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Breaking: Packers sign QB Jordan Love to contract extension

It wasn’t a matter of if, but when. The Green Bay Packers and Jordan Love have reportedly agreed to a new contract extension.

According to Adam Schefter, the Packers and Love agreed to a four-year deal worth $220 million. he will get a record $75 million signing bonus, which will all be paid out by December, plus $155 million in new full guarantees. By average annual value, Love will earn $55 million per year and is under contract through the 2028 season.

“Jordan had a really good season toward the end, especially the second half and we are really excited to build around him,” Gutekunst said after the 2023 season. “I think just the way he led our football team through the tough times, through the success, all the challenges that a season kind of brings you, he did a really good job leading those guys. I think for a young player in his first year that’s trying to figure it all out, I think that was exceptional.”

Without a deal initially done at the start of training camp, Love’s representatives contacted Gutekunst on the Saturday before camp began to let him know that Love would not be practicing without a new deal. Although he hasn’t practiced, Love has been heavily involved in every other aspect, whether that be being on the sidelines or participating in the meeting room.

Of course, Gutekunst and Matt LaFleur both would have wanted Love on the practice field right away, but both understood why he wasn’t. As far as the locker room goes, every player had Love’s back.

“The thing about Jordan is during OTAs,” said Sean Clifford on Monday, “he was here 100 percent of the time. He’s been working the whole summer. Guys know that. Nobody’s questioning his work ethic. Now, it’s just, he’s got to do what he’s got to do. He’s our leader, he’s somebody that everybody can lean on.

“It’s not a question of his morals or ethics or anything like that. It’s a business at the end of the day, and I don’t think it’s going to take super long. It’s just what he’s got to do now. But again, it speaks volumes – he’s not in California, he’s here. I got in here at 7. His bag was already in here. He’s in early, he’s staying late. He’s doing all the little things so it’s no worry from the players that’s for sure.”

After a rocky start to the 2023 season, Love and the offense finished the year as one of the hottest units in football. From Week 11 through the divisional playoff game, which spans 10 games, Love completed 70 percent of his throws at 7.8 yards per attempt with 23 touchdowns to only three interceptions.

Among all quarterbacks during that span, Love ranked fourth in completion percentage, second in yards, ninth in yards per attempt, and first in touchdowns. Love also was the most productive quarterback on downfield passes of 20-plus yards, leading the league in completions, yards, and touchdowns on those throws.

Perhaps the cherry on top of all those stats and figures is that Love performed at that high level while being the most blitzed quarterback in the NFL as well.

“He had a hell of a year,” said LaFleur after the season. “Let’s not look past that. He really did. Just to see the growth, I talked about it the other night, obviously, the results speak for themselves, but the growth of him as just the commander out there, he’s an extension of us, and I thought the ownership that he showed, the leadership that he showed, was a great sign for us.”

Beyond the numbers, a touchdown pass to Dontayvion Wicks in the playoff game against Dallas perfectly encapsulated that growth that LaFleur described.

Facing 3rd-and-7 from the Dallas 20 yard line, with about 10 seconds left on the play clock, Love used his cadence to get the Cowboys defense to tip their hand pre-snap, showing where the blitz was coming from. Then with the play clock still winding down, Love changed the blocking assignments up front and made sure to get Jayden Reed in motion to start the play all before the play clock hit zero.

Once the ball was snapped, Dallas still managed to generate pressure. Love knowing that he had man coverage and would need a little extra time for Wicks’ route to develop, he remained calm and poised in the pocket, set his feet and delivered a strike to Wicks in the end zone with defenders in his face. All-in-all, just an excellent display of Love’s command at quarterback.

As Love heads into his second season as the Packers’ starter will be showing that they can counter the counters. Opposing defenses have now had a full offseason to look back and digest Love’s tape. They’ve been able to really examine what he does well and where he struggles and will undoubtedly come up with game plans that try to take away the former while putting him in scenarios that exacerbate the latter. Adjusting to these defensive counters on the fly will be crucial for Love an the offense this season.

“You might anticipate a defense maybe bringing a little more pressure,” said quarterbacks coach Tom Clements. “Disguising a little bit more. Making it more difficult to see where to go. So that’s from a quarterback standpoint, if that happens you have to have a lot of film study and be able to react.

“I mean that was one of Aaron’s (Rodgers) best attributes is the he could process information very quickly and usually make the right decision and get the ball where it had to go. That’s something that we’ll have to see how defenses approach it, but that’s something you’ve got to be ready for.”

Since taking over as the Packers’ starting quarterback, Love has shown that he can be the Packers’ long-term answer at quarterback, and that goes beyond his play on the field. Off the field, hosting dinners for the offensive line unit, being the first to reassure his pass-catchers after a missed play, and his calm, cool demeanor even when things aren’t going well have his teammates rallying around him as their leader.

“They used to call it an energy vampire,” said Jayden Reed. “Whatever energy someone else is giving off, that’s what you receive. Him being poised and so calm, that goes throughout the whole offense, every room, and that translates to gameday and on the field. Just seeing him, how calm he is, how poised he is – never gets too high, never gets too low – I think that helps the whole offense out.”

Packers continue to rotate safety position often through early training camp practices

Through four Packers’ training camp practices we’ve seen a pretty constant rotation at the safety position when it comes to who is lining up next to Xavier McKinney. On Monday and Wednesday, it was Javon Bullard. On Tuesday it was Evan Williams and on Friday it was Anthony Johnson Jr.

“Our coach likes getting us ready to the speed of the ones and that’s both of us, so he’ll, I mean, he did the same thing at OTAs,” said Williams on Tuesday. “Kind of moved us around, he wants us getting comfortable playing with X, comfortable playing with each other, a little bit with Anthony, and just seeing a different look than with the 2s. Getting to run against Luke (Musgrave) and (Dontayvion) Wicks and feel that speed and yeah, just kind of get us up to speed. I was anticipating it a little bit and it was good to be out there.”

