Green Bay Packers Minicamp Preview

Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers will hit the practice field on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday for the mandatory minicamp.

GREEN BAY, Wis. – With Aaron Rodgers on the practice field, these early stages of the Green Bay Packers’ 2022 season will get a reality check with the start of the three-day, mandatory minicamp on Tuesday.

Rodgers made that clear when he talked to Christian Watson after the Packers traded up to get the talented rookie in the second round of the NFL Draft.

“He wanted to make sure that I knew that he was looking out and that, when he stepped in the building, that it was time to work,” Watson said.

It’s time to work for Rodgers, too. He skipped the first two weeks of the voluntary organized team activities. That means this week’s practices will mark his first time slinging passes in Green Bay since the playoff loss to San Francisco.

“There were a lot of things last year that were unexpected, for sure,” Rodgers said on The Pat McAfee Show during the draft. “It definitely wasn’t the smoothest year, at times. But I do feel good about where I’m at with Green Bay, my relationship with Brian (Gutekunst) and Russ (Ball) and Matt (LaFleur).”

The Packers are coming off three consecutive crushing playoff losses. A surprise entrant in the 2019 NFC Championship Game, the Packers were crushed at San Francisco. As the No. 1 seed in 2020, they hosted the NFC Championship Game but lost to Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a nearly empty Lambeau Field. They were the No. 1 seed again last year but were shocked by the 49ers in the divisional round.

Since then, offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett became head coach in Denver and quarterbacks coach Luke Getsy became offensive coordinator in Chicago. And, of course, the Packers traded All-Pro Davante Adams. Adams, Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Equanimeous St. Brown are gone, replaced by three rookies and veteran Sammy Watkins.

“It’s different but we’ve got a great group of men working there” Rodgers continued. “I’m excited to get back there and get things going. We’ve got a lot to play for, a lot of exciting things.

“Obviously, our defense is going to be really good and defense wins championships. Offensively, we didn’t do our part last year in the playoffs, and we’ve got to live with that and find a way to get it done next year when we’re in that position.”

The first small steps to getting back in that position will take place this week – and in front of the fans on Tuesday and Wednesday, with start times of 11:20 a.m. This not only will be Rodgers’ offseason debut, but cornerback Jaire Alexander, outside linebackers Rashan Gary and Preston Smith, and Watkins presumably will practice for the first time, as well.

That should make LaFleur happy. He was irked that so many players were absent last week. Players who skip these practices will be subject to fines.

“Each guy has that right to make that choice,” LaFleur said before practice last week. “If you’re asking me, I want everybody here. So, I think some of the thought process may have changed over what’s transpired over the last two years, especially with our COVID situation where we didn’t have OTAs. But my thing to our guys is, well, neither did anybody else. So, everybody had the same circumstances that they were dealing with. With everybody being open, you'd like to see as many guys as possible here.”

The highlight of the three days will be Rodgers attacking the team’s top-notch trio of cornerbacks. The Packers used first-round picks on Alexander in 2018 and Eric Stokes in 2021, then used Adams to help get those players ready for prime time. This time, they’ll use Alexander, Stokes and Rasul Douglas to give the new receivers the trials by fire necessary to get them ready for September.

Neither Watson, Romeo Doubs nor Samori Toure will be deemed a boom or a bust after this week. But these three days – and perhaps the final week of OTAs next week, depending on who sticks around – will help get the rookies ready for what lies ahead in training camp and beyond.

“Obviously, this isn’t real football,” LaFleur said. “Although you try and get it as close to real football as possible, these guys aren’t playing with pads. I just think it’s so important to lay the foundation for training camp, for when we put pads on, for when we get into those preseason games. And we do want to stress them right now. We’d rather stress them now than when they’re out there on a Sunday.”

Jones-Dillon Among Top Running Back Tandems

Green Bay Packers President Mark Murphy said Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon are the best duo in the NFL. Here's a look at the top 10 tandems in the league.

No. 10: Joe Mixon and Samaje Perine, Cincinnati Bengals

Mixon finished fourth in the NFL with 1,519 yards from scrimmage and 16 total touchdowns. He’s topped 1,100 rushing yards three of the past four seasons. Combined, Mixon and Perine finished with 1,961 total yards, 69 receptions and 18 total touchdowns. Mixon’s brilliance and their combined pass-catching ability gives them the edge over the other consideration here, New England’s Damien Harris (1,061 scrimmage yards) and Rhamondre Stevenson (729 scrimmage yards).

