Category: Latest Packers News

OT Jared Veldheer claimed by Packers, placed on exempt/commissioner list

The Packers officially claimed veteran offensive tackle Jared Veldheer, who will be given a roster exemption.

The Green Bay Packers officially claimed veteran offensive tackle Jared Veldheer off of waivers on Friday, confirming he passed his physical with the team.

Veldheer, a third-round pick in 2010 with over 100 career starts, was placed on the exempt/commissioners list, meaning he won’t yet take up a roster spot.

Veldheer signed with the New England Patriots in May but quickly retired from the NFL. He returned this week and was waived off the reserve/retired list by the Patriots, allowing the Packers to make a potentially important late-season addition.

Veldheer has experience at left and right tackle, starting 91 games on the left side and 21 on the right.

Quality offensive tackles are hard to come by in the NFL, and now the Packers have one to back up Bryan Bulaga, who is currently recovering from a knee injury suffered against the 49ers last Sunday night.

Struggling Packers WRs have big opportunity vs. Giants

The Packers WRs have a strong matchup on Sunday against the Giants, even if they’ve been struggling the last month.

The struggling wide receivers of the Green Bay Packers should have an opportunity for a bounce-back game on Sunday against the New York Giants.

Although Allen Lazard, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Geronimo Allison and Jake Kumerow have produced next to nothing over the last three games, the Giants are a favorable matchup for any group of receivers.

The Giants have a strong case for possessing the worst top four cornerbacks in the NFL.

Veteran Janoris Jenkins is experienced and feisty and will likely provide a capable counter for Adams, but Aaron Rodgers and the Packers should feast on the Giants’ other cornerbacks.

Rookie Deandre Baker has allowed four touchdown passes and a passer rating of 125.6 into his coverage. He is the No. 147 overall cornerback by grade at Pro Football Focus.

Grant Haley has allowed over 80 percent completions and a passer rating of 114.6 into his coverage. He’s PFF’s No. 119 cornerback in 2019.

Corey Ballentine has allowed 10.7 yards per target and a passer rating of 119.4. He’s PFF’s No. 143 ranked cornerback.

The Packers desperately need a matchup like this.

Receivers not named Davante Adams over the last three games have combined to catch 18 passes on 32 targets for only 144 yards, good for 4.5 yards per target and a passer rating when targeted of 67.7.

Lazard: 7 catches, 12 targets, 78 yards
Allison: 8 catches, 9 targets, 36 yards
Valdes-Scantling: 1 catch, 6 targets, 7 yards
Kumerow: 2 catches, 5 targets, 23 yards

Even Adams has been underwhelming, at least efficiency-wise, since returning from a toe injury. He’s turned 33 targets into 202 yards, or 9.6 yards per catch and 6.1 yards per target.

Plenty of factors have contributed to the inefficiency, including the quality of defense faced and the struggles of the offensive line in pass blocking. The offense, while undeniably better with Adams on the field, hasn’t found the right way to reincorporate him back into a passing game that was humming without him in October.

The Packers are really struggling to get the ball to the receiver position in a meaningful, efficient way, especially against good defenses. A matchup against the Giants could be just what this group needs to get back on track.

Packers RT Bryan Bulaga (knee) returns to practice on Thursday

Starting right tackle Bryan Bulaga returned to Packers practice on Thursday, making it possible he’ll play Sunday against the Giants.

On Thanksgiving Day, the Green Bay Packers can be thankful for the unrivaled toughness of starting right tackle Bryan Bulaga.

According to Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Bulaga – who left last Sunday’s loss in San Francisco with a knee injury – was back in pads and participating during the portion of Thursday’s padded practice open to the media.

Coach Matt LaFleur said Wednesday he wasn’t ready to rule out Bulaga for Sunday’s game against the New York Giants. Thursday’s return to practice – even in a limited capacity – suggests Bulaga will have a legitimate chance to play on Sunday.

At the very least, Bulaga could be a game-time decision against the Giants based on how the knee responds to work this week. If he can’t go, the Packers could start second-year offensive tackle Alex Light or slide starting right guard Billy Turner out to tackle.

Light replaced Bulaga against the 49ers but struggled. Turner has past experience playing tackle and is ready to play there if needed.

Bulaga has started all 11 games for the Packers at right tackle this season.

The Packers will release an updated injury report later Thursday.

Packers must adjust to coverage adjustments on RB Aaron Jones

Defenses have adjusted to Aaron Jones in the passing game. Now, the Packers must find their own counterpunch.

For an entire month, the Green Bay Packers found new and creative ways of getting the football to running back Aaron Jones in the passing game, especially down the field.

