The Packers held their 11th practice of training camp earlier today. Here are the five most newsworthy items from August 8:
1) As first speculated, Darnell Savage's hamstring injury is not serious. The veteran safety could miss a few weeks of practice, but he should be good to go for the opener. That's a relief because the former Maryland star was off to a very strong start in training camp, and there's no proven depth at the position. Vernon Scott, who appears to have moved ahead in the battle to be the No. 3 safety, has played only 90 snaps since being drafted in the seventh round in 2020. Shawn Davis and Innis Gaines are also in the mix and are just as unproven. Depending on how the next three weeks go, it's certainly possible that general manager Brian Gutekunst will look to add a veteran before the start of the regular season.
2) Amidst all the drama surrounding Davante Adams, the March signing of free agent Jarran Reed didn't get much attention. But if the first two weeks of camp are any indication, the veteran defensive lineman could be this season's De'Vondre Campbell. And while I'm not suggesting Reed is going to be named to the All-Pro team, he definitely has a chance to make a pretty sizeable impact. The 29-year-old looks rejuvenated after a couple of down seasons, and he's been making life miserable for Green Bay's young offensive linemen. On Monday, he was in the backfield all morning. Whether this will continue against better competition come September remains to be seen, but there's little doubt that Reed will be a big improvement over ex-Packers Tyler Lancaster and Kinglsey Keke, who combined for 711 snaps in 2021.
3) The Packers don't have an established No. 3 outside linebacker, but youngsters Jonathan Garvin, Tipa Galeai, and La'Darius Hamilton have all flashed during training camp. Monday was Hamilton's turn to shine. The former North Texas star, claimed off Tampa Bay's practice squad last September, had a handful of combined sacks and pressures. While the 24-year-old hasn't shown much as a pass rusher since being signed by the Cowboys as an undrafted free agent in 2020, he does have a fairly intriguing skill set. In fact, he's similar physically to fifth-round pick Kingsley Enagbare. Neither player is a great athlete, but both have prototypical size (6-4, 260) and can really jolt blockers with their punch. So far, Hamilton has enjoyed the better summer, although Enagbare's path to the 53-man roster is much clearer.
4) Coming off two of his best practices as a Packer, it was a bit disappointing to see Jordan Love struggle on Monday. The former Utah State star made three ill-advised throws - all of which could've been intercepted. As has been the case throughout his career - both in college and the NFL - the 23-year-old tends to panic and throw off his back foot when under pressure. This was one of the reasons I unfavorably compared him to DeShone Kizer prior to the 2020 draft. And while Love did more good than bad during practice, those few poor decisions simply can't happen in games. He'll start on Friday night against the 49ers and should play at least 10 quarters during the preseason. It'll be the No. 1 reason to watch, and you can be sure all the general managers with question marks at quarterback will be paying close attention.
5) It's fun watching Randall Cobb work with the young wide receivers before, during, and sometimes after practice. Unfortunately, the former Pro Bowler has been doing more instructing than catching so far this month. While Cobb's savvy, along with his rapport with quarterback Aaron Rodgers, allows him to get open from time to time, there's not much tread left on the tires. The 32-year-old never had great straight-line speed, but the explosiveness into and out of cuts that made him so effective in his first go-around with the Packers is long gone. Cobb averaged approximately 35 snaps per game in 2021, and for the sake of the passing offense, that number needs to be reduced by at least 10 this season.
[yop_poll id="63"]
As we head into another exciting football season, it's once again time to ask you to keep Packers Notes going with a donation. It's your generosity that's kept this site online since 2004.
Donation sent! I hope you hit your target Michael. Your content is outstanding, and always honest. No one is right 100% of the time, but you get it right more often than not.
Watching Love is the only thing that will keep me from dozing off during the preseason games. I want to see Love make good decisions and push the ball down the field. I know playing well in August might not mean much (ie Joe Callahan), but it beats the alternative.