Packers' Preseason Storylines to Follow

The Packers' preseason officially starts on Saturday. What should fans look for in these games?

On Saturday, the Green Bay Packers will face the Browns in Cleveland. Next, they play the Broncos in Denver and the Ravens in Green Bay.

There are plenty of Packers stories to watch over the next three weeks. Who will earn the right to back up Jordan Love? Who is claiming the WR6 spot? Which linebacker will start alongside Quay Walker and Edgerrin Cooper in the traditional 4-3 defense? Let's dive into some highlights.

Jordan Love will play in Green Bay's preseason opener, and it's possible we'll see him against Denver and Baltimore as well. However, most of the snaps at QB will go to Sean Clifford and Michael Pratt. Clifford has struggled in training camp, and Pratt has a lead over him going into the preseason games. The QB2 battle will likely be settled by the end of August. 

Romeo Doubs, Christian Watson, Jayden Reed, and Dontayvion Wicks are the core of the receiver room and will make the team. Bo Melton will likely be WR5, leaving the WR6 spot up for grabs. Malik Heath, Grant DuBose, and Samori Toure are expected to compete strongly for the job, with Julian Hicks, Dimitri Stanley, and Jalen Wayne also in the mix. Heath came in clutch against the Giants last year. DuBose has had a strong camp. Toure, in his third year, has yet to be a reliable weapon on offense or special teams. The final spot looks to be a battle between Heath and DuBose. Regardless of who wins, Green Bay will be well-served at the position.

Jordan Morgan will not play on Saturday, so Packers fans can expect Sean Rhyan to take most of the snaps at right guard. Additionally, Jacob Monk and Travis Glover will make their debuts. With depth on the offensive line a concern, it will be crucial to watch how the second unit performs over the next three weeks.

On the defensive side, it will be exciting to see how the unit adjusts to the 4-3/4-2-5 in an actual game. Jeff Hafley won't reveal all his secrets in the preseason, but we'll at least get a glimpse of how this defense could look in 2024.

Ty'Ron Hopper and Isaiah McDuffie will battle to start alongside Quay Walker and Edgerrin Cooper in the 4-3 formation. Hopper is more of a project, but he's been making headlines in camp. McDuffie, who played for Hafley at Boston College, may have an edge due to his familiarity with the scheme.

Carrington Valentine and Kalen King, both seventh-round selections by the Packers, will likely see a lot of action this preseason. Valentine played over 700 snaps for the Packers last year, and King could prove to be as effective as Valentine was in 2023.

Green Bay fans should expect to see a lot of Javon Bullard and Evan Williams over the next few weeks. Both have had a strong start to camp and will compete to start alongside Xavier McKinney in the secondary. While it feels like Bullard will be the starter, Williams could rotate in nickel and dime packages.

It will be interesting to see how the Packers handle the three-headed kicking competition. Greg Joseph, Anders Carlson, and Alex Hale are all vying for the job. Joseph has had a slight lead over Carlson, but Hale’s strong start on Wednesday could shake up the competition.

The coaching staff has three full weeks to evaluate who should make the 53-man roster, and they’ll need every player to bring their A-game. It's a long journey to the Lombardi Trophy, and the team needs to be locked in from top to bottom.

 

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Felipe is a Brazilian Packers writer covering the #GoPackGo for CheeseheadTV, Zone Coverage, and Packers Talk. Additionally, he contributes to Cheeseheads Brazil. Follow him on twitter at @Aceti_Felipe.

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Comments (22)

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LambeauPlain's picture

August 09, 2024 at 12:30 pm

Another storyline:

FYI, due to the olympics, WTMJ NBC Milwaukee WILL NOT televise the game. It will also NOT be on the NBC affiliate in Green Bay for the same reason.

It will instead be on ION channel 55 in Milwaukee (it is on Spectrum). Not sure what the fill in channel will be in GB

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Rory P Scrotem's picture

August 09, 2024 at 01:06 pm

How can I watch the game in Sheboygan, Mi.?

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Rory P Scrotem's picture

August 09, 2024 at 01:08 pm

Cheboygan

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Rory P Scrotem's picture

August 09, 2024 at 01:09 pm

Cheboygan

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Coldworld's picture

August 09, 2024 at 01:11 pm

In Milwaukee, live coverage of the game will move to ION (Channel 55). The station is also available through most television or streaming carriers, including Spectrum and DirecTV.

In Green Bay, it'll air on WACY (Channel 32). Other NBC affiliates in the Packers' television network will also move the game.

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SicSemperTyrannis's picture

August 10, 2024 at 09:57 am

Thank you for this! I had noticed that, and the channel IS broadcast over the air (free)

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GregC's picture

August 09, 2024 at 01:31 pm

There are a couple of statements in here that I don't believe are true:

1. I have not heard that Edgerrin Cooper has locked down a starting position.

2. I have not heard anyone else say that Michael Pratt has the lead on Sean Clifford for the #2 QB job.

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WestCoastPackerBacker's picture

August 09, 2024 at 03:44 pm

Same. Seems like it has been Quay, Eric Wilson and Isaiah McDuffie as the starters, and Cooper behind them.

I think Clifford has still been leading the #2 offense, but maybe this writer thinks Pratt has passed Clifford for the backup job.

