Two Packers Bubble Players Make Moves vs. Browns

The stars for the Green Bay Packers in their victory over the Cleveland Browns were Emanuel Wilson and Grant DuBose, two bubble players who have continued to impress.

Green Bay Packers wide receiver Grant DuBose caught five passes against the Browns on Saturday. / Scott Galvin-USA TODAY Sports

GREEN BAY, Wis. – With Josh Jacobs, AJ Dillon and MarShawn Lloyd, the Green Bay Packers are deep at running back. With Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs, Jayden Reed, Dontayvion Wicks, Bo Melton, Malik Heath and Samori Toure, the Packers are even deeper at receiver.

Breaking through at those powerful positions will be a challenge. It appears running back Emanuel Wilson and receiver Grant DuBose are up for that challenge.

Wilson and DuBose were two of the best players on the field as the Packers topped the Cleveland Browns 23-10 in their preseason opener on Saturday.

With the No. 1 offense enjoying their highlight-reel three-and-out possession, DuBose became the go-to receiver for backup quarterback Sean Clifford. He caught 5-of-6 targets for 66 yards.

The first pass to DuBose was incomplete. On the next play, DuBose drew defensive holding. After a 4-yard catch late in the first quarter, DuBose got rolling. He caught a 13-yarder to convert a fourth-and-3 and added a 14-yard catch one play later. The Packers turned those two plays into a touchdown to lead 14-3.

Late in the first half, DuBose and Clifford were on the same page on a scramble drill on third-and-9, with DuBose making a top-tapping catch at the sideline for a gain of 23 to set up a field goal.

Rooke quarterback Michael Pratt apparently is a quick study. On his first pass of his first professional game, he connected with DuBose for a gain of 12 on third-and-3 as the Packers tacked on a field goal.

That was it for DuBose, who took the necessary step of turning a strong series of practices into a strong game.

“Grant’s been putting out some great tape,” Clifford said. “All our receivers have, but it’s great to see Grant, especially after last season with his injury and everything. I thought he was able to put out some really good tape. The catch on the sideline was fantastic (with) him dragging his toe. Very, very happy for Grant.”

DuBose was a seventh-round pick last year. Due to a back injury, he didn’t practice until late in training camp. By that time, it was too late. He wound up spending the season on the practice squad and didn’t get into a game.

With the emergence of Heath, who beat out DuBose for a roster spot, and Melton, who came on strong down the stretch, DuBose looked like a long shot entering training camp.

Now, he looks like a front-runner.

“Anytime we take the field, it’s important,” DuBose said. “It’s an interview. It’s preseason. You just got to treat it as such. Anytime you can go out there and put some good things on film and help your team win, it’s always important. I took that to heart. Thank God for putting me in position to make some of those plays. That’s that.”

Wilson knows what it’s like to beat the odds. He was a long shot last year. An undrafted free agent, he barely had time to unpack his suitcase before he was released by the Broncos. With Aaron Jones and Dillon ensconced atop on the depth chart, Wilson was a total afterthought when he joined the Packers.

Instead, he crashed the party by leading the NFL in preseason rushing and earning a roster spot.

Against the Browns, he rushed 13 times for 67 yards. On the 77-yard touchdown drive that put the Packers on top 14-3, Wilson carried seven times for 36 yards. He followed Sean Rhyan and Jacob Monk on a sweep that gained 9 and set up his straight-forward 5-yard touchdown, a play in which DuBose did some of the dirty work.

In the third quarter, when the Packers extended their lead to 23-3, he broke a tackle and gained 18 yards after contact on a 23-yard run.

“He was able to stick his foot in the ground and get outside, and we all know the speed he has,” coach Matt LaFleur said. He’s got real speed. The challenge to him pregame was make sure you’re running your feet on contact and run through people, and I thought for the most part that happened.”

Wilson is a no-nonsense runner with a personality to match. He took it all in stride.

“Not letting my highs get too high, my lows get too low. Just go out next week and do the same thing,” he said.

With one preseason game in the books, training camp is essentially down to a two-week dash. Green Bay will play at the Denver Broncos on Sunday – Wilson and DuBose will get a lot of playing time again – and host the Baltimore Ravens the following Saturday. Three days later, Aug. 27, the Packers will have to select their 53-man roster.

The competition will be strong, especially for DuBose given the overall power of the position.

“All you can do is control how you respond to that [not making the roster last year], and I think that he’s done that,” LaFleur said. “He shows up every day, competes, competes hard. The DBs know they’re going to feel him whether it’s a run play, pass play, whatever it may be, that they’re going to get his best effort on every play.”

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