Through the few practices that have taken place, it has been Williams who has made the splash plays coming away with two interceptions, one of which he looked like a wide receiver making the play. But overall, the safety group and the secondary as a whole have been around the football, making plays on it, and near the line of scrimmage to help out in the run game.

“I feel good, man. I feel good,” said Bullard after the first practice. “Those coaches man, Coach Ansley, Coach Haf, RD (Ryan Downard), they do an amazing job of really just putting us in positions to make plays and positions to just be ourselves. Not trying to change who we are, not trying to change the player we are, but put ourselves in comfortable positions to actually just make those plays that we’re used to making. So I feel real good going into training camp.”

The Packers decision to rotate between Williams, Bullard, and Johnson early on is happening for a few reasons. The obvious is that each player is being evaluated to find out who will be starting alongside McKinney come Week 1. But as Williams mentions, the coaching staff also wants to get each of the young safeties comfortable playing with McKinney and filling different roles because we are going to see a lot of movement from this position group this season.

Rewinding back to the NFL combine, when GM Brian Gutekunst described what he was looking for at the safety position, the key word he kept using was “interchangeable,” meaning that whether it be the nickel corner, the free safety or the box safety, Gutekunst wanted defenders who could fill all three roles.

Bullard spent time as Georgia’s primary slot cornerback in 2022 before being asked to be the free safety in 2023. Williams played all over the Fresno State and Oregon secondary’s during his college career, while Johnson was originally a boundary cornerback at Iowa State before moving to safety his final season where he played both from the box and in the slot, while during his rookie year with the Packers, most of his snaps came as the free safety.

“Versatility is valuable,” said Bullard. “Being that guy that coach doesn’t want to take off the field because you so versatile is huge and I pride myself on that. So I’m going to continue to do that.”

As we watched OTAs and minicamp take place in late-May and early-June, one of the more noticeable changes that was going to be taking place defensively was the versatility at the safety position along with the added post-snap movement. That has carried over into training camp, where from snap-to-snap at times we’ve seen a different defender deep versus in the box, and vice versa. We’ve also seen the safety position lined up in the slot and three safeties on the field at one time.

“You gotta be able to build chemistry with different guys,” said McKinney. “I think that’s why it’s smart we’re doing that now and kind of building that now, so when the season does get here, knowing that everybody isn’t always going to be perfect. We’re not always going to have the same guys next to each other, just being able to build chemistry and knowing how the next guy works and what he wants to do. Just working around, that’s been good.”

Adding this level of versatility among multiple players to the safety position generates a layer of unpredictability to the Packers’ defense. Pre-snap, opposing offenses won’t be able to necessarily get a beat on what responsibility each player has or where they might end up as the play unfolds based solely upon who is on the field or where each safety is initially lined up.

From a game-planning perspective, this feature also opens up the playbook for Jeff Hafely, who has the flexibility to change things up from week-to-week, or even play-to-play, depending on the opponent and what the Packers want to take away.

Along with the coaching and the on-field experience that the safeties are gaining each day, McKinney’s presence has been extremely valuable in the early growth of this young position group as well, as he provides on the spot coaching and making sure everyone is positioned well pre-snap to make the play successful.

“He’s definitely accommodating,” said Williams about playing with McKinney. “Whenever we’re on the field, pre-snap we’ll just communicate who’s going down, if he wants to be high on this play based on personnel and situation and stuff, but yeah, just being able to kind of play with him and observe how he thinks pre-snap and just go through his mental processes, I think it’s definitely helped me as a player as far as what I should be thinking about, the types of things I should be considering pre-snap. And we’ll always talk post-snap, too, just about the previous play, a quick little recap so the next time we get that look I’ll be able to see it a little quicker.”

There is still a long ways to go before anything is going to be determined, and the real test for the young safeties on the Packers’ roster will come when Jordan Love is back on the field and the offense can find its rhythm.

Ultimately, it is going to be the day-to-day consistency that determines who is starting next to McKinney, and not only at one position on the field, but being consistent while filling multiple roles is going to be a requirement. And just because two of these safeties may not be a starter, doesn’t mean that there isn’t playing time or a role that can still be filled. Movement at the position and versatility are key in Hafley’s defense.

“I think whoever goes out there and gives us the most consistent effort and is able to make plays,” said LaFleur on what he’s looking for at safety. “We’re fortunate really when you look at all of those other guys, they’re all pretty intelligent guys that allows us to interchange X, whether we want him to be down in the box or put him in the post, just that flexibility is huge. So, whoever is starting opposite of him has got to be able to do both jobs as well.”

Packers training camp notebook: Observations from Day 4

The Green Bay Packers were back on the practice field Friday morning and the practice was a bit on the shorter side, going one hour and 38 minutes as the team prepares to put the pads on for Saturday.

Here are my key observations and takeaways from what took place.

– Injury updates: Corey Ballentine (hamstring), Caleb Jones (hamstring), and Donovan Jennings (knee) were all back on the practice field for the first time this training camp. It looks like they are all being eased in–I did not see any of them going through the 11-on-11 portion.

– Josh Myers was not at practice for what Matt LaFleur called personal reasons. Robert Rochell was the only new addition to the injury report dealing with a calf.

– Without Myers, the starting offensive line consisted of Rasheed Walker at left tackle, followed by Sean Rhyan, Elgton Jenkins, Jordan Morgan, and mostly Kadeem Telfort, with Andre Dillard mixed in for one series. The second unit consisted of Telfort at left tackle, with Royce Newman at left guard, Jacob Monk at center, Lecitus Smith at right guard, and Travis Glover at right tackle.

