Packers Training Camp Olympics: Who Gets Week 2 Gold Medal?
![Green Bay Packers wide receiver Romeo Doubs catches a pass at training camp. Green Bay Packers wide receiver Romeo Doubs catches a pass at training camp.](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_2123,h_1194,x_0,y_117/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/packer_central/01j4j1f39k7hwkd7nfnw.jpg)
GREEN BAY, Wis. – Green Bay Packers training camp and the Summer Olympics are in full swing. Who could possibly argue that Lambeau Field isn’t a better backdrop than the Eiffel Tower for an athletic competition?
In the Olympic spirit, here are the gold-, silver- and bronze-medal winners from the second week of Packers training camp.
Bronze: DE Kingsley Enagbare
Enagbare is a remarkable story. The torn ACL sustained in the playoff win at Dallas should have kept him on the sideline for training camp and the start of the regular season. Instead, he’s not just playing through the injury but excelling.
“I don’t know the science in it or the real logistics of it,” he said, “but I know I was blessed to pretty much come out here and get cleared and do what I do, do what I love.”
Enagbare has been in the face of the quarterback throughout training camp. When he’s been stopped, he’s gotten his hands up to deflect passes. He’s been good against the run, too; he was waiting for Jayden Reed on a jet sweep on one memorable play last week.
Enagbare will have an important role this season. On a depth featuring Rashan Gary, Preston Smith and first-round pick Lukas Van Ness, he averaged about 27 snaps per game last season. Defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley’s scheme is asking the defensive front to attack. That means the backups are going to play significant roles in replacing Gary and Smith during their frequent breaks.
“You’ve got to attribute that to God and science,” Smith said. “Whatever factored into him being able to be ready right now is great. It’s a miracle. He’s still working through some things, but he’s playing at a high level. He’s moving fast, almost like nothing happened.”
Only a hamstring injury that kept him out of Family Night kept him from getting silver.
Silver: S Javon Bullard
There isn’t a more improved position group on the roster than safety, and there isn’t a more improved player at the position than Bullard, the second-round pick.
From the moment arrived, Bullard was brilliant on any play made in front of him. Checkdowns and swing passes with Bullard in the vicinity were doomed to failure.
Where he struggled during most of the first two weeks of practice was coverage. A slot defender at Georgia in 2022, Bullard gave up a bunch of completions in the early days of camp. When the pass wasn’t caught, Bullard might have been flagged for defensive holding or pass interference on a few occasions for being overly grabby at the top of the route.
Bullard had a strong practice on Thursday and was perhaps the best defender on the field at Family Night.
“I’m inexperienced in the league,” he said afterward. “The more you play, the more things start to slow down. Just trying to get my feet wet and continue to do the things that I do best and there’s certain things that I have to work on. I know what those things are, so I’m definitely going to dial into those the next few days of training camp.”
Gold: WR Romeo Doubs
Receiver might be the best position group on the team. Doubs’ consistency gives him the nod here over Dontayvion Wicks, Christian Watson and Grant DuBose, all of whom had strong weeks.
It wasn’t a great night for the offense on Saturday, but Doubs did his part with back-to-back red-zone touchdowns and a couple explosive gains.
Last week, cornerback Jaire Alexander said Doubs is one of the best receivers in the NFL.
“The dude’s really freaking good,” Alexander said after losing a couple reps to Doubs during one-on-ones.
Because of their proximity, quarterback Jordan Love has worked out with Doubs the past couple offseasons, so a strong connection has been built.
“Romeo’s definitely one of the best,” Love said. “I’m glad that Ja’s putting respect on his name because he’s definitely one of those guys. I think this year he’s going to have a breakout year and going to make a huge name for himself.”
Doubs might not be a prolific either downfield or after the catch, but his route-running skills are elite and he’s a lethal weapon in the red zone because of his athleticism, timing and hands.
“I think that all young players come in this league and there’s going to be a learning curve,” coach Matt LaFleur said of Doubs’ growth. “I just think it’s how he prepares. He’s very deliberate and intentional in the work that he puts in. He takes coaching; you can coach Rome really hard. He’s very hard on himself. He expects a lot of himself.
“Where he started from to where he is now, I think it is night and day. Just his ability to get off the ball, he’s a great route runner, he takes a lot of pride in his routes, he’s got very strong hands. He catches probably more balls than anybody in this building in terms of pre-practice, post-practice. He’s always working. He’s always on the JUGS. So, it’s not a shock to me. He’s a guy puts in the work and you’re seeing the benefits of that.”
Off the Podium: TE Luke Musgrave
In the Olympics, sometimes the favorite to win the gold medal fails to even get on the medal stand.
The Packers training camp equivalent has been tight end Luke Musgrave.
Musgrave, who tied Bubba Franks’ franchise record for most receptions by a rookie tight end despite missing a chunk of the season with an injured spleen, has not looked like a difference-making player.
He hasn’t had many downfield opportunities, and dropped a couple that he has had.
More Green Bay Packers Training Camp News
With two weeks of training camp complete, here is @JacobWestendorf's second #Packers stock report. ⬇️https://t.co/82w4z5uWcw
— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) August 5, 2024
The latest news: Week 2 stock report | New outlooks for Colby Wooden, Karl Brooks | Javon Bullard looking smooth | Highlights from Family Night | Big Zach Tom news | Kicking competition enters next phase | Eric Wilson vs. Edgerrin Cooper | Rookie progress report |
Training camp highlights: Practice 9 | Practice 8 | Practice 7 | Practice 6 | Practice 5 | Practice 4 | Practice 3 | Practice 2 | Practice 1