The NFL preseason has come to an end. Finally, fans can look forward to regular season games week in and week out for the next five months. The Green Bay Packers clinched a winning record in the preseason for the first time in head coach Matt LaFleur’s tenure with a 19-15 win over the Seattle Seahawks.
Unlike previous weeks, there were no real dominating performances from any Packers player on offense. However, there were plenty of solid performances, some of which were by players that will not make the 53-man roster.
Green Bay Packers Top 5 PFF Grades on Offense
Even though some of these players may never put on the Green and Gold again, and even though it was preseason, it is still fun to celebrate the accomplishments of players who left it all on the field in hopes of making the roster. As mentioned, some of the players in the top five are such individuals. However, there are also a few players that will certainly make the roster, and continued to impress as they have over the past month.
- Jadakis Bonds- 79.6
- Austin Allen- 79.6
- Alex McGough- 76.8
- Jordan Love- 76.1
- Zach Tom- 75.1
Jadakis Bonds had the longest reception of the game, a 52-yard bomb from third-string quarterback Alex McGough. He finished the day with two receptions (on two targets) for 60 yards. With such a stacked wide receiver room that is likely going to include Malik Heath, Bonds will be on the outside looking in come Tuesday. Hopefully his performance on Saturday got some others teams’ eyes on him and he can catch on somewhere else.
It is promising to see Austin Allen performing so well. The tight end was being looked at as the leading candidate to replace Tyler Davis, who suffered a season-ending torn ACL in Green Bay’s first preseason game. Of particularly important note, Allen had a 77.6 run blocking grade.
Coach LaFleur has already named Sean Clifford as the backup quarterback, and obviously Jordan Love will be the starter. Barring an incredible change in roster philosophy, McGough will not make the 53-man roster. The 2022 USFL MVP could stick around on the practice squad, which would likely be his role on any other team.
Speaking of Love, he had another slow start, but was able to lead the Packers on a scoring drive during his third series. Slow starts on offense became the norm as they happened in every single preseason game. Hopefully Love and LaFleur can get the offense going earlier in games and keep some pressure off the defense.
Everyone knows how diverse Elgton Jenkins is in terms of how many positions he can play on the offensive line (all of them). However, the Packers may have Jenkins 2.0 in second-year offensive lineman Zach Tom. He played right tackle and center, and once again did not allow a single sack. It has yet to be seen if he will be a starter come Week One, or where he will start if he does, but he has certainly proven that he is one of the team’s top five offensive lineman.
Green Bay Packers Lowest 5 Grades on Offense
While there were some players who [probably] cemented a roster spot on Saturday, there were others who may have made the decision to move on from them a little easier. Others are players that have made the roster already, but simply had a bad game.
- Jean Delance- 33.7
- Jayden Reed- 49.8
- Dre Miller- 50.2
- Royce Newman- 50.7
- Duece Watts- 51.7
Jean Delance was never going to be seriously considered for the roster, and it showed with the limited playing time he received on Saturday (10 snaps).
Jayden Reed had a bad game. He dropped a couple passes, but never lost his confidence. He will be fine. Importantly, he had a 77.6 run blocking grade, though, and everyone knows how important blocking wide receivers are in Matt LaFleur’s offense.
Dre Miller and Duece Watts, both wide receivers, also were not going to make the 53-man roster, not with last year’s three draft picks, Reed, and Dontayvion Wicks ahead of them. Furthermore, Malik Heath’s play all but cemented his own spot on the Week One roster.
It’s hard to believe that Royce Newman was once a starter on the Packers’ offensive line. He has been one of the weakest links on the line over the last two seasons, and has not taken any steps forward this preseason. He may have played himself off the roster.
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