Packers set to get key player back and more from Lambeau Field practice (2024)

GREEN BAY, Wis. — The biggest news that came out of Saturday night’s Packers practice at Lambeau Field didn’t happen in front of the more than 60,000 fans in attendance. It came at the podium afterward, when head coach Matt LaFleur announced the plan for one of the team’s most important players to participate in 11-on-11 work on Tuesday for the first time in training camp.

Right tackle Zach Tom, who shut down All-Pro pass rusher Micah Parsons in the Packers’ playoff upset of the Cowboys last season, tore his pectoral lifting weights in the offseason and has missed practice entirely or strictly participated in individual work up to this point. During Family Night on Saturday, Tom took 1-on-1 reps with defensive lineman Spencer Waege in one end zone while the team practiced on the other end of the field.

Tom’s return to team work will be a welcome addition for an offensive line struggling in camp. In Tom’s place, the Packers have tried three players at right tackle: veteran Andre Dillard, second-year undrafted Kadeem Telfort and on Saturday night the 6-foot-9 Caleb Jones. Dillard struggled to start camp, so the Packers tried Telfort in his place. On Saturday, Jones felt the wrath of defensive end Rashan Gary. LaFleur said Tom has “looked great” in his ramp-up.

Here’s the crowd for tonight’s Lambeau practice with a couple minutes until practice gets underway pic.twitter.com/ndVF26qyXI

— Matt Schneidman (@mattschneidman) August 4, 2024

“It’s tough on the O-line right now,” LaFleur said. “Certainly, I think the D-line gets frustrated at times because in practice we use a lot of chippers. I’m like, ‘Hey man, that’s a credit to you guys. That’s the ultimate compliment. We feel we have to get four hands on you to block you.’ It’s going to happen during the season. I think our D-line is solid. Hopefully, they continue to get better and improve and just keep coming off the ball the way they are.”

Tom, the 2022 fourth-round pick, said he’s been itching to participate in team drills and that missing Saturday’s well-attended practice at the stadium was the toughest one to miss yet. Tom doesn’t expect to participate in every 11-on-11 rep right upon his return, but the Packers will take whatever they can from a player who may have Pro Bowl potential in his third season.

“It’s probably going to be a work in progress,” Tom said of his strength. “I’ve never dealt with this injury, either. I’m sure there’s going to be some things that I’m going to have to work through, but the only way you’ll know is if you start playing football.”

Here are five more things you should know from Saturday night’s practice.

1. Watching cornerback Jaire Alexander during 1-on-1s is always the most entertaining part of the drill because it normally features the best matchup. Alexander has been going against wide receiver Romeo Doubs, but on Saturday he took four reps against four different players. He had good coverage on Doubs to force an incompletion on a shallow fade from quarterback Jordan Love on the right side of the end zone on his first rep, had an impressive pass breakup of Love’s fade to receiver Dontayvion Wicks that concluded with trash talk and a high five (Alexander and Wicks got into it at Thursday’s practice) and allowed a catch to wideout Malik Heath near the front-right pylon in an end-zone 1-on-1 drill but might’ve pushed him out short of the goal line. After what might’ve been three wins for Alexander (I couldn’t tell whether Heath got the ball across the pylon), Love dropped a picturesque ball deep down the left sideline for receiver Christian Watson in a 1-on-1 against Alexander for a touchdown. The coverage was good, but the pass was better.

Jordan Love drops a dime to Christian Watson for a TD over Jaire Alexander in 1-on-1s pic.twitter.com/zwbk0pLMVJ

— Matt Schneidman (@mattschneidman) August 4, 2024

2. Tom’s return to team drills might not be the only important participation upgrade for the Packers next week. LaFleur said Saturday night that the team hopes to get second-year tight end Tucker Kraft back in some capacity next week, too (the Packers have open practice Tuesday-Thursday before flying to Cleveland for their preseason opener against the Browns on Saturday). Kraft also tore his pectoral lifting weights in the offseason and hasn’t participated in any capacity yet this camp. Kraft blossomed after fellow tight end Luke Musgrave missed significant time with a lacerated kidney in the second half of last season and caught a touchdown in the Divisional Round against the 49ers. Kraft and Musgrave, second- and third-round picks respectively in last year’s draft, could form an intriguing tight end tandem if they can stay on the field together this season.

3. Saturday night was the busiest open practice yet for kickers Anders Carlson and Greg Joseph. Joseph entered the night with a four-kick lead on Carlson in open practices, but the incumbent narrowed the gap by one after going 8-for-9 with makes from 33, 43, 45, 47, 49, 52, 54 and 55 yards (he made two from 55, but Packers iced their own kicker on purpose) and a miss wide right from 57 to finish practice. Carlson is now 33-of-40 on field goals during 10 open practices. Joseph made 7-of-9 on Saturday, hitting from 33, 43, 45, 47, 49, 52 and 55 yards with misses wide left from 54 and wide left from 57. Joseph is now 36-of-40 in camp.