– When it comes to getting Zach Tom back on the field for the 11-on-11 portion of practice, LaFleur said it is going to be a little bit yet:

“It’s going to be a while yet before we put him into those team situations,” said LaFleur before practice. “I would expect, if everything goes right, it won’t be till after Family Night.”

– The safety rotation continued as well, this time with Anthony Johnson seeing the starting snaps next to Xavier McKinney. Evan Williams was then the second safety rotated in for Johnson.

– At linebacker, Quay Walker and Isaiah McDuffie continue to the be the nickel options at the position. With the second linebacker unit, Ty’Ron Hopper was in the middle with Edgerrin Cooper and Eric Wilson on each side of him. There’s seemingly a play or two each practice where Hopper is making a play at the line of scrimmage.

– During the team portion, Kalen King saw snaps both on the boundary and in the nickel. As the old saying goes, the more you can do. For what it’s worth, when healthy, Ballentine had been the second team nickel cornerback throughout OTAs and minicamp.

– Tyler Davis has been on the practice field since Monday, but I thought he put together a really nice practice. He had two receptions and a key block on the edge to spring Emanuel Wilson for a big run. Davis saw some snaps in the H-back role as well. Before practice, LaFleur spoke very highly about Davis:

“T.D. is a guy that you talk about somebody that does everything the right way,” said LaFleur. “He is that guy from the moment it happened to throughout the process. I think it’s great for him to get back out there. I think, like anybody coming back from a significant injury, there’s gonna be some struggles along the way just whether it’s dealing with soreness – that’s to be expected – but I think in terms of his approach and the things that he can control, he is on top of everything.”

– It was another practice where the defense won the day, although only one interception was thrown and it came on a play that likely would have ended in a sack. The pass rush continues to get good push and there doesn’t seem to be many opportunities opening up in the passing game. As expected, without Jordan Love, things are disjointed and it feels nearly impossible to evaluate this unit. The offense is also without Zach Tom and Tucker Kraft.

– We’ve heard that this defensive front under Jeff Hafley is all about attacking and we saw that on display on one play in particular. It was a play-action but JJ Enagbare didn’t hesitate and continued to make a beeline to the quarterback, resulting in a ‘sack.”

– Today it was Anders Carlson and Greg Joseph’s turns to kick. Carlson would finish the day 5-of-6, missing from 50 yards off the left upright. It did feel like he had to deal with some wind on that one. Overall, Carlson has seemed quite sharp. Joseph would go 6-for-6 on the day. Both kickers are 11-for-12 through training camp.

– The defensive front was again quite good as already mentioned, but Rashan Gary made noise again, recording back-to-back “sacks” during the red zone period while matched up against Kadeem Telfort.

Early signs from Packers’ training camp point to competitive CB2 battle

By Paul Bretl: 7/25/2024

The battle for the starting cornerback role opposite of Jaire Alexander will be one of the more important and intriguing competitions to take place during Green Bay Packers training camp. If early signs are an indication of what’s to come, this is going to be a highly competitive competition as well.

Over the last two practices in particular, Carrington Valentine has had multiple pass breakups in coverage, while Eric Stokes came away with two interceptions and a pass breakup on a downfield throw to Christian Watson during Wednesday’s practice.

On the first interception, Stokes acknowledged that he should have been a bit tighter on Dontayvion Wicks who was running a slant, but he was positioned well to make a play on the tipped ball. On the second interception, Stokes said he knew there was inside help, and by reading the receiver and understanding the leverage, he was able to be aggressive and make a play on the ball.

“Man, it’s good to see, especially where he came from with his injuries and all that,” said Kenny Clark about Stokes’ day. “And he got a pick today — two picks. It’s good to see him getting back to himself.”

Throughout OTAs and minicamp, and now through the first three training camp practices, Stokes has been the starting cornerback over Valentine. However, that is certainly subject to change as we get further into practice and the pads come on. At the end of the day, Matt LaFleur wants to create a competitive environment and the best player is going to play.

“We’ll let ‘em compete,” said LaFleur during minicamp. “We’re going to play our best players, but like I said I think yesterday, I feel really, really confident with the group that we have.”

After an impressive rookie year in 2021, Stokes last few seasons have been derailed by injuries. In 2022, he suffered a season-ending Lisfranc injury in Week 9 and then played just 110 total defensive snaps in 2023, still recovering from his 2022 injury along with dealing with reoccurring hamstring injuries. Stokes is now in a prove-it year as he enters the final year of his rookie deal with the Packers declining to pick-up his fifth-year option for the 2025 season earlier this offseason.

Along with Christian Watson, Stokes also went down to UW-Madison during the offseason to get a better understanding of the injury issues he faced last season. Stokes’ emphasis during the offseason was on strengthening his calves and hamstring, and he altered his offseason routine to make sure that he’s fully healthy and able to stay on the football field.

“It was a whole lot of lil stuff that went into this offseason,” said Stokes. “A whole bunch of lil training, whole different lil things that I had to adjust and learn, but that’s what all this is about. It’s just a learning curve, so there’s a lot of lil things I had to take away from it and just learn from it pretty much. Out of actually train this offseason, it was a lot of lil things I’ve done in the past that wasn’t good or wasn’t up to par that it should be and then just being around, just looking at how other people move.”

Both LaFleur and GM Brian Gutekunst have commented on the excellent shape that Stokes is in this offseason.

“He looks just like Christian,” said Gutekunst on Monday, “he’s attacked this thing, you couldn’t ask more than what he’s done. He’s kept a great attitude. He looks great. Again, as we get into this part of our season where it’s probably the most stressful on these guys’ bodies and minds, I think he’s ready to attack that and we need him. I’m expecting a big year from him.”

