2020 has been the furthest thing from “normal,” so it felt just a little extra special to see the Green Bay Packers back on the practice field this week as they prepare for the 2020 season. With no moment of practice going unnoticed thanks to the incredible work of journalists, bloggers and personalities that cover the team, we received all the Packers news and notes we have been missing so much lately.

With the first full week of training camp in the books, let’s look back at each day of practice, as well as some of your favorite moments from week one.

SATURDAY, AUGUST 15, 2020

The first day of training camp started off on a high note for the Packers this year, specifically for nose tackle Kenny Clark. Just minutes before the first practice of 2020 began, ESPN’s Adam Schefter broke the news that Clark signed a 4-year extension for $70 million. The deal, which was eagerly awaited by many Packers fans, included a generous $25 million signing bonus that makes Clark the highest paid nose tackle in league history. According to Pro Football Focus, Clark was the third-best interior defender in the league in 2019 with a pass-rush grade of 87.2.

As the Packers took the field, all eyes, both in-person and virtually, were on the what is now a unique situation in the QB room. After Green Bay selected former Utah State quarterback Jordan Love in the first round of the draft, eyebrows were raised about what that meant for not just Aaron Rodgers, but also for Packers backup quarterback Tim Boyle. Boyle, however, doesn’t seem to hear the noise. The Athletic’s Matt Schneidman reported that Boyle had an impressive first day of camp. Early on into Saturday’s practice, Boyle threw a “perfect” 45-yard pass to receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling for a huge gain during 11-on-11s and shortly after that, Boyle fired one over the middle to receiver Reggie Begelton for a touchdown.

Begelton showed off some serious speed day one and ran some reps in the slot. With receiver Devin Funchess opting out of the season due to COVID-19, Begelton should surely be someone we all continue to keep an eye on. Specialist Tyler Ervin also got some reps in the slot as well.

Packers coach Matt LaFleur shared with media that the right side of the line is certainly up for grabs this season and that was clear in day one of training camp. Lane Taylor seemed to shine in running his first few reps at right guard and the same for Billy Turner at right tackle. Once again, following the first practice LaFleur said the right side of the line will be a “daily competition” between Taylor, Turner and Rick Wagner.

However, as intriguing as all those takeaways may be, everyone, and I mean everyone was flabbergasted about the same thing: AJ Dillon. Most of us knew that the Packers’ second round draft pick out of Boston College was lean, but I don’t think we knew just how lean he really is. As ESPN’s Rob Demovsky put it… every day is leg day for AJ Dillon. In his post-practice presser, LaFleur said, "… he [Dillon] has got some massive legs. We have not seen a running back built like that, not in my career that I've been around." Of note: LaFleur was Derrick Henry’s offensive coordinator just two years ago.

According to Packers reporter Wes Hodkiewicz, kicker Mason Crosby, running back Patrick Taylor, linebacker Curtis Bolton, guard Simon Stepaniak, offensive tackle Yosh Nijman, tight end Jace Sternberger and defensive lineman Treyvon Hester were present at practice but did not participate. Wide receiver Equanimeous St Brown and Lane Taylor, who both suffered season-ending injuries in 2019, were both slowly getting back into things and working through drills individually. Practice ended after 1 hour and 44 minutes.

MONDAY, AUGUST 17, 2020

To kick things off during the second practice of training camp, LaFleur joined in on the fun and threw to DBs during their warmup drills. Speaking of DBs… several media shared that rookie safety, Vernon Scott, was a standout in practice on Monday, forcing a couple Love incompletions and closing in on some tough plays. However, newly acquired linebacker Christian Kirksey got the last laugh, picking off Aaron Rodgers on a zone drop for the first interception of camp.

According to WBAY’s Baillie Burmaster, AJ Dillon’s muscles weren’t the only noticeable ones during training camp. She reported that linebacker Rashan Gary appears to have put on some serious muscle in the offseason and was looking strong in Monday’s practice. In his post-practice presser, LaFleur mentioned that he watched Gary’s offseason training videos and was “impressed by his work ethic.”