4. Doubs continued his strong week on Saturday night, most notably during a two-play sequence in which he caught two touchdowns in the low red zone. On the first, he beat cornerback Eric Stokes on a slant and Love hit him for a six-yard score. On the next play, Love lofted one up to Doubs in the back-left corner of the end zone and the third-year receiver Moss’d cornerback Keisean Nixon for a three-yard score.

“Just understanding the situation, timing, most importantly, and that’s part of why the practice habits play a huge role,” Doubs said of the fade. “We hit on a fade and I just know from this point on forward that we’re going to keep progressing and continuing to practice those reps because ultimately, we want to make them easier in a game.”

Doubs is probably the Packers’ top red-zone receiver and continues to show why in a got-to-have-it moment, Love should want to look No. 87’s way first. Doubs also hauled in a contested catch during a team period with Alexander in tight coverage and reeled in a big gain on what looked like a deep dig route later in practice, thanks in part to rookie right guard Jordan Morgan fending off the rush of defensive tackle Kenny Clark, who had a hand up in front of Love as he threw the ball.

5.There was one new practice absence on Saturday, with defensive end Kingsley Enagbare sidelined with a hamstring injury. The third-year pass rusher has been an early camp standout after recovering from a presumed torn ACL against the Cowboys in the playoffs (he didn’t end up tearing his ACL even after explicitly saying he did) and will be an integral rotational piece on Green Bay’s reinvigorated defensive line under new coordinator Jeff Hafley. Center Josh Myers returned to practice after missing Thursday because of a personal matter, while running back Josh Jacobs participated in kick return warmups in a helmet and pads but sat out the rest of practice after missing Thursday’s session with a groin injury (he said he could’ve practiced Thursday and that his injury is “not that serious”). Still sidelined due to injury were cornerback Carrington Valentine (hamstring), linebacker Edgerrin Cooper (hip), defensive end Deslin Alexandre (lower leg), defensive end Keshawn Banks (groin), offensive lineman Donovan Jennings (knee) and cornerback Don Callis (hamstring).

Julius Peppers is legendary. pic.twitter.com/Sq6N4y2RcX

— Green Bay Packers (@packers) August 3, 2024

Quick hitters

• For the third straight practice, the rookie Morgan started at right guard, a position he had never played before, saying, “They throw me in there with Kenny Clark and T.J. Slaton, you’ve got to be comfortable with being uncomfortable, for sure.”

• Love has appeared to master the patented “guitar fake” play action that Aaron Rodgers perfected, utilizing it Saturday before finding a wide-open Wicks for a big gain.

• In a span of four plays during one drill, Gary had a pressure on the first, sack (or tackle of Love near the line of scrimmage) on the second and a tackle for loss against the run on the fourth as he continues to be a menace for Green Bay’s offensive line.

• There were multiple plays on which I noted linebacker Quay Walker’s impressive coverage skills, one on which he stuck with receiver Grant DuBose on a shallow crosser to help force an incompletion and one on which he broke up a pass for Doubs with Alexander in coverage behind him.

• Defensive lineman Jonathan Ford, a 2022 seventh-round pick, had one of the most disruptive plays of the day when he would’ve obliterated running back Jarveon Howard in the low red zone after a handoff miscommunication between Howard and quarterback Jacob Eason.

• Rookie second-round safety Javon Bullard has a knack for being near the ball and almost had two interceptions on Saturday, one near the goal line against Love that he couldn’t corral and one he wrestled away from receiver Jayden Reed on a stop route from Love that Reed eventually knocked to the ground before it looked like Bullard established possession. Bullard is working with the starters both at deep safety and in the slot and, of everyone, it seems Bullard is most looking forward to live tackling with the way he flies around. He said he’s gotten the “take care of your teammate” pep talk a couple of times to make sure he doesn’t light anyone up in practice.

• Third-string quarterback Michael Pratt, a 2024 seventh-round pick, had two nice completions of 24 and 21 yards to receivers Dimitri Stanley and Julian Hicks, respectively, during a live tackling period.

• Backup quarterback Sean Clifford is slinging the ball seemingly much better than when he couldn’t stop finding the other team to start camp. He should’ve had an interception on Saturday when cornerback Robert Rochell abandoned his flat route and dropped back, but he couldn’t catch a ball thrown right into his hands. Overall, though, Clifford appeared to throw a cleaner ball on Saturday for a handful of nice completions and his best throw, a bomb down the left sideline for Hicks, looked to be dropped by Hicks with cornerback Gemon Green in pursuit.

(Photo of Zach Tom: Stacy Revere / Getty Images)

Matt Schneidman is a staff writer for The Athletic covering the Green Bay Packers. He is a proud alum of The Daily Orange student newspaper at Syracuse University. Follow Matt on Twitter @mattschneidman