With Valentine, the Packers challenged him to bulk up during the offseason, and it was a challenge that Valentine fully embraced. Valentine focused heavily over these past several months on his diet and hitting the weight room hard. During the first OTA practice that was open to the media, Valentine’s physical growth was noticeable, going from playing in the 180s last season to now hovering around the 200 pound mark.

“When I take on blocks, people feel lighter,” Valentine said. “I can be more aggressive. I naturally play aggressive anyway so it just went hand-in-hand with my game. It kind of worked out.”

Injuries to Stokes and the Packers trading away Rasul Douglas gave Valentine an opportunity during his rookie season to see significant playing time. He ended up playing 846 snaps, allowing a completion rate of 56 percent on 72 targets, with five pass breakups and a passer rating of 80.2 when targeted.

“He a dawg, honestly,” said Valentine when asked to describe himself. “That’s who I am. Hard-worker, I’m a competitor. I’m always going to strain. I’m always going talk a little, as well. Just my personality. I don’t really care who you are. I don’t care if you’re All-Pro, Hall of Famer. At the end of the day, you gotta beat me. That’s who I am.”

That momentum that Valentine was able to build throughout the course of his first NFL season has carried over and turned into a highly productive offseason.

“I think it’s been outstanding,” said LaFleur. “That’s a guy that stands out, quite frankly, in my mind, in terms of just we challenged him to put on some weight after the regular season. He came back and he definitely looks bigger and he is bigger and he’s stronger and the guy loves football. He loves to compete and I’m excited for him. I think he’s got a really bright future.”

New defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley will be tasked with getting bounce-back seasons out of Stokes and Jaire Alexander, along with helping Valentine reach a new level in his second season. In 2023, the Packers secondary ranked in the bottom-half of the NFL in yards per pass attempt allowed and had the second-fewest interceptions with only seven.

At the end of the day, the players have to make plays, but Hafley’s more aggressive defensive approach, should suit the play-styles of the Packers’ cornerback room better and more frequently have them in positions to make plays on the football.

In the grand scheme of what is NFL training camp, there is still a long ways to go, and there is the very important caveat that the Packers are without Jordan Love at quarterback. The task for both Valentine and Stokes will be maintaining this level of play when he eventually returns.

While getting off to a good start is always a good thing, a few good days doesn’t make a training camp, just like one or two bad days won’t break it. Ultimately, winning the stating job is going to come down to consistency and getting incrementally better each day.

“It’s great,” said Stokes about the competition with Valentine. “I know for a fact that me and him are fighting for whatever the position it is. It just feels great. I know me and him are going to push each other no matter what. We’re all going to push each other in that room. Regardless, we want the best for each and everyone. If I’m not out there and he’s out there, I’m going to push him to be him. It is what it is. I know we all great in that back end, so it doesn’t matter who it is out there.”

Key observations and takeaway from Packers third training camp practice

By Paul Bretl: 7/24/2024

The Green Bay Packers held their third training camp practice on Wednesday, which turned out to be a beautiful day at Ray Nitschke Field after Tuesday’s practice was held in a torrential downpour.

Practice would last one hour and 47 minutes. Here are my key observations and takeaways from it.

– Jayden Reed was activated off the PUP list and was back on the practice field, although the team is going to ease him back in. Elgton Jenkins did not practice with Wednesday being a vet rest day for him. Everyone else who has been sidelined, remained out.

Jordan Love (contract)
Corey Ballentine (NFI, hamstring)
Kitan Oladapo (NFI, toe)
MarShawn Lloyd (hip)
Donovan Jennings (PUP, knee)
Caleb Jones (PUP, hamstring)
Tucker Kraft (PUP, pec)

– There was a new starter along the offensive line on Wednesday. With Zach Tom still working his way back from a pec injury, he has only been going through individual drills. But during the team portion, we saw Kadeem Telfort at right tackle. That spot had belonged to Andre Dillard the past two days, but he had taken some lumps. For more from Telfort on his day, click here.

“It means a lot, you know,” said Telfort about playing with the starters. “I’m somewhat getting noticed now. Just taking advantage and taking it day by day. Taking the good with the bad.”

– It was another day dominated by the defense. It was the defensive line who dominated the first two days, particularly on Tuesday, but on Wednesday, it was the secondary, who as a whole came away with five interceptions. The offense has struggled to find its groove early on, but that is to be expected given that they are without Jordan Love, most notably, but also Tom, and Tucker Kraft, along with Elgton Jenkins on Wednesday and Jayden Reed the first two days.

– The defense as a group is really flying around. There have been numerous instances where we’ve seen a linebacker or member of the secondary making a play near the line of scrimmage.

– Early signs point to the battle for the second cornerback spot opposite of Jaire Alexander being a very good one. Over the last two days, we’ve seen Carrington Valentine have multiple pass breakups, while Eric Stokes came away with two interceptions on Wednesday.

“It’s great,” said Stokes about the competition. “I know for a fact that me and him are fighting for whatever the position it is. It just feels great. I know me and him are going to push each other no matter what. We’re all going to push each other in that room. Regardless, we want the best for each and everyone. If I’m not out there and he’s out there, I’m going to push him to be him. It is what it is. I know we all great in that back end, so it doesn’t matter who it is out there.”

– Today was Javon Bullard’s turn to take the starting reps at safety next to Xavier McKinney. Through three days, it appears that Jeff Hafley is alternating days between Bullard and Evan Williams in terms of who gets the starting reps. Williams has had an interception in each of the last two days. As expected, we are seeing more cover-1 looks under Hafley and a lot of movement from this safety position.

– After Anders Carlson and Greg Joseph both kicked on Tuesday, it was only James Turner who was kicking on Wednesday–as was the case on Monday. Turner would finish 4-for-6 on the day, missing from 46 yards and 39 yards. He is now 8-for-12 overall, having gone 2-for-3 in each of his four sessions.

– Given how the first few days of camp have gone, we are going to see some end-arounds to Bo Melton this season.