As an absolute surprise to no one, wide receiver Davante Adams had a handful of impressive catches on Monday, as him and AR12 looked like they haven’t missed a beat. As far as the other receivers, Tyler Ervin, Allen Lazard and Darrius Shepherd had impressive days as well.

Tim Boyle continued his strong camp start on Monday with another impressive deep ball, this time to Shepherd for a big gain during a team period. "This is the second time in my career since I want to say high school, I've had back-to-back (years in one) system, so it's definitely helpful," Boyle said. "I felt comfortable. The terminology is coming to me. I'm definitely seeing the defense a lot smoother. Year 2, in this system, Year 3, overall, obviously being behind '12' has helped me out a bunch, too."

According to Packers reporter Wes Hodkiewicz, Taylor, Bolton, Stepaniak and Nijman once again did not practice, as well as long snapper Hunter Bradley and linebacker Greg Roberts. Practice ended again after 1 hour and 44 minutes.

TUESDAY, AUGUST 18, 2020

The pads were on for day three of training camp and all the excitement and more came with it. The quarterbacks started things off by working on drop back and progression drills, with Aaron Rodgers leading the way, not just physically, but as a mentor of sorts as well. For a guy that everyone loves to pick on for being a “bad leader,” he surely seems to be dialed in to the idea of helping push Love and Boyle to the next level. 

As far as weapons for Aaron Rodgers, it looks like tight end Robert Tonyan will be an option, at least to start the season. In his post-practice presser LaFleur told media Tuesday that Tonyan is “absolutely” TE1.

On the defensive side of things, the secondary was locked in on for the first full practice with pads. Safety Adrian Amos didn’t let Rodgers get comfortable at all, picking him off on the first pass of team drills. Corner Kevin King also picked off Rodgers later in practice after he floated a pass into the endzone. Although this was Rodgers third interception in two days, in my opinion, this does not call for even a bit of concern. 12 is known for throwing the ball around a lot looser during practice than he typically does in games.

Something to note however, is the noticeable DB improvement early on into camp. Following Tuesday’s practice LaFleur echoed that statement sharing that he “feels as good about that group as any in the National Football League.” In addition to Amos and King, Josh Jackson and Chandler Sullivan stood out to media, with Jackson showing some improved physicality in drills.

Jackson, a second-round draft pick out of Iowa in 2018, hasn’t provided the outcomes the Packers hope for in his first two seasons. As a result, we didn’t see much of him last season except for special teams. With an impressive start to training camp this year, year three could be the breakout year we’ve all been waiting for from Jackson.

The first practice with pads wasn’t picture perfect though, as a few injuries started to pile up. After a nice start to practice, defensive end Montravious Adams was carted to the Hutson Center after coming up from a rep with a noticeable limp. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport later reported Adams suffered a sprained toe. Offensive lineman and certified nice guy David Bakhtiari also left practice early with a left foot injury that was later deemed as “precautionary.” Linebacker Za’Darius Smith also left practice early with an unspecified injury.

According to Packers reporter Wes Hodkiewicz, Taylor, Bolton, Stepaniak, Nijman, Bradley and Roberts, all did not practice again. Center Corey Linsley did not practice for unspecified precautionary reasons, according to LaFleur. Practice was a bit shorter Tuesday, ending at 1 hour and 9 minutes.

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 19, 2020

The second day with pads started off with a bit of a scare for the Packers, as Davante Adams left practice for a few minutes with a noticeable limp. Thankfully, ESPN’s Rob Demovsky reported that Adams shortly returned to the practice field and was running hard back and forth with a helmet on during break periods. On the same play that Adams was injured, Amos was in deep coverage and picked off Aaron Rodgers for the second day in a row.

While we’re on the topic of wide receivers, LaFleur had some praise for EQ at the end of practice Wednesday. The second-year head coach shared that, “He [EQ] knows our playbook inside and out. He knows the finer details ... He's a long guy that's got a really nice catch radius and he has good speed.

