Which Packers Need Good Preseason Performance vs. Browns?

With the Green Bay Packers set to kick off the NFL preseason on Saturday against the Cleveland Browns, here are three players who need to deliver a strong performance.

Green Bay Packers place kicker Anders Carlson (17) watches his field goal during the second quarter of their NFC divisional playoff game against the San Francisco Saturday, January 20, 2024 at Levi Stadium in Santa Clara, California. / Mark Hoffman / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK

It's game week!

Well, sort of. The Green Bay Packers will kick off the preseason on Saturday at the Cleveland Browns.

The starters, including quarterback Jordan Love, will play, according to coach Matt LaFleur, though how long remains to be seen.

These preseason games are not about players like Love or Josh Jacobs. Instead, they're for players fighting for a spot on the roster or learning their craft on the fly.

That's the value of preseason football.

Saturday's game will be no different. Here are some players looking to make their push for spots on the roster and roles on the team.

K Anders Carlson

Time could be running short for kicker Anders Carlson. Carlson was the team's kicker last season, and the organization showed unwavering support for him as he worked through his struggles.

That has not been the case this offseason. Four kickers have been signed since the end of the season, including Greg Joseph in free agency and Alex Hale this week.

Carlson does not have near the job security he had a season ago. In fact, he may not even be winning the competition the team created.

There's no question the Packers like Carlson. Special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia has a relationship with his brother, Daniel, who became one of the best kickers in football after being tossed aside by the Minnesota Vikings following a dismal outing at Lambeau Field as a rookie.

Anders Carlson, however, has not had the hoped-for bounce back.

Both he and Joseph have attempted 53 field goals during training camp. Carlson has made 81.1 percent of his attempts compared to 86.8 percent for Joseph.

That may seem like a small difference, but the margin between winning and losing is thin, as the Packers painfully learned when Carlson missed a field goal in a three-point loss to the San Francisco 49ers in the playoffs.

That was then. The Packers, though they'll never admit it, were playing with house money. They were well above their season expectation level by simply playing in the postseason.

Those expectations are much higher entering this season. The Packers are expected to be Super Bowl contenders. They cannot afford to have the patience at kicker that they had a season ago.

If Carlson struggles on Saturday, it could be the beginning of the end for him in Green Bay.

G Sean Rhyan

Sean Rhyan's first two seasons in Green Bay produced a mixed bag of results. He had a disastrous rookie season, followed by a second year in which he showed enough progress to rotate with Jon Runyan Jr. at right guard. down the stretch and into the playoffs.

His progress was something his bosses noticed.

“I'm really, really proud of just kind of where (Rhyan) is at from Year 1 to Year 2, and everything that he's (done), his development,” general manager Brian Gutekunst said.

“He's such a very powerful man, very strong. He’s got a great anchor in pass pro. Still got a ways to go but, at the same time, I thought his growth was substantial, and helped our football team as we went along."

Rhyan's progress has not paved the way to a spot in the starting lineup. Instead, first-round pick Jordan Morgan has taken most of the reps with the first team and was listed as the starting right guard on the team's first unofficial depth chart.

Morgan is out with a shoulder injury, meaning Rhyan probably will start and get a lot of playing time.

Rhyan is unlikely to be in any danger of losing his spot on the roster, but he was likely penciled in as a starter coming into camp. Losing out to a rookie would be disappointing.

A strong performance on Saturday could get him back into the competition with Morgan.

Backup Offensive Tackles

Love will play on Saturday. Zach Tom will not. That means the swing tackle position, which LaFleur and offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich have called a great competition, will be front and center to protect the franchise quarterback.

“That’s a heck of a competition right now,” LaFleur said this week.

While Rasheed Walker is locked in at left tackle, Kadeem Telfort and Andre Dillard have taken most of the No. 1 reps at right tackle as the team has eased Tom back from a torn pectoral. Caleb Jones has gotten some opportunities, as well. Whoever starts on Saturday could be viewed as the favorite to win the job as the No. 3 tackle.

Then again, any of the three could be released when final cuts are due on Aug. 27.

"We’ve got a bunch of guys we’re going to keep rotating around and see how grabs that spot," Stenavich said.

The Packers need someone to step up and win this competition. Keeping the franchise quarterback clean in Cleveland would go a long way toward doing that.

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Even by specialist standards, new #Packers kicker Alex Hale has a wild story.

Hale, and his mentor, NFL legend @CarneyCoaching, discussed Hale's incredible path to the NFL today. ⬇️https://t.co/DcTqzVup8v

— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) August 8, 2024

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