Highlights From Practice 7 of Packers Training Camp

Coach Matt LaFleur took his foot off the gas but that doesn’t mean there weren’t several noteworthy developments on Wednesday at Packers training camp.

GREEN BAY, Wis. – December is about gift wrap. August is about bubble wrap.

Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst has put together a roster filled with high-quality starers at many positions. He’d like to bubble wrap as many of them as possible to ensure they’re ready for Week 1 at the Vikings.

No doubt Gutekunst would let Gary cut toward the front of the bubble-wrapping line.

“He would be one of those guys,” Gutekunst said before Wednesday’s practice. “The heat we took [for drafting him in the first round in 2019], it never really made a lot of sense to me. Rashan has really taken the path we thought he would. Quite frankly, if we wouldn’t have had Preston [Smith] and Z [Za’Darius Smith] his rookie year, he probably would’ve gotten a lot more snaps and he may be a little further along production-wise. But every time since his rookie year, since we’ve had him, he’s affected the passer. He’s one of those guys where he’s getting to that point where all the physical skills and now knowing what’s happening on the field before it happens is coming together.”

Gary had a breakout season in 2021. While he had a relatively modest 9.5 sacks, he ranked second among edge defenders in pressures (81) and pass-rush win rate (26.0 percent), according to Pro Football Focus.

A dominant season has Gary seemingly poised for bigger and better things.

“Rashan is a tone-setter, and I think you guys see that each and every day,” coach Matt LaFleur said recently. “He’s got the capability of wrecking practice. He probably would have had four sacks yesterday. He’s just relentless. He plays with a great motor and energy, and I think it rubs off on everybody. He makes everybody around him better.”

With Green Bay scrambling at offensive tackle with David Bakhtiari still out of action, Gary has made life miserable for the likes of Yosh Nijman, Royce Newman and Zach Tom.

“He’s wrecking practice,” Gutekunst said.

Player of the Day

With coach Matt LaFleur stepping off the gas, the Packers practiced with a jog-through tempo. So, there were no star performances. Not even Romeo Doubs.

Without any competitive periods to focus on, let’s give a tip of the cap to the JUGS machine, which had a nice bounce-back day.

During Tuesday’s punt period, with the JUGS machine standing in for veteran Pat O’Donnell, ball after ball shot into the air and landed well short of the intended destination, making it “damn near impossible,” LaFleur said, for the returners to catch the ball.

“We’re in the market for a new JUGS machine,” LaFleur said before practice. “If anybody has one out there, if they want to donate it or put whatever price tag you want on it, I really don’t care. We have to get a new JUGS machine because I’ve never seen anything like that. That thing was ridiculous.”

On Wednesday inside the Don Hutson Center, the JUGS machine handled the kickoff duties without incident.

Play of the Day

Early in Tuesday’s practice, Aaron Rodgers saw Romeo Doubs streaking through the secondary. The only man standing in his way was All-Pro linebacker De’Vondre Campbell. Stationed between Rodgers and Doubs, Campbell made a leaping deflection to prevent a big play.

On Wednesday, Rodgers went deep to tight end Tyler Davis. It wasn’t a full-speed period but Campbell still made a point to bat that ball away, too. On the next play, Rodgers successfully got the ball over Campbell and into the hands of Sammy Watkins. Rodgers smiled; Campbell laughed.

“We’ve got this friendly competition going,” Campbell said. “He likes to pick on me so I try to get him back when I can. He don’t make a lot of mistakes, though, so got to take every opportunity that comes with him.”

For years, Rodgers enjoyed the cat-and-mouse games with Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher. It’s clear Rodgers enjoys competing against Campbell, as well.

“It’s pretty cool,” Campbell said. “He’s one of the best to ever do it. Just practicing against him every day prepares us for any situation that can come. He’s seen it all.”

Campbell and Co. have given the No. 1 offense a hard time to start training camp. It's a competition that Rodgers enjoys. Facing great players will help the offense get ready for the season.

“The … thing that makes me smile the most is watching ’59,’” Rodgers said, “because there’s a little something that changes naturally when you get paid. It gives you this – not justification, but it kind of cements the integrity of your leadership opportunity. To watch him continue to expand that role as a leader and really the leader of the defense has been great to see.”

Packers Depth Chart Notes

- In the latest in the revolving-door offensive line, the Packers went back to Yosh Nijman at left tackle, Jon Runyan at left guard, Josh Myers at center, Jake Hanson at right guard and Royce Newman at right tackle. Rookie Zach Tom also got some work at left tackle.

- Make it six times in seven practices that Jack Coco has gotten the first snap on field goals. Rico Gafford got the first rep as the kickoff returner. He was joined by Amari Rodgers, Romeo Doubs and Aaron Jones in the rotation.

- How do bottom-of-the-depth-chart players make the 53? Special teams, of course. Tight end Tyler Davis (pictured), linebackers Isaiah McDuffie and Krys Barnes, safety Dallin Leavitt and Gafford are “starters” on all four phases.

Packers Wednesday Injury Report

Cornerback Jaire Alexander was limited to individual drills on Tuesday but was a full participant on Wednesday, though it wasn’t a strenuous practice.

“He was just feeling a little tight,” coach Matt LaFleur said. “It’s all precautionary, trying to get hm out there for Family Night so everybody can see him.”

Returned to practice: TE Marcedes Lewis (rest).

New Injuries: RB Patrick Taylor (groin), WR Osirus Mitchell (quad).

Old injuries: C Cole Schneider (ankle), 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 will get back to work on Thursday, a high-intensity, full-pads session with an official start time of 10:30 a.m., though players won’t emerge from the Don Hutson Center until about 10:50. Family Night is Friday, with the practice starting at 7:30 p.m. After a stretch of five consecutive days with practices, the players will get Saturday off.

Extra Points

- The team ended practice by working on various end-of-game scenarios. On one, the offense had the ball at the defense’s 40 with 13 seconds left and no timeouts. Aaron Rodgers completed the pass to tight end Josiah Deguara, who gave himself up after a gain of about 10 yards. Rodgers rushed the offense to the line of scrimmage and clocked the ball with 1 second to go.

- Also in that period, Jaire Alexander was all over a hook-and-lateral play from Rodgers to Sammy Watkins to Randall Cobb. Rodgers completed a Hail Mary to Allen Lazard, though the defense didn’t attempt to make a play on the ball in the end zone.

- Earlier, Rodgers faked a handoff to running back AJ Dillon and took off on a read-option keeper. He juked cornerback Eric Stokes and signaled first down. Chances are Rodgers is not going to be running many read-option keepers in a game.

- Rodgers on special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia: “I love it. I love it. Rich has come in and not many people are talking back to him.”

- General manager Brian Gutekunst on roster discussions: “We’re not really at that point yet. I think we’re trying to allow these guys to get into a comfort zone, to compete. Every rep in practice is important, but when we get to these preseason games and how they react between those white lines without a coach in their ear, you know what I mean, that is where we’ll really start to focus in on that. And as we get closer to that Kansas City game, we’ll start to have those conversations like, ‘Do we have what we need right now? Do we need to go outside the building to try and fill some of those needs?’ But I think we’ve got good competition across the board. As we deal with the injuries the next three or four weeks, we’ll probably have to move some things around to get our numbers. But I like the competition, I like the way they’ve worked. I think their urgency and intensity has risen each day.”

- The team practiced inside the Don Hutson Center because of the rain. “I want to preserve the grass as much as possible,” LaFleur said.