Then, defenses adjusted. The one-on-one matchups against linebackers went away, and the Packers couldn’t find a useful counterpunch. During the month of November, Jones caught exactly one pass for -1 yard.

Now, it’s on Matt LaFleur and Aaron Rodgers to figure out new ways to get the ball to No. 33 as a receiver.

“Teams are playing him a little differently,” Rodgers said Wednesday. “We’re not getting a linebacker on him as we were for a few weeks. We have to keep finding ways of getting him the ball. He’s been a big part of the plan.”

During October, Jones caught 22 passes for 280 yards and three scores. He was a huge part of the passing game during a win in Dallas, and his big plays helped the Packers escape Kansas City with another big road win.

In back-to-back games against the Detroit Lions and Oakland Raiders, the Packers schemed up opportunities for touchdowns on down-the-field throws for Jones. He dropped a sure-fire touchdown against the Lions but made amends a week later with a spinning touchdown catch in the end zone.

Against the Chiefs, Jones beat a linebacker one-on-one out wide for a 50-yard catch, caught a 67-yard touchdown on a tunnel screen, chewed up 17 yards on an angle route from the backfield and then sealed the game with a third-down conversion on a quick out against a linebacker. He finished with seven catches, 159 yards and two scores.

It appeared as if Jones’ ability as a receiver would be a foundational element of LaFleur’s Packers offense.

The rest of the NFL adjusted.

The Los Angeles Chargers, Carolina Panthers and San Francisco 49ers had no interest in letting Jones beat them as a receiver. Instead of slower linebackers in coverage, Jones got cornerbacks. All three defenses featured smothering underneath coverage.

The result was one catch on just four targets.

On Sunday night in San Francisco, the 49ers committed to playing matchup coverage with cornerbacks often taking Jones one-on-one when he split out wide. On one third down in the first half, Rodgers threw wide of Jones on an out-breaking route with a cornerback in coverage.

49ers cornerback Richard Sherman said the defense’s primary goal was to take away Jones, and they did. He ran for 38 yards and didn’t have a catch on just one target.

Rodgers said the Packers have to find ways of getting Jones the ball in space.

“I don’t think there is any magic recipe,” Rodgers said. “We have to get the ball to our playmakers. We have to make sure 33 is getting his touches.”

In baseball, hitters often face difficult transition periods when pitchers figure out specific strengths and weaknesses and adjust accordingly. It’s on the hitter to adjust to those adjustments.

The Packers are the hitter, and it’s now on LaFleur to find his own adjustments and help bring back Jones’ impressive playmaking ability in the passing game.

Packers OL Billy Turner prepared to play any position along offensive line

The Packers may need RG Billy Turner to slide out and play RT on Sunday against the Giants.

The moment the Green Bay Packers hoped would never come has arrived. This time, they’re prepared.

On Sunday night against the San Francisco 49ers, Packers starting right tackle Bryan Bulaga exited the game early with what was later revealed to be an MCL sprain in his right knee.

The 49ers went on to sack Aaron Rodgers five times with backup tackle Alex Light filling in for Bulaga, as the Packers put on a dismal performance in a 37-8 drubbing.

Bulaga, who’s missed 13 games over the past three seasons, is likely week-to-week with his knee injury. He did not participate in practice on Wednesday, though he has not officially been ruled out for this coming Sunday’s game at MetLife Stadium against the New York Giants.

But if Bulaga can’t go, the Packers are prepared. Enter Billy Turner, Green Bay’s most versatile offensive lineman who was brought in for this exact moment.

Through 11 games this season, Turner has started every game at right guard. With Bulaga likely out for the foreseeable future, Turner likely slides out to right tackle in his absence.

“That’s been something [the team] told me ahead of time when I signed here, that I could be playing multiple positions,” Turner told reporters on Wednesday. “I’ve known that could be a possibility at any given time during this season, it just so happens that it’s Week 13.”

Turner, 28, signed a four-year, $28 million contract with the Packers this past offseason. He was drafted in the third round in 2014 by the Miami Dolphins, and started 11 games last season for the Denver Broncos, with four starts at right tackle and seven starts at left guard.

“I’m comfortable [playing offensive tackle]. I’ve done it before in my career,” Turner said. “It is what it is. I’ve played at pretty much every position except for center, so I’ll be prepared if my number is called to play right tackle.”

Turner had a shaky start to the season at right guard but has since found his form in recent weeks. It’ll be a much different task on the outside on an island at right tackle, though. But Turner isn’t too concerned about the preparation.

“It’s a little bit of a different mentality, a different mindset as far as certain techniques come into play. But at the end of the day, it’s the same goal and same objective, and that’s to keep 12 (Aaron Rodgers) upright and to win a football game.”

