Only a few days remain until the Green Bay Packers first preseason game of the year. They will travel to Cleveland to play the Browns on Saturday at 3:25 CST. We already know Jordan Love will see some game action, but I would be surprised if it was more than a few series. With the different position battles going on in training camp, here is what I’ll be watching for in this game.
How Do the Green Bay Packers Handle the Tackle Rotation?
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The good news? The Green Bay Packers are set for their starting tackles. It will be Zach Ton on the right side and Rasheed Walker on the left side. The bad news? It’s up for grabs and questionable depth after that.
At some point, there is the potential for an injury to either Tom or Walker. If that happened early in the season, I have no idea who would start. Throughout camp, players like Andre Dillard, Kadeem Telfort, and Caleb Jones have gotten reps at tackles.
Tom is unlikely to play Saturday. I think Dillard gets the first node because of his past experience. However, Telfort is a player I think could steal the top reserve tackle. How this rotation goes down could be a sign of how this coaching staff feels about the tackle depth.
The Safety Rotation
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Unlike the tackle rotation, I think Green Bay Packers fans should be excited about the youth and talent of the safety room, Second round rookie Javon Bullard has been consistent in training camp while fellow rookie Evan Williams has probably had the most flashes. Second year player Anthony Johnson Jr has been no slouch either.
Johnson Jr got the nod next to Xavier McKinney in the offseason workouts. Because of this, I would not be surprised if Johnson Jr starts Saturday because of his experience. At the end of the day, this battle for the second starting safety role is a long ways away from being over.
Who Starts the Kicking Battle?
Likely the biggest training camp battle, it will be interesting to see how Anders Carlson and Greg Joseph do not only against another team, but on the road. If you follow Andy Herman on X, you will see he is keeping track of the kicking stats. Right now, Joseph has the lead.
I think Carlson gets the first nod because he is the incumbent. However, I am not sure how many more misses Carlson can afford, especially in these preseason games. If he does his job the rest of the way, he will win the job, If he doesn’t, it’s very possible we could see the Green Bay Packers cut a fifth round pick in his second year, something that does not happen often.
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