Packers Stock Report After Week 2 of Preseason
GREEN BAY, Wis. – Two preseason games are in the books. The Green Bay Packers are 1-1 after a 21-17 loss that was shortened due to a scary injury to Patriots cornerback Isaiah Bolden.
Thankfully, Bolden was released from the hospital, and all indications are that he should be OK.
The second preseason game was not as entertaining as the first. The teams combined for fewer points. There were 18 total penalties.
Coach Matt LaFleur says he wants everything the team does to be process driven. The final score is meaningless. Sometimes the results don't tell the whole story, either.
Here is a look at who raised and lowered their stock against the Patriots.
Stock Up: Jordan Love
Everything with this team is going to be about the new starting quarterback. That's the nature of the business.
Nonetheless, Jordan Love acquitted himself very well against a tough defense that was playing its starters for the duration of his time on the field.
His first possession showed some jitters, including a high ball to rookie tight end Luke Musgrave that killed any chance of him making a play after the ball was in his hands.
Disaster struck when Josh Myers snapped the ball before Love was ready. The play resulted in a turnover, giving the Patriots a short field that they converted into a touchdown for a 7-0 lead.
Love led one touchdown drive, highlighted by a beautiful deep ball to Romeo Doubs, and capped off by a strike to Jayden Reed.
Overall, Love finished 5-for-8 for 84 yards and a touchdown.
What's been clear is Love's comfort within the offense. He's always looked confident. He's never looked rattled. He's shaken off mistakes and hasn't made the same mistake twice.
It's just preseason. There's a long way to go between playing well here and winning in the regular season, but Love is off to an excellent start.
“I think I’ve been really impressed with how he’s handled himself,” LaFleur said after the game. “It dates back to even last preseason. I know we didn’t always have the results and I sat up here and defended him pretty hard in terms of some of the play.
“But it’s about the process and it’s about all the little things that goes into that position: the command that you have in the huddle, the total command of the offense, the operation.”
Stock Up: Colby Wooden/Karl Brooks
Two Day 3 picks who are going to be relied on to play a lot of snaps, Brooks and Wooden have flashed interior pass rush that made them enticing to general manager Brian Gutekunst after letting two starters leave in free agency.
They've combined for seven total pressures in two games. Brooks had a sack wiped out by an illegal-contact penalty in which he beat his man like a drum.
While both players have shown plenty of juice in the passing game, perhaps more importantly, they've held up well against the run. That could be more valuable to the Packers than they initially thought.
While it is a small sample size and they've faced a different caliber of blocker, both have outplayed Devonte Wyatt.
There's a lot of football left to be played, but it'll be interesting to see if that carries over into the regular season.
Stock Up: Kingsley Enagbare
Enagbare was probably the player of the game if we handed out those awards for preseason games.
He finished with two sacks, including a strip-sack in which he recovered the fumble.
According to Pro Football Focus, he has five total pressures this preseason. PFF has him as the team's highest-graded defender through two games.
Preston Smith is going to start, but with Rashan Gary not being cleared for team activities, it's unclear who will be starting across from him when the team opens the season in Chicago on Sept. 10.
Even if Gary plays, he'll likely be on a pitch count. With more performances like the one he had Saturday, Enagbare will be in line for a heavier workload than counterparts Justin Hollins and first-round pick Lukas Van Ness.
Stock Up: Anders Carlson
After an up-and-down camp, Carlson had one of his strongest performances.
He made both PATs and drilled a 52-yard field goal before halftime after a successful drive by backup quarterback Sean Clifford.
It was just a preseason game, but it was the most pressure-filled kick that Carlson has attempted in his short career.
This came after Gutekunst and special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia expressed confidence in the young kicker and preached patience.
“First off, Brian and I are on the same page," Bisaccia said. "You know, when we made this decision, I think that age and wisdom, to some degree, allows you to have a little more patience, especially with this position. It’s a special position. He’s exhibited a lot of the things that we knew he was, in a positive way, and there will always be things to clean up.”
Stock Up: Malik Heath
Heath has continued to make waves in camp.
Heath was the team's leading receiver Saturday night, catching all five targets for 75 yards. That performance built on a strong debut last week in Cincinnati.
“Draft picks, they have a lot of leeway,” he said after the game. “Me, I’m undrafted, so I’m going to keep fighting. That’s how I was brought up. I’m going to keep fighting. My mama. She raised a fighter, so I’m going to keep fighting.”
At this point, Heath not only should be on the 53-man roster but he should be on the field for Week 1.
Stock Up: Rasheed Walker
Walker's stock may have risen more than anyone's in this camp.
LaFleur wanted to see how Walker would do against better competition, so he lined up with the starters against New England. Walker performed so well he could unseat Yosh Nijman as the team’s swing tackle.
Playing 43 snaps, Walker didn't allow a single pressure and looked rock solid in the run game.
Stock Down: Yosh Njiman
The other side of the Walker promotion is what appears to be Njiman's demotion.
Njiman entered camp in a battle to be the team's starting right tackle. Zach Tom has appeared to run away with that position, and now Njiman appears to have lost ground on the swing tackle position he'd held firm for the last two years.
Njiman could have set himself up for a nice payday in 2024 if he had a strong season. Injuries always strike in the NFL. Given his strong track record, the Packers will keep Njiman around, but he's moving backward instead of forward.
Stock Down: Dontayvion Wicks
Sean Clifford's big preseason has given receivers a chance to make a name for themselves.
Wicks had a nice debut last week in Cincinnati, catching three passes for 68 yards. He had a nice block on a Tyler Goodson touchdown that made him look like the player that used to wear No. 13, Allen Lazard.
This week was a different story. Wicks left the game with a hamstring injury. He's been banged up for a good portion of camp between the hamstring injury and a concussion that kept him out of the beginning of camp.
Wicks is a fifth-round draft pick. He has been impressive when on the field, so it's not as if he's not going to make the roster. However, he has lost ground in the battle for playing time.
Hopefully, for Wicks' sake, the hamstring injury is minor and he's able to play on Saturday.
Stock Down: Devonte Wyatt
Wyatt was a standout early in training camp. It looked like the light bulb had come on for last year's first-round pick.
Since the games began, however, it's been a different story. In 24 snaps, he has been credited with one pressure and has been moved out of his gaps in the run game. He made one tackle in 15 snaps vs. New England.
If you didn't know anything about their draft pedigree, you'd assume that one of Wooden or Brooks was a first-round pick, whereas Wyatt was taken on the third day of the draft.
Maybe Wyatt will be more impactful when the games matter in the standings, but it's been a disappointing preseason for a guy who had such a good start to camp.