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Coldworld's picture

August 09, 2024 at 04:13 pm

Pratt clearly has not from every practice to date. Thats not to say that won’t change, but it hasn’t. It sounds like Clifford will be getting the majority of the snaps with the 2nds tomorrow from what LaFleur said. There were some other oddities with this piece, for instance Hopper isn’t expected to play on Saturday and Valentine may not be back next week either, that made me wonder if the writer keeps up to date on developments. For a moment I thought this was an Ed Wood piece.

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Felipe.Reis.Aceti's picture

August 09, 2024 at 05:13 pm

I generally try my best to keep up with everything going on with the team, but it slipped my mind that Valentine has been out for a few practices up to this point. I appreciate you pointing that out. I still believe we are going to see him in the preseason, though.

As for Hopper, I never said he would start on Saturday. I'm mostly talking about all three games, and I believe we will get to see him over the next two weeks.

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SicSemperTyrannis's picture

August 10, 2024 at 10:07 am

I hope you're right! Thanks for contributing :)

Also, this is the final chance to comment while the team still doesn't have a single missed tackle or incomplete pass. A perfect record! Lol

I'm truly looking for a DYNASTY, not just a win or a single Lombardi. Indeed, every cylinder needs to be firing for that to happen; the greats continuing to improve and innovate, the newbies showing up in every sense, and EVERYBODY playing at or above their expected potential. Vince Lombardi is still legendary because he succeeded in making that type of "magic" happen. #25 Nixon was, to my eye, clearly the hungriest player on the team last year at TC. I didn't get to go this year, but hopefully his prior connection to Josh Jacobs has that level of hunger to excel and win and also intensity of effort setting the time throughout the whole locker room! Certainly some new members of the coaching staff bring the fire, too.

GPG!!

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Oppy's picture

August 09, 2024 at 07:11 pm

My understanding was that Clifford was not exactly impressing early on in camp (… INT machine) but he has somewhat stabilized more recently.

It’s also my understanding that Pratt has had more impressive physical tools on display, but his head is swimming with the playbook/system and he’s going to need time to get it figured out.. MLF even commented on this. Pratt is not there yet with his grasp of the system.

I’d assume that means Clifford probably retains #2 for the time being, but I wouldn’t be surprised , if the packers think Pratt is the player with the better long term upside, they cause a bit of a stir and kept Pratt on the active roster at cut downs and risked Clifford to the waiver wire. But who knows where. Their assessment on these young players sits at the moment.

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SicSemperTyrannis's picture

August 10, 2024 at 10:10 am

Last year at TC, Clifford looked capable. I'd even say ideal as a backup for GB. The fact that someone else might challenge? And that he beat Caleb Williams in an important game?!?

Miles of smiles :)

It's a good time to be a Packers fan

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Swisch's picture

August 09, 2024 at 03:43 pm

Due to the wear and tear of the NFL, it seems we used about seven wide receivers last season in a significant number of plays, and about four running backs -- which means we need a deep bench for these positions and perhaps others.
Therefore, there's a lot of meaning in these three preseason games for sustaining the team over the course of a long season.
One of the challenges for the Packers is keeping as many talented players as possible protected from being snatched by other teams.
If I was the Chargers, for example, I'd be hanging around the training facilities for the Packers around cut time in hopes of getting a wide receiver who couldn't quite make it with us but may be worthy of starting elsewhere in the NFL.
***
On a related note, it seems a good possibility that the Packers will want to keep both Clifford and Pratt as backup QBs, if both play well in the preseason.
Another reason for tuning in these games. (My best or only opportunity to see the game against the Browns may be from the replay by the NFL Network Sunday morning at 7 a.m. Eastern Time.)
Actually, it may be that there aren't any position groups on the team that are at present totally in order from top to bottom -- and as already noted, some at the bottom could be at the top sometime during the season.
Plus, it seems from past practice that Gute will be continually bringing in new players for tryouts throughout the season.
I get not comparing football to war too closely, but a single season in the NFL for one team can come with quite a casualty list. It's brutal on the football field for these guys, although fortunately not deadly.
So it is that every spot on the roster is highly important, and preseason really is impactful.

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stockholder's picture

August 09, 2024 at 06:27 pm

Speed! Devante Adams showed it.

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Oppy's picture

August 09, 2024 at 07:33 pm

Adams was no burner.

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stockholder's picture

August 10, 2024 at 06:39 am

His straight Line wasn't.
But his improvement was off the LOS.
And you could see his speed get faster, in and out of cuts.

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Oppy's picture

August 10, 2024 at 06:48 am

Adams has the best release in all of football and elite change of direction skills. He’s a master at masking his moves by way of not having any ‘tells’, there’s no give away for what he’s going to do next.

His actual speed was in the bottom 1/3 of all WRs in his draft class.

I love Davante Adams and regarded him highly during his entire career in Green Bay. How about you?

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stockholder's picture

August 10, 2024 at 07:38 am

I didn't; until I saw the improvement.
Your first line said it all.
It was obvious, as Rodgers threw to him more.

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Oppy's picture

August 11, 2024 at 12:14 am

I see you edited / expanded your comment from 6:38 am.

To be clear, speed and quickness are two different things. Also, Davante’s big improvements came from his availability while fully healthy, and his concentration on catching the ball first before looking down field/making a move to make a defender miss. His release and footwork in general have always been top notch.

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Todd's picture

August 09, 2024 at 10:03 pm

Adams wasn’t known for his speed, but for his ability to get off at the line of scrimmage.

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SicSemperTyrannis's picture

August 10, 2024 at 10:20 am

I think each of our returning WRs has the potential to become known for their particular skillet. Amazing that Toure is so clearly #8!

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