Seven Takeaways From Packers’ First Depth Chart

The Green Bay Packers posted unofficial depth charts as part of their Packers-Browns preseason preview. Here are seven takeaways.

Green Bay Packers cornerbacks Eric Stokes (21) and Jaire Alexander (23) run through a drill at training camp. / Tork Mason / USA TODAY NETWORK

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers released their first depth chart of training camp as part of their Dope Sheet preview of Saturday’s preseason game at the Cleveland Browns.

The depth chart is unofficial. It’s not as if coach Matt LaFleur turned in the list to the team’s PR staff.

There were no surprises. The depth chart mostly matches what the eyeballs have seen daily on the Ray Nitschke practice field.

Nonetheless, here are seven takeaways.

1. Receivers

The depth chart includes three sets of receivers. Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs and Jayden Reed are with the 1s and Dontayvion Wicks, Malik Heath and Bo Melton are with the 2s. Grant DuBose, who is having a strong training camp after spending last year on the practice squad, is with the 3s.

“He came in kind of with his back against the wall, so to speak,” LaFleur said, noting how DuBose as a rookie missed the offseason program and the start of training camp with a back injury. “Obviously, he had a whole year in our system, learning our offense. Very detailed guy. Going to give you great effort. Great hands, can run through the ball, he’s strong. So, I’m excited to see what he can do in within the preseason.”

2. Offensive Line

Last week, rookie first-round pick Jordan Morgan ran with the first team ahead of Sean Rhyan for all three practices as well as Family Night. Sure enough, he is part of the No. 1 offensive line of Rasheed Walker at left tackle, Elgton Jenkins at left guard, Josh Myers at center, Morgan at right guard and Zach Tom at right tackle.

“He’s done a really nice job,” LaFleur said of Morgan. “I think every day he’s learning something new and he’s taken his lumps sometimes along the way, which is to be expected. But he certainly has everything you look for in a guy that could play in this league for a really long time. Just the athleticism, he just has to learn how to compete down in and down out vs. really good competition.”

The backups are Andre Dillard at left tackle, Royce Newman at left guard, Jacob Monk at center, Rhyan at right guard and Kadeem Telfort at right tackle.

Rookie sixth-round pick Travis Glover is listed fourth at right tackle behind Tom, Telfort and Luke Tenuta.

3. Defensive Line

The defensive line is exactly what you might have forecast months ago. With the 1s, Rashan Gary and Preston Smith are the ends and Kenny Clark and TJ Slaton are the tackles. With the 2s, Lukas Van Ness and Kingsley Enagbare are the ends and Devonte Wyatt and Karl Brooks are the tackles.

Slaton started all 17 games last season and continues to go ahead of Wyatt for most periods, though their usage will be based more on down and distance than anything.

“I think TJ’s had an outstanding camp. He really has,” LaFleur said. “I think, quite frankly, he’s surprised us in some ways. His ability to get off the ball and wreck double-teams, whatever it may be, I think he’s done a really nice job. I’m really excited to see how he’s progressed. You never quite know how one guy’s going to transition to a certain style of defense, but he’s done a really good job.”

Colby Wooden, a fourth-round pick last year, is a third-team defensive tackle. He’s taken reps at tackle and end throughout camp.

4. Linebackers

The Day 2 draft picks, Edgerrin Cooper and Ty’Ron Hopper, are listed behind Eric Wilson and Isaiah McDuffie, respectively. In reality, Hopper is behind Walker.

5. Cornerbacks

While the depth chart lists three groups of receivers, the cornerback depth chart includes only two. So, instead of Jaire Alexander and Eric Stokes as the corners with Keisean Nixon in the slot, Alexander and Stokes are the 1s, Nixon and Carrington Valentine are the 2s, and Corey Ballentine and Robert Rochell are the 3s.

This depth chart is more attached to reality:

1s: Alexander and Stokes with Nixon in the slot.

2s: Rochell and Valentine with Ballentine in the slot.

With Rochell, Ballentine and Valentine out at various points in camp, rookie Kalen King has worked with the second unit at corner and slot.

6. Safeties

Safety is perhaps the hottest battle of training camp. Of the 10 practices, second-round rookie Javon Bullard has worked with the first unit for five. That includes Thursday and Family Night. That is reflected in the depth chart, with Xavier McKinney and Bullard the No. 1 pairing, and Anthony Johnson and fourth-round rookie Evan Williams the 2s.

“It’s amazing. Competition breeds character,” Bullard said after an impressive showing at Family Night. “People compete in life all the time. Whether that’s every-day jobs or you’re in the NFL, people compete in life at all times. It’s competition. It’s going to make all of us better.”

Rookie Kitan Oladapo, a fifth-round pick who missed the entire offseason and start of training camp with a broken toe, is buried on the bottom of the depth chart. He has not taken any 11-on-11 reps.

7. Specialists

While Greg Joseph has been more accurate than Anders Carlson, Carlson is the No. 1 kicker.

LaFleur said he “would anticipate” the kicking competition will continue through training camp.

“Thought they both had a pretty good night,” LaFleur said after Carlson went 8-for-9 and Joseph 7-for-9 at Family Night. “Obviously, you’d like them to make the ones at the end, the last two kicks [from 57 yards]. But I think other than that, I thought they did a pretty nice job.”

Nixon, the two-time All-Pro returner, is listed ahead of Reed at punt returner and kickoff returner.

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— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) August 6, 2024

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