiched around an incomplete deep shot to tight end Luke Musgrave, though linebacker Isaiah McDuffie probably was guilty of pass interference. After the interception to Johnson, Carrington Valentine had terrific coverage on a deep incompletion to Romeo Doubs.

- Later, Clifford threw a wounded duck that landed in the middle of nowhere, then appeared to fumble when he got ready to fire but the ball hit lineman Sean Rhyan.

- After rookie James Turner went 4-of-6 on field goals on Monday, incumbent kicker Anders Carlson and free-agent addition Greg Joseph got six kicks apiece on Tuesday. On kicks ranging from a 33-yard extra point to a 46-yard field goal, Carlson was 6-of-6 and Joseph was 5-of-6. Carlson seemed to be dead-center on every kick.

“It was really good work," Carlson said. "The warmups were especially really rainy. The ball was heavy. I think Danny (punter Daniel Whelan) did a good job of holding the footballs, getting them down quick for me. That was a little different. I think it died off as we went into the period so it wasn’t as bad. It’s not a different kick but it feels a little different with that ball being a little heavier and your foot being soaked in water, too.”

- The day ended with a third-down period that became a defensive feeding frenzy. On 15 third-down plays ranging from third-and-3 to third-and-7, the defense won 12.

On third-and-5, Cooper demolished a screen to Wilson. On third-and-5, Jalen Wayne dropped a pass from Michael Pratt. Rashan Gary had the aforementioned three sacks; the other play in that sequence was an incomplete pass from Clifford to Watson against excellent coverage by Jaire Alexander.

Cooper struck again to prevent a third-and-3 completion, fellow rookie linebacker Ty’Ron Hopper kept receiver Dimitri Stanley short of the marker on third-and-7, and defensive tackles Spencer Waege and James Ester blew up a screen.

The conversions were a third-and-4 pass from Pratt to Grant DuBose, third-and-3 from Clifford to Davis and third-and-3 from Pratt to Samori Toure, who beat Kalen King on a slant.

Packers Injury Report

This is unchanged from Monday.

Did not practice: RB MarShawn Lloyd (hip).

PUP and NFI: WR Jayden Reed (toe), CB Corey Ballentine (hamstring), G Donovan Jennings (knee), TE Tucker Kraft (pectoral), OT Caleb Jones (hamstring).

Packers Training Camp Schedule

The Packers will practice again at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday before a mandatory off-day on Thursday. Then, it’s 10:30 a.m. practices on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. After a monsoon on Tuesday, it’s supposed to be sunny and 85 on Saturday and mostly sunny and 87 on Sunday.

Quote of the Day

Rashan Gary, on practicing in a downpour:

“It brings me back to my childhood. You don’t go inside when you’re playing Pop Warner. That just brings out the football in me, the inner kid in me. But going out there, it don’t matter if it’s rain, snow just playing ball with the team and getting better. Another day in camp. Love it.”

More Green Bay Packers Training Camp News

New #Packers QB Jacob Eason was on his way to Green Bay as the team went through its first practice of training camp yesterday.

Here's what he had to say about the opportunity and the reality of his situation. ⬇️https://t.co/ZxrwtiTrav

— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) July 23, 2024

Latest from training camp: Jacob Eason arrives | Big change on depth chart | Three players with most at stake | Highlights from Practice 1 | Players support Jordan Love | Jordan Love’s contract | Takeaways from Gutekunst | Takeaways from LaFleur | Ranking every player on the roster | 53-man roster projection | And another roster projection

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

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