No. 9: Antonio Gibson and J.D. McKissic, Washington Commanders

Gibson rushed for 1,037 yards and added 42 receptions. McKissic isn’t much of a runner but he had 80 receptions in 2020 and 43 more in just 11 games last season. In 2021, they combined for 1,940 total yards, 85 receptions and 14 touchdowns. Gibson is dinged by his league-worst six fumbles.

No. 8: James Conner and Darrel Williams, Arizona Cardinals

Conner has gone from feel-good story as cancer survivor to an established standout. Last season, he tallied 1,127 scrimmage yards and 18 total touchdowns. With the Chiefs, Williams added 1,010 scrimmage yards and eight touchdowns. That’s 2,237 total yards, 86 receptions and 26 touchdowns. Of note, Conner caught 37-of-39 targets and finished second among backs with 10.1 yards per reception. Williams finished third with 9.6 yards per reception.

No. 7: Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard, Dallas Cowboys

Elliott might not the dominant back of yesteryear but he still had 1,006 rushing yards and 1,289 yards from scrimmage. Explosive Tony Pollard, who finished fifth in yards after contact per carry, according to Pro Football Focus, added 1,056 yards from scrimmage to give them a total of 2,345 total yards, 86 receptions and 15 touchdowns.

No. 6: Jonathan Taylor and Nyheim Hines, Indianapolis Colts

With Taylor leading the NFL with 1,811 rushing yards and 2,171 total yards and Hines chipping in 40 receptions, Taylor and Hines combined for 2,757 scrimmage yards and 23 touchdowns. Taylor won the rushing title by an astounding 552 yards. With an impressive 40 receptions, he beat the runner-up, Harris, by 504 total yards while getting nine fewer touches. Taylor had 1,272 rushing yards after contact, according to PFF. That figure alone would have led the NFL in rushing.

No. 5: Alvin Kamara and Mark Ingram, New Orleans Saints

Kamara missed four games but finished with 898 rushing yards, 1,366 total yards and nine touchdowns. An elite receiver, he started his career with four consecutive seasons of 81 to 83 receptions before grabbing “only” 47 balls last year. With seven games apiece with Houston and New Orleans, the 32-year-old Ingram contributed 716 total yards and a pair of scores. That’s 2,082 total yards, 82 receptions and nine touchdowns.

No. 4: Dalvin Cook and Alexander Mattison, Minnesota Vikings

Even while missing four games, Cook finished fifth in rushing and sixth in total yards. He’s topped 1,100 rushing yards each of the last three seasons but had a career-worst 4.9 yards per touch last year. His 1,383 total yards and six touchdowns in 2021, combined with Mattison’s 719 total yards and four touchdowns, gave them 2,102 total yards, 66 receptions and 10 scores.

No. 3: Javonte Williams and Melvin Gordon, Denver Broncos

Williams, a rookie last season, and Gordon, a veteran from Wisconsin, powered the offense. With both players topping 900 rushing yards, Williams had 1,219 yards from scrimmage and Gordon added 1,131. They combined 2,350 total yards, 71 receptions and 17 touchdowns but also five fumbles. Williams ranked No. 1 in broken tackles per rushing attempt, according to PFF The addition of quarterback Russell Wilson might mean fewer opportunities but fewer defensive eyes.

No. 2: Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon, Green Bay Packers

With 799 rushing yards, Jones fell short of his third consecutive 1,000-yard campaign but finished sixth among backs with 52 receptions. In Year 2, Dillon emerged with a team-leading 803 rushing yards and an impressive season as a receiver. Jones (1,190) and Dillon (1,116) combined for 2,306 total yards, 86 receptions and 17 touchdowns.

No. 1: Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt, Cleveland Browns

Chubb is one of the great backs in the NFL. He rushed for 996 yards as a rookie, then topped 1,000 yards the past three seasons. His career average of 5.3 yards per carry ranks sixth in NFL history. Last season, he finished fifth with 1,433 total yards and was No. 2 among backs in yards after contact per carry. Former Pro Bowler Kareem Hunt added 560 total yards. Throw in D’Ernest Johnson’s 671 yards, this trio piled up a whopping 2,664 scrimmage yards, 61 receptions and 17 touchdowns.