– In my position preview, I mentioned Grant DuBose as someone to watch this summer. That doesn’t necessarily mean that I expect him to make the final roster, but during OTAs and minicamp, he looked more refined and was a go-to target for both Sean Clifford and Michael Pratt. DuBose worked out with Jayden Reed and Dontayvion Wicks this summer in south Florida. He’s off to a nice start in training camp.

– An interesting note, during individual position drills, the nickel cornerbacks were going through their own set of drills away from the boundary cornerbacks, and working alongside Keisean Nixon was seventh-round pick Kalen King. During offseason programs, Corey Ballentine lined up often in the nickel with the second defense, so with him out right now, it’s difficult to gauge if the Packers are truly seeing what King can offer from the slot or if he’s there because they’re without Ballentine. Bullard is seeing slot snaps as well from the safety position.

– During the third-down periods, which consisted of each quarterback facing a third-and-three, third-and-five, third-and-seven, and a third-and-nine, the offense as a group was 5-for-12 in moving the chains. Michael Pratt and Sean Clifford were 2-for-4 and Jacob Eason was 1-for-4.

– Admittedly, I may have missed some snaps here and there, but through three practices, Jordan Morgan has taken the majority of his snaps at right guard after being asked to play every position except center during OTAs and minicamp.

Packers’ second year UDFA Kadeem Telfort takes starting snaps at RT in third training camp practice

By Paul Bretl: 7/24/2024

There’s was noticeable change on the Green Bay Packers’ offensive line during Wednesday’s training camp practice with second-year player Kadeem Telfort working with the starting offense at right tackle, as Zach Tom is still eased back in.

It was good, you know,” said Telfort. “It was a bit challenging, but it was also a learning experience because you know previously I was on P-squad, so it was really just like another day at practice at the end of the day.

The defensive line had been dominating the offensive line for the first two days of practice. Andre Dillard, who had been at right tackle with the ones during those first two days, was having a difficult time handling Rashan Gary.

Not that it was perfect, but Telfort had his moments, including one rep against Gary, where Andy Herman notes that Telfort absorbed Gary’s power move, anchored, and stalled out his pass rush attempt.

“It actually went good because those guys are top tier in the league,” said Telfort of his performance. “So you know, it was challenging but also my coached prepared me for stuff like that. So you know, at the end of the day it was just practice. I’ve been going against them for a while. Last year went against them for about 20 weeks, you know.”

The Packers signed Telfort as an undrafted rookie following the 2023 draft. Standing 6-7 – 322 pounds, Telfort is a towering tackle. During his final three collegiate seasons at UAB, Telfort played 1,883 snaps, all of which came at left tackle, allowing just three total sacks and 22 pressures, with never more than 10 in one season.

As an undrafted rookie, Telfort spent his first season in Green Bay on the practice squad.

“Practice squad last year,” added Telfort, “it was a humbling experience. Even though I felt I was ready, I really wasn’t. It didn’t really start clicking for me until I’d say third quarter, fourth quarter of the season. This offseason, I really hit the ground and attacked to it.”

The emphasis for Telfort this offseason was focusing on his footwork. This included spending the offseason with Packers’ receivers Jayden Reed, Dontayvion Wicks, and Grant DuBose in South Florida, learning from them. Telfort also mentioned that he slimmed down a bit as well.

“It helped a lot,” said Telfort on working with the receivers. “It taught me to be more urgent and I could get to my spot a little more quicker. Even the guys tell me that I slimmed down a lot more. Everything else is really faster and quicker now.”

Versatility is one of the cornerstones when it comes to playing offensive line for the Packers. And while Telfort is getting recognition for his play at the tackle position, during OTAs and minicamp, he took the majority of his snaps at guard. If he can prove to be capable of playing both inside and out, that will only make him a more desirable option on the 53-man roster.

However, lining up at guard during OTAs was the first time Telfort had played their since his Junior College days. So like with any change, there was a learning curve involved.

“The fight starts earlier,” said Telfort on playing guard versus tackle. “Like it starts as soon as the quarterback say hike, and you’ve got to be ready to fight, and gotta dig a little more because I’m somewhat blocking myself at a guard, 6-5 – 330 pound guys, so you know I’ve got to really strain more. Really, like, it’s a lot more.”

At the end of the day, this was one practice on the third day of minicamp when the pads weren’t even fully on yet. The next step for Telfort will be showing consistency and continuing to build upon these performances. However, the opportunity that he had to play with the starters also shows how far he’s come over the last year.

“It means a lot, you know,” said Telfort about playing with the starters. “I’m somewhat getting noticed now. Just taking advantage and taking it day by day. Taking the good with the bad.”

Packers RB AJ Dillon in a good position to ‘show his best’

By Paul Bretl: 7/24/2024

Playing on a one-year deal with almost no guaranteed dollars leaves a lot of uncertainty for Green Bay Packers running back AJ Dillon as he heads into his fifth NFL season. Unlike past seasons, he’s no longer a roster lock. However, whatever lies ahead for Dillon, he is at peace knowing the work he put in during the offseason.

“Shoot, just be the best I can,” said Dillon when asked what he wants out of this season. “I’m in the best shape of my life. I’m leaving no regrets, man, and doing every single thing I can and try to get better every day. Best offseason I’ve had. Year 5 in the offense like I was saying, I know what I’m doing.

“So leaving no stone unturned, whether it’s two yards, 2,000 yards, 2 million yards, I’m giving everything I got and I can sleep–put my head down on the pillow everyday and know I worked my ass off. That’s it. Being a great leader for the young guys we have on the team and trying to be an example of how you do it the right way.”

During the Packers first OTA practice back in May that was open to the media, there were three players that stood out because they physically looked different: Carrington Valentine and Colby Wooden, both of whom bulked up, and Dillon, who looked more trim, while still maintaining his muscle mass.

