5 Quick Things: Defense Dominates

The Packers held their 16th practice of training camp earlier today. Here are the five most newsworthy items from August 16:




1) Today wasn’t a great day for Green Bay’s offensive line, but the Saints had just as difficult a time slowing down the Packers’ talented front seven. Jarran Reed, Kenny Clark, Preston Smith, and Rashan Gary all proved hard to handle. Other standouts on defense included Isaiah McDuffie, who keeps making plays, Rasul Douglas, and Shawn Davis. Also, keep an eye on Devonte Wyatt. The team’s second first-round pick in April has gotten a little better every day. A year ago, he might’ve started next to Clark in the nickel package. That probably won’t happen right away with Reed on the roster, but the former Georgia star will still be a factor on passing downs. He’s too talented a rusher to keep off the field.

2) If fifth-round pick Kingsley Enagbare’s past week is any indication, general manager Brian Gutekunst might not have to add a veteran outside linebacker before the start of the regular season. The former South Carolina star played pretty well against the 49ers and showed up again today. Enagbare possesses long arms, active hands, and slightly more burst than his pedestrian 40 time of 4.87 would suggest. The 22-year-old needs to be more consistent setting the edge versus the run, but that’s the case with most rookie outside linebackers. He certainly has the physical attributes needed to do the job. It remains to be seen how Enagbare will fare when facing top-flight tackles since he doesn’t see any in practice with All-Pro David Bakhtiari still on the PUP list and Pro Bowler Elgton Jenkins not ready to participate in live-action drills.

3) Kiondre Thomas got off to a poor start in camp, but the first-year corner is beginning to come on. His coverage has been better lately, including in the preseason opener. More importantly, at least as far as his chance of sticking around on the 53 or, more likely the practice squad is concerned, the former undrafted free agent from Kansas State is starting to show up on special teams. That was the case both against the 49ers last Friday night and again today. Thomas lacks prototypical size (6-0, 186), but he plays bigger and can really run (4.4). After watching him practice a couple of weeks ago, I would’ve expected him to be gone by now. Instead, he will likely be around until the end of the month, if not longer.

4) In the first of two joint practices against New Orleans, the Packers opened with Allen Lazard, Sammy Watkins, and Randall Cobb at wide receiver. Fourth-round pick Romeo Doubs worked with the 2s, and second-round pick Christian Watson, who was activated from the physically unable to perform list on Monday, did individual drills off to the side. No matter how much Aaron Rodgers prefers throwing to veterans, it’s difficult to imagine Doubs not getting plenty of snaps when the season opens in 26 days. While the former Nevada star didn’t make a lot of plays and had another bad drop against the Saints, he did catch a pretty touchdown late in practice and managed to create pretty good separation. Doubs is far from a finished product, but he’s the team’s best-looking rookie wide receiver since Davante Adams in 2014.

5) Prior to practice, the Packers reached the 85-player limit by releasing veteran tight end Dominique Dafney and undrafted rookies B.J. Baylor, Ellis Brooks, and George Moore. While I wrote last week that Dafney’s roster spot was vulnerable, the timing of his departure was surprising. It’s possible Gutekunst made the move now to give the former Indiana State star a better chance to find work elsewhere, but it’s more likely that his inability to stay healthy, limited improvement over the past two years, and position redundancy with Josiah Deguara were bigger factors. With Dafney no longer in the picture, Green Bay will likely open the regular season with Robert Tonyan, Marcedes Lewis, Josiah Deguara, and Tyler Davis on the 53. However, Davis will need to play a lot better than he did last Friday night to keep his spot.

As always, I want to give a big thanks to my friend and Packers Notes contributor Michael Posh for being my eyes at practice.