PACKERS CAMP INSIDER
GREEN BAY — With Elgton Jenkins on pace to possibly return by the regularseason opener, the Green Bay Packers might not need Royce Newman or anyone else to start at right tackle. But if Jenkins isn’t quite ready for the opener, practices like Monday’s have to worry coach Matt LaFleur.
Newman has been in the lead for the fill-in starting job at right tackle almost all of camp, but he struggled to the point Monday that the Packers replaced him with rookie Zach Tom for the No. 1 offense’s final period, the two-minute drill. Newman then ran with the backups.
Newman’s struggles Monday started in the one-on-one pass-blocking drills when he lined up at right guard his first time through the rotation and lost two of three reps against first-round pick Devonte Wyatt. Then in his second time through, at right tackle, Newman lost both snaps to LaDarius Hamilton. Later, in a third-down period, the Packers’ offense was borderline non-functional because of the pressure the offensive line allowed. On the first play, Newman was called for holding when Rashan Gary beat him, and on the next play Gary beat Newman with an inside move for a sack. Then the play after that, safety Adrian Amos sacked Aaron Rodgers coming off Newman’s side, though Rodgers probably held the ball too long as well.
Later in a move-the-ball drill, Gary on back-to-back plays had a pressure that caused Rodgers to throw the ball away, and a pressure that caused Rodgers to make a hasty throw that receiver Christian Watson wasn’t ready for. Getting beaten occasionally by Gary is hardly a sin, because Gary has been dominant in camp.
“Dealing with his speed, that’s the biggest thing, how he gets around the edge,” Newman said. “Just kind of mirroring him, just kinda getting back to your spot, that’s probably the biggest thing. It’s just tough, he’s a really good player.”
But that Newman struggled enough to get demoted for the two-minute drill is another matter. And in that two-minute drill he gave up a sack to Hamilton. It was also noteworthy after practice when Rodgers is his news conference brought up Jake Hanson as a young lineman whose improvement has caught his eye, but he didn’t mention Newman.
“Just have to get firmed up on pass pro,” Newman said of his performance Monday. “Little bit of everything. Come in every day and keep working on it. Gotta get my hands on him a little more. Just have to watch the film, see what I did wrong, and come back the next day and try to fix it.” Jenkins did only individual drills again Monday, so it looks like he won’t play in the preseason finale this week at Kansas City. But with a bye after the preseason finale, Jenkins still might have enough time to play in the regularseason opener Sept. 11.
Offense recovers at end of practice with two-minute success
Despite having a rough day overall, the Packers’ No. 1 offense was just good enough in the two-minute drill to probably win the game.
The period started with the ball at its 35 and the offense down by two points with 50 seconds left. After two incompletions that appeared to be tipped at the line, Randall Cobb plucked a tough catch over the middle against good coverage by Rasul Douglas for a 14-yard gain. Aaron Rodgers then hit back-toback passes along the sidelines to Allen Lazard and Josiah Deguara for 21 yards total. A last run by Aaron Jones set up the potential game winning 44-yard field goal, though the field goal wasn’t attempted.
Jordan Love hit a big pass to Christian Watson to give the No. 2 offense a shot at winning in the same scenario. After getting sacked on the second play, Love had to use his lone timeout with 27 seconds left. By the time he reached fourth-and-10 from the defense’s 40, he had nine seconds left and no timeout. But on fourth down, he threw a backshoulder strike to Watson along the sidelines, and Watson jumped over cornerback Rico Gafford’s back, made the tough catch, kept his feet inbounds and then fell out of bounds to stop the clock with two seconds left at the defense’s 15. That set up the potential winning 33-yard field goal, though again the kick wasn’t attempted.
Injury update: Carpenter returns
Returned: S Tariq Carpenter (knee). New out: TE Marcedes Lewis (veteran’s
day rest)
Still out: S Dallin Leavitt (shoulder), WR Danny Davis (ankle), S Darnell Savage (hamstring), S Vernon Scott (shoulder), DL Akial Byers (toe) PUP: K Mason Crosby (knee), RB Kylin Hill (knee).
Wyatt has bounce-back day
● The first-round pick Devonte Wyatt had probably his best day of one-onone pass rushing Monday after his blah performance in Friday’s preseason game against the New Orleans Saints. Wyatt beat Royce Newman on two out of three snaps in one-on-ones, and he had a pretty good rush on an inside move on his other rep, against Jake Hanson, though Hanson probably was able to guide him just past the quarterback.
● Third-round pick Sean Rhyan had a rough day in one-on-one pass blocking. First-year pro Chris Slayton beat him on back-to-back snaps, so offensive line coach Luke Butkus had them take a third rep, which Rhyan won.
● Among the guests at practice were former Packers cornerback Terrell Buckley, and Milwaukee Bucks GM Jon Horst. Buckley was cornerback Jaire Alexander’s position coach at Louisville in 2015.