At his locker on Monday, Dillon said that he’s typically been around 250 pounds and at 8-9 percent body fat. But this training camp, he is around 245 pounds and five percent body fat. To get there, Dillon worked his tail off, as he put it, altering his diet and doing the extra workouts–really whatever it took.

“Just trying to trim off what you can but it’s more just a mindset ‘I work my tail off,’ said Dillon. “We’re getting all the non-toxic stuff and we’re eating all the grass fed beef, and just like doing everything–drinking water instead of soda. Doing the extra running. Doing the extra stairs. I heard a quote and I don’t know who it’s by, but it’s like you wake up and you have a good day, and you’re like, alright, tomorrow I’ll go out there and do the same thing. Then you realize this is my new normal. I just have good days and that’s just kind of what it became in the offseason.”

The result of this hard work is already showing up on the practice field with what looks like added burst and acceleration that Dillon now has. There was one run in particular during Tuesday’s practice where a hole opened up in the middle and Dillon burst through it for a long touchdown, out running the Packers’ defenders.

“This is the best I’ve seen him, so hands down, and I think he’d tell you the same,” said Matt LaFleur. “I think it’s just a testament to the work that he’s put in. He came back. He’s in great shape.

“Shoot, I was joking with him the other day, you can see the abs on him. That’s hard for a big man to do. He looks like he’s in great shape. I think he’s in a great place mentally. Obviously we know what he’s capable of doing, and I think he’s in a really good position to show his best.”

That big play ability is what has been missing from Dillon’s game last season. Although Dillon improved as the year went on, he would still average only 3.4 yards per rush attempt. Dillon’s eight carries of 10-plus yards ranked 47th out of 58 eligible running backs. He also ranked 42nd in average yards after contact, which is supposed to be his calling card as a physical back.

In an effort to generate more big plays, if part one of that equation is being in excellent shape, Dillon has checked that box. But part two is making sure that when the ball is in his hands, his natural abilities are taking over.

By Dillon’s own admission, and running backs coach Ben Sirmans has agreed, there are times when Dillon is overthinking on the field, and rather than reacting to what’s happening and letting his combination of speed and power take over, he’s pressing, which can slow him down.

“That’s part of the things that we’ve talked about with him,” said Sirmans last season. “That’s why I keep saying, I just want to make sure he’s not out there pressing because you’re right, that year (2020), it looked like he was going to be a different type of dude. That’s something I talk to him about.

“I think that as he tries to elevate his game, sometimes you can overthink your abilities and just get out there and play. If you’re out there thinking too much about how I need to do this or I need to be this type of guy, that’s going to take away from you playing natural football. So that’s the biggest thing, just get out there and be natural. Let your abilities speak for themselves.”

What we know at the running back position right now is that Josh Jacobs will be the lead back and rookie Marshawn Lloyd will be on the roster, although how heavy his workload is as a rookie remains to be seen. If the Packers release Dillon, they incur a dead cap hit of only $167,500–so as already mentioned, he is far from a roster lock, especially with Emanuel Wilson also competing for a spot on the 53-man.

However, there is certainly value that Dillon can add to this roster, regardless of what his role is. Although the big play ability was missing, Dillon knows the offense inside and out, and has been a very reliable option for the Packers, whether that be as a ball carrier, a pass-catcher, or in pass protection.

Any player with a well-rounded skill set will have the opportunity to carve out a role in some capacity, and if Dillon can pair that ability with added playmaking, his game could reach new heights in 2024.

“I envision going out there and balling out every time I’m on the field,” added Dillon. “Whatever that is, that’s for the coaches to decide. Like I said, I’m putting myself in the best position possible, in great shape, working, trying to lead, trying to cross my T’s and dot my I’s.

“Whether that’s special teams, running back, receiver, tight end, fullback, kicker, quarterback, I’m down to do whatever. I’m happy to be here. Like I said, I’m just going to put my helmet on and go to work.”

Led by Rashan Gary, Packers’ defensive ends off to a fast and disruptive start to training camp

By Paul Bretl: 7/23/2024

During Monday’s first training camp practice, it was the Green Bay Packers defensive front that got the best of the offensive line.

“I thought for the most part the D-line got the better of the offensive line through one day of practice,” said Matt LaFleur Tuesday morning.

Well, the second day was much of the same. Actually it was more so.

“I think this 4-3 style fits the guys we have in our room a lot better up front and you’ve been able to see it the past couple of days,” said Lukas Van Ness at his locker. “We’ve been aggressive getting after the quarterback. And again, pads add a whole different part of the game and it’ll be interesting to see in the coming days. But again, I think it’s a testament to the guys in our room and how hard we’ve been working. I think we have a goal in mind and we’re getting after it.”

Leading the charge for the defensive front was Rashan Gary, who was about as close to unblockable as you’ll see. He was lining up on both sides of the defensive front, using his power and violent hands to make his way into the backfield consistently, logging numerous “pressures” and what looked like several “sacks,” including three in a four play span.

“Just being able to pin our ears back, not think and fly around,” said Gary of the new defense. “It’s been fun so far the first two days.”

Under former defensive coordinator Joe Barry, the defensive front had more of a read-and-react approach as they were responsible for defending two gaps. However, under Hafley, this is an attack front, as defensive line coach Jason Rebrovich put it, that plays with its hand in the dirt and has one primary job: get into the backfield.

Yeah I feel more explosive coming out of a three-point stance,” said Gary about playing with his hand in the dirt. “Sometimes when you’re in a two-point stance you can create more false steps and with the hand in the dirt, the false steps are taken away.”

While Gary may be leading the charge, the entire defensive end position group seems to be getting in on the action. Van Ness has put together two disruptive days on the practice field, as has Kingsley Enagbare and Preston Smith.

