Highlights From Practice 5 of Packers Training Camp

It was a good day (but not a great day) for the defense at Packers training camp on Monday. Also, it's the play of the day, player of the day and much more.

GREEN BAY, Wis. – It was another good day at the training camp office for the Green Bay Packers’ defense. The Packers, however, might need great to win games.

The highlight of Monday’s practice was a starters vs. starters two-minute drill. With 0-0 posted on the scoreboard, Aaron Rodgers led the offense to a chip-shot field goal and the “win.” It didn’t have to end that way, though.

On third-and-goal from the 10, Rodgers threw a rocket to tight end Josiah Deguara. Safety Adrian Amos saw it coming but dropped a “game”-winning interception. On the next play, Gabe Brkic hit a 28-yard field goal.

“Oh, we’re bummed. We are bummed,” cornerback Eric Stokes said. “Especially the one that Smash dropped. Hey, look, that’s a drop in the room. That’s 20 push-ups right then and there in front of the room. You pretty much owe us.”

It’s a laughing matter now. It’s the stress-free days of summer, especially for a defense that has been superb since getting waxed by Rodgers and Co. on Day 1. Amos, in particular, has been excellent.

But, given the state of the offense – it’s either struggling through the transition from Davante Adams or struggling because the defense is so good – those might be the kinds of plays required to beat the likes of Kirk Cousins, Tom Brady and Josh Allen on the road during the first half of the season.

As for the offense’s woes, this was the expectations for Rodgers. After the near-interception and Brkic field goal, Jordan Love directed his own two-minute drill. All the while, Rodgers patiently coached up Deguara on the nuances of running that route.

Play of the Day

The last play of practice was the biggest play of practice. During a backups vs. backups two-minute drill, third-year safety Vernon Scott picked off Jordan Love and ran it back for a touchdown.

“My read was running a crosser and I just used my instincts and I just jumped it,” Scott said. “The ball was there, and I just picked it and made the play that I know I can make – a big play in the game.”

Player of the Day

Darnell Savage, entering his fourth year as one of Green Bay’s starting safeties, had been having a quiet start to camp. But in the aforementioned starters vs. starters two-minute drill, he could have made one big play and did make another.

On second-and-3 from the defense’s 29, Aaron Rodgers threw one up to tight end Josiah Deguara, who made a big-time, leaping catch for a gain of 19 to the 10. If this had been a game, Savage was in perfect position to knock Deguara into the middle of next week and prevent the completion. On the next play, Rodgers fired a slant to the left to receiver Amari Rodgers but Savage zoomed across the field for a diving breakup.

Packers Depth Chart Notes

- With David Bakhtiari on the PUP list, the Packers are working two potential offensive lines. One has rookie Zach Tom at left tackle and joined by Jon Runyan at left guard, Josh Myers at center, Royce Newman at right guard and Yosh Nijman at right tackle. The other – and this was the unit used on Monday – had Nijman at left tackle, Runyan at left guard, Myers at center, Jake Hanson at right guard and Newman at right tackle.

- To give veteran De’Vondre Campbell a break, Isaiah McDuffie (pictured) has been getting some No. 1 reps at inside linebacker alongside rookie Quay Walker.

- The starting secondary is etched in granite. The backups? Not so much. The opening quintet for the No. 2 defense had Rico Gafford and Kiondre Thomas at cornerback, Shemar Jean-Charles in the slot, and Vernon Scott and Shawn Davis at safety.

- For the fourth time in five practices, undrafted rookie Jack Coco got the first reps as the long snapper.

Packers Injury Report

After a Sunday off-day, the same eight players were out as Saturday. Receiver Sammy Watkins, who missed the start of camp with a hamstring injury, took his first team reps. He caught a pass during the starters vs. starters two-minute drill. Outside linebacker Randy Ramsey, who missed last season with an ankle injury, also got his first 11-on-11 reps as part of the No. 3 pairing with Jonathan Garvin.

Returned to practice: None.

New Injuries: None.

Old injuries: WR Malik Taylor (shoulder).

Non-Football Injury List: CB Keisean Nixon (groin).

Physically unable to perform list: K Mason Crosby (knee), WR Christian Watson (knee), RB Kylin Hill (knee), LT David Bakhtiari (knee), OL Elgton Jenkins (knee), TE Robert Tonyan (knee).

Packers Training Camp Schedule

The Packers are in the midst of their toughest stretch training camp, with practices on Monday through Thursday leading into Friday’s Family Night. Tuesday’s practice, which will start at 10:30 a.m., will be the first in full pads this summer and probably the most strenuous of training camp. Coach Matt LaFleur will step off the gas for a Wednesday jog-through, which will be closed to the public. The team will practice again on Thursday (10:30 a.m.) and Friday (7:30 p.m.).

Extra Points

- During the first one-on-one pass-rushing drill of the summer, first-round defensive tackle Devonte Wyatt scored a pair of impressive victories against third-round offensive lineman Sean Rhyan. Among the starters, left guard Jon Runyan earned two wins against defensive tackle Jarran Reed and defensive tackle Kenny Clark and offensive lineman Royce Newman battled to a 1-1 draw.

- During a red-zone drill, the No. 1 offense got six cracks from inside the 10. The first five plays: A drop by Romeo Doubs of a high, wobbly pass by Aaron Rodgers, an incompletion to tight end Tyler Davis against tight coverage, a bad drop by Allen Lazard, a touchdown to Sammy Watkins that probably would have been a sack and a drop by Watkins (though perhaps interference by Jaire Alexander at the goal line). On the final play, Aaron Jones strolled into the end zone behind excellent blocks by Jake Hanson and Josh Myers.

- Defensive tackle T.J. Slaton was active early, getting in the face of Aaron Rodgers on a passing play and tackling Tyler Goodson on a running play. Rookie center Cole Schneider, however, got the best of Slaton during a pair of snaps in one-on-ones.

- On another run by Goodson, receiver Amari Rodgers was fired up after blocking safety Dallin Leavitt.

- With kicker Mason Crosby recovering from knee surgery, Gabe Brkic had his best day of the summer, going 5-of-6 on field goals during two field-goal periods. He hit from 45, 47, 49, 50 and 52 yards; his 46-yarder got caught in the breeze and drifted left.

- It was another good day of work by veteran punter Pat O’Donnell. His last kick of the day, a 56-yarder with 4.64 seconds of hangtime, was indicative of his performance.

- On punt returns, Amari Rodgers shot through a gap for a big return. “That a baby!” yelled fired-up coordinator Rich Bisaccia. On one of O’Donnell’s two poor punts, Doubs raced forward and made a nice catch. Plays like, while merely a fair catch on the ledger, that can save a lot of field position.

- For many of his attempts, Aaron Rodgers didn’t have much time to survey the defense. On one play when he was given excellent protection, he scanned the field and threw a strike up the seam to running back AJ Dillon.

- No doubt coach Matt LaFleur will be upset by the number of presnap penalties by the offense as well as an air-mailed shotgun snap by Michal Menet.