Following Wednesday’s practice, the Packers released wide receiver Travis Fulgham and offensive tackle Travis Bruffy.

According to Packers reporter Wes Hodkiewicz, Taylor, Bolton, Roberts, Stepaniak and Nijman did not practice again. Both Adams and Smith were present but did not practice after suffering injuries on Tuesday. Bakhtiari and Linsley were both back, and in pads, on Wednesday and Marcedes Lewis, who the Packers were very cautious with during training camp last year, was present but not in pads. Practice ended after 1 hour and 23 minutes.

THURSDAY, AUGUST 20, 2020

On Thursday, the Packers held practice from inside Lambeau Field and, let me just say that even if the stadium is empty this season, boy is she still pretty. Despite no one in the stadium, LaFleur had noise pumping through the speakers the entire time. He told media afterwards that the noise the Packers were playing was the prototype the NFL has provided for the season.

Mason Crosby had a nice showing on Thursday, going 4/4 with a long 50-yard field goal. AJ Dillon also turned a few heads with some nice catches down field, only further solidifying himself as a future weapon this team. "I've never wanted to be put in a big-back box. I'm trying to be complete in all aspects of my game,” Dillon shared with media after practice.

Jordon Love spoke to media for the first-time during training camp Thursday and had nothing but positive things to say about his teammates. He said Aaron Rodgers was “a great person” and that both him and Boyle have “been a great help” for his game.

Packers GM Brian Gutekunst also spoke to media and sung MVS’ praises for having a strong practice. MVS and Rodgers connected deep multiple times on Thursday, something they’ve struggled to do consistently in the past.

According to Packers reporter Wes Hodkiewicz, once again, Taylor, Bolton, Roberts, Stepaniak and Nijman did not practice. Marcedes Lewis was back in the mix after a rest day and Za’Darius Smith was present but not in pads. Davante Adams was also present but not in pads after tweaking his foot/ankle the day before. Adrian Amos was excused for a personal matter. For veterans, practice ended after 1 hour and 54 minutes. The youngsters went for a bit longer. 

SATURDAY, AUGUST 22, 2020

On Saturday, Davante Adams was back in action and wasted no time impressing media that was in attendance. According to the Athletic’s Matt Schneidman, Adams had a handful of great grabs from Rodgers and the duo looked as sharp as ever. Schneidman also reported that Darrius Shepherd was “cooking” players during one-on-one drills. Shepherd had an impressive camp and preseason last year but was later reduced to the practice squad. It should surely be interesting to see if he can maintain this intensity for the duration of this season.

Cheesehead TV’s Aaron Nagler reported that MVS continued his strong start on Saturday. To close practice, MVS and Rodgers connected over the middle off a crosser, proving MVS can be more than just a deep threat. With so much worry about not drafting a wide receiver this year, it seems like the core wideout group the Packers have may be enough to propel them forward.

"I've seen him stack two great practices back-to-back," LaFleur said at his post-practice presser. "That's the challenge to him on a daily basis, he's got to go out there and do it. I know he's got the physical ability. He's got great speed, and he can really scare a defense. But he's got to be consistent with it. I've been proud of his effort but we're going to continue to challenge him and try to put him in more and more positions to make plays for us."

According to Packers reporter Wes Hodkiewicz, once again, Za’Darius Smith, Montravius Adams, Roberts, Bolton, Taylor, Nijman and Stepaniak did not practice. Amos was still excused for a personal matter. Offensive tackle Rick Wagner did not practice and corner Jaire Alexander was not in pads but working off to the side. Practice ended after 1 hour and 25 minutes.

HIGHLIGHTS

As the first full week of training camp ends, here are what a few of you enjoyed the most from week one.

@CWRF: 12 is and almost certainly will be the best QB1 of my lifetime in GB. Maybe the most skilled at the position in my lifetime period. Sad it’s almost over.

@JerseyAlGBP: Not so much a moment, but just that everyone seems to be staying safe with no additions to the Covid list.

@AJDillonLegs: We finally got the attention we deserve.

See you next week. Carry the G.