During Tuesday’s practice in particular, moving the ball for the offense felt like an impossible task at times, with Clifford not only under pressure regularly, but under pressure very quickly as well. Following those pressures, the defensive front, particularly Gary, let the offense know that the defense was winning the majority of the reps.

“Just me being me bringing energy,” said Gary. “Just trying to bring everybody along and just trying to hold everybody to a high standard as I ask them to hold me to a high standard.”

If the Packers defense as a whole is going to improve in 2024, it starts with more consistent play upfront. In 2023, the Packers’ pass rush ran very hot and cold, recording seven games where they pressured the quarterback on 45 percent of more of his dropbacks, which is an excellent rate. However, on the flip side, there were also seven games where Green Bay pressured the opposing quarterback on fewer than 30 percent of his dropbacks, which is the opposite of excellent.

Then as we all know, the run game continued to provide this unit with issues, with the Packers ranking 23rd in yards per carry allowed, along with giving up a league-high four games of 200-plus rushing yards.

Success for any defense starts in the trenches The best way to slow any offensive play is with a quick push from the defensive front. Slowing the run then puts the offense in obvious passing situations, giving the defense the advantage in coverage, while pressure leads to mistakes that can hopefully result in turnovers.

Ultimately, it’s up to the players on the field to execute and make plays, but Hafley’s defense should create more opportunities for the Packers’ defensive line to be in positions to make that happen–and although it’s only been two days without the pads on, the affect that an attacking, high-energy front can have.

“We’ve just harped on depth and having guys to rotate in and out and everybody having the ability to affect the game and be an impact player,” said Van Ness. “As you said, whether it’s Preston or RG or myself or JJ, you know there’s a whole list of guys that can rotate and play any position and I think it’s a testament to the depth and the ability we have to go out and succeed.”

Back-to-back good days doesn’t make a training camp, just like back-to-back sub-par days doesn’t break a training camp. Instead it’s about consistency and building upon the previous day’s performance to continue getting incrementally better. That will be the next step for a defensive end group that is off to a fast and very disruptive start.

“Be consistent,” said Gary about his message. “Be consistent and be critical of ourselves. This is only Day 2. It doesn’t matter what you’ve done in practice; we’ve got to bring it to the season. Being consistent, you come out and have a great day, come out and have a great day for the next day. Just being consistent and being critical of yourself.”

Sean Clifford has opportunity to lead Packers’ starting offense with Jordan Love not practicing

By Paul Bretl: 7/23/2024

With Jordan Love not practicing until a new deal gets done, Sean Clifford now has the opportunity to work with the first-team offense.

“Excited. Excited,” said Sean Clifford at his locker on Monday. “I don’t think you know as a backup, you’ve got to be. You probably wouldn’t be in this position if you weren’t. so excited to just have the opportunity to get a few extra reps, especially with the 1s and all in all I thought it was a good day.”

Minicamp didn’t go how Clifford would have hoped. On the first day he threw three interceptions–all to Zayne Anderson–and then he threw another to Robert Rochell on Day 2.

However, while obviously not the showing Clifford wanted to have, he wasn’t going to dwell on it either. He spoke with Matt LaFleur, Jordan Love, and offensive assistant Sean Mannion about what went wrong, diagnosed the problem, and moved on ready to correct it.

“I didn’t play my best football the last two days, which is frustrating because I felt like I was making a lot of progress the first two weeks,” Clifford said back in early June. “There’s a little bit of overthinking. It comes down to reading with my feet. I’m trying to make that next step. I feel like when I get up to the line, I can really see the call, feel the defense, but then there’s also that other part of overthinking.

“The last week, I just got into that overthinking, slower in my reads, not giving guys as much of a chance.”

One of the intangible traits that we’ve often heard LaFleur use to describe Clifford is his resiliency. We saw this during his preseason debut in 2023 against Cincinnati, where, despite throwing a pair of interceptions, Clifford bounced back each time, and overall, he completed 77 percent of his passes at 8.0 yards per attempt with a touchdown.

During Monday’s first training camp practice, we again saw that bounce-back ability Clifford possesses. It was a shorter practice, with the team only working in the red zone during 11-on-11 drills. The defensive front did a very good job of making things difficult for Clifford and the offense, with Rashan Gary, Colby Wooden, Lukas Van Ness, and Kingsley Enagbare all generating pressures.

However, Clifford’s experience in the system, and knowing where to go with the ball, along wit his ability to adjust on the fly, helped him navigate those situations. Not to say that every throw was perfect, there were of course incomplete passes. But there weren’t any turnovers and Clifford threw three touchdowns, two of which were incredibly well placed balls into tight windows.

“I missed one to Wicks,” said Clifford, “kind of side-armed it, thought I could’ve gotten that one back, and then I thought Romeo won on a spot route in the red zone, I thought I potentially could have plugged it.

“But other than that, it was just honestly trying to stay within my footwork, get back to the basics. I felt in OTAs I was really trying to be a little bit more aggressive and see what I can and can’t do. I think y’all saw that in minicamp, I threw too many interceptions. Now it’s all about getting back to the basics and checking the ball down when I need to and being a smart quarterback.”

Clifford playing with the ones not only gives him the opportunity to go up against the Packers top defenders, but on the offensive side of the football, it’s a very different atmosphere than playing with the more inexperienced players on the second unit, allowing Clifford hone in on other aspects of his game.

“To be honest with you, it’s pretty electric just,” Clifford said, “because you can really get after your cadence because those guys are veterans and you can really start to be a little bit more aggressive on certain things. Because when you’ve got rookies—and I was there last year—you kind of have to go on 1, maybe 2 every once in awhile, you’ve really, really got to tell everybody, ‘Hey, this is going to be on 2.’ But when you’re with the 1s, those guys are vets.

“So you’re able to spice it up, really try some things out there. so I was going on triple counts and doing some fun stuff that I haven’t been able to do in the past. But no, no nerves. Football’s football. I’m just excited to be out there.”

LaFleur said that as long as the Packers are without Love, the reps between Clifford and Pratt will be a 50/50 split. Clifford will be taking all the first-team reps, but LaFleur did add that “everything’s a competition,” so that is subject to change based on how he and Pratt are performing.

It was a good first day for Clifford as he led the No. 1 offense for the first time, but one day doesn’t make or break a player during training camp. It’s about putting together a consistent body of work, so the next step for Clifford is to build upon Monday’s performance for however long he’s taking those starting snaps.

“Sean, last year I thought did an excellent job coming in here and winning the backup job,” said GM Brian Gutekunst. “You guys saw him in the preseason, kind of his ability to compete and handle the moment. I think we expected that a little bit with the amount of football he played at Penn State in a major college situation like that and I think he continues to grow on that. So excited for him to see what he can do in Year 2.”

Packers QB Jordan Love won’t practice until new deal is reached

By Paul Bretl: 7/22/2024

Training camp is underway for the Green Bay Packers, but without a new deal done for Jordan Love, the quarterback won’t be participating until an extension is reached, which GM Brian Gutekunst understands.

“I think it was Saturday night,” said Gutekunst on Monday morning, “they kind of informed us that until we get something done, that he would not practice. So unless something gets done here before practice starts here pretty soon, he will not be practicing. But again, I think this is something we’re all working on. We certainly understand where he’s coming from.

“We’d like him to be out there. It’s important for him to be out there. Obviously you guys know how important practice is, and working with his teammates. But as of now, until we get that resolved, he will not be practicing. He will be taking part in, he reported last week, he’s taking part in everything else.”

Although Love is not participating in practice, he did report for training camp, and he was present on the practice field as well as in the team meetings, said head coach Matt LaFleur. Negotiations may still be on-going, but Gutekunst is confident a deal will get done because both sides want the same thing.

“Again, you never know,” said Gutekunst when asked if a deal could get done this week. “We’re working really hard to get that done. I think it’s really important for us. At the same time, the thing that I have confidence in is we both want the same thing. We want Jordan here for a long time, give him that stability for him, and it gives us some stability for our group as well.

“Russ is doing a great job with David Mulugheta and their team. You’ve got two people who are very experienced with this, so I’m optimistic. These are big deals. It takes time. They’re not as easy as some people may think.”

This offseason we’ve seen Jacksonville’s Trevor Lawrence sign a new deal that pays him $55 million per year–tied for the highest average annual value in football–and Detroit’s Jared Goff sign a contract that pays him $53 million per year on average.

However, while the quarterback market is a part of the equation, Gutekunst would point out that there are far more pieces to the puzzle when it comes to getting a deal of this magnitude wrapped up. While Gutekunst didn’t dive into those specifics, one obvious element is the long-term factor with Love’s contract and how this pending deal effects the salary cap down the road, impacting how much cap space the team has to re-sign its own players or make outside additions.

“Certainly that’s part of the process,” said Gutekunst about the future salary cap. “Again, we’re aware of that. They’re aware of that. It’s really just finding common ground. Again, we’re really fortunate to have Russ in the role he’s in. He has so much experience, just again confident we’ll find that common ground, hopefully soon.”

Perhaps the cherry on top of all those stats and figures is that Love performed at that high level while being the most blitzed quarterback in the NFL as well.

In the grand scheme of the NFL, Love has limited experience as a starting quarterback, but there isn’t any doubt that he is the team’s franchise quarterback moving forward. But again, there are many factors in play when it comes to how the deal is built out, not only how much money per year Love will earn, and new contracts are, in large part, paying a player for what they will do in the future, not only what they’ve done in the past.

“Certainly we’re very down the road as far as we know he’s our franchise quarterback and we’re ready to move forward,” Gutekunst said,. “It’s not like we’re trying to make that decision. But at the same time, we want to put the best team around him we can, and we want to make sure that there’s certainly the structure of it so that we can do what we need to do for our football team moving forward, not only this year but in years to come is very, very important. Again, like I said, this is just part of it, not unexpected.”

Without Love, the Packers have only two quarterbacks participating in practice, Sean Clifford and Matthew Pratt, which should be a sign that a deal may done sooner than later. One would assume that if these negotiations were going to go on for a while, the Packers would bring in a third quarterback to handle some of the workload.

“That’s a great question,” said LaFleur when asked how long they can operate with only two quarterbacks. “Obviously we’re hopeful we’ll get something done here in the next–sooner than later. But that’s something that we’re gonna have to just adjust on the fly.”

Naturally there could be concerns about how the locker room would respond to this, but the players understand this is a business and know the work ethic Love has both on the field as well as off, when it comes to being a leader.

“The thing about Jordan is during OTAs,” said Sean Clifford, “he was here 100 percent of the time. He’s been working the whole summer. Guys know that. Nobody’s questioning his work ethic. Now, it’s just, he’s got to do what he’s got to do. He’s our leader, he’s somebody that everybody can lean on.

Of course, the Packers want Love on the practice field for training camp during this valuable time before the regular season begins, but from coach Matt LaFleur to GM Brian Gutekunst, they understand why he isn’t. However, the Packers know that whenever Love is back on the field, he will be ready to roll.

“Whether you’re a young player or a veteran player, I think when you get to camp you want everybody out there,” said LaFleur. “There’s some guys that can’t be out there today for other reasons, but you know, you’ve just got to adjust and adapt. That’s the nature of the beast. That’s part of our game and part of our business, but we’re confident that he’ll be out there sooner than later.

“I know how he prepares, so I’m not overly concerned about that. He’s going to do everything he can to get the mental reps. Obviously the physical reps are really what’s important.”