So what’s different about practice and preparation when the offensive line isn’t at full strength?

“Honestly, nothing,” Turner remarked. “People get hurt every game, people get hurt every day. It is what it is, it’s part of the game. It’s the ‘next man up’ mentality and it’s really just a part of the game.”

“Mentally you have to be a little more locked in going into a game, just because you’re not used to being at that position. But at the same time it’s not like we’re running different plays or anything like that, you just have to tweak a few things.”

The Packers also claimed offensive tackle Jared Veldheer off waivers from the Patriots on Wednesday, a sign Bulaga could be out for multiple weeks. In the meantime, Turner appears ready for the task at hand.

Packers QB Aaron Rodgers: Gap with 49ers based on execution, not talent

“The gap is execution, it’s not ability, it’s not talent, it’s execution,” Aaron Rodgers said Wednesday.

Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers doesn’t think the 29-point gap between his team and the San Francisco 49ers is based only on talent.

The Packers fell behind 23-0 at halftime and lost 37-8 on Sunday night at Levi’s Stadium, but Rodgers credited the difference on the scoreboard to individual execution.

“The gap is execution, it’s not ability, it’s not talent, it’s execution,” Rodgers said Wednesday. “On paper and lining up we feel really good about our squad against anybody. But execution is the main divider between teams that put that performance on the board like they did and the way we played. I think things would be a little different the next time, as far as the way we execute.”

Despite coming off the bye, the Packers struggled early and never really got into the game in San Francisco.

Rodgers lost a fumble on third down on the first series, setting up a one-play touchdown drive for the 49ers to start the game.

Another stagnant and uninspiring start on offense led to a big early deficit, and the Packers didn’t get on the scoreboard until the 49ers led 23-0 in the third quarter.

Rodgers attempted 33 passes and produced only 104 passing yards, and neither Aaron Jones nor Davante Adams – the team’s two best offensive playmakers – had a difference-making impact.

“Look at the game, we didn’t get the ball to 33 in space, we didn’t run the ball very well, we didn’t get the ball to Davante down the field. We didn’t really do any of what has been helping us win,” Rodgers said.

For the second time in three games, the Packers failed to avoid early-down mistakes and consistently faced difficult down and distances, which fed right into the way the 49ers wanted to play defense against Rodgers and the passing game.

Rodgers said better execution on first and second down, especially in the run game, would be important if the Packers get another chance to face the 49ers in the postseason.

Confidence doesn’t appear to be fading. Rodgers knows the Packers have go-to players in Adams and Jones, and he’s still confident others at the receiver position, such as Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Geronimo Allison, Allen Lazard and Jake Kumerow, can get open and make plays, even as their production has flatlined over the last month.

Rodgers thinks a faster start and better execution on third down will solve most of the Packers’ problems.

“If you look at the two losses, we gave up a number of sacks, we had a lot of penalties, we started terribly in each game,” Rodgers said. “That just changes the whole dynamic of the football game.”

8-3 Packers in great position for postseason run but have much to improve on

After 12 weeks of the 2019 NFL season, the Green Bay Packers are 8-3, atop the NFC North and firmly in contention for a top-two seed in the NFC playoff race. It’s been about as good of a season up to this point as anyone could have expected, all …

After 12 weeks of the 2019 NFL season, the Green Bay Packers are 8-3, atop the NFC North and firmly in contention for a top-two seed in the NFC playoff race.

It’s been about as good of a season up to this point as anyone could have expected, all things considered.

The Packers will almost assuredly make the playoffs now that they’ve reached eight wins through 11 games. To help matters even further, four of their five remaining opponents have losing records (and three of them are in the bottom-10 of the NFL). The Packers also have a decent chance of locking up a first-round bye and clinching home-field advantage for most of the NFC playoffs.

With all of that being said, Green Bay still has some major issues it needs to sort out if it hopes to make a deep playoff run.

Throughout the season, the Packers have shown some significant flaws, many of which were present in Sunday night’s 37-8 loss to the San Francisco 49ers:

Defense gives up too many big plays

Explosive plays have been a persistent issue for the Packers’ defense all season long.  Earlier in the year, it was less of an issue because it compensated with a high turnover rate, but now that those takeaways have become more and more sparse, the big plays have become a bigger issue.

The Packers had the benefit of playing the Chiefs without Patrick Mahomes and Panthers without Cam Newton over the past five weeks, but they were still gashed by explosive plays in both games on several occasions.

On the season, this unit has surrendered the third-most yards per play and they’re currently 27th in the NFL in third-down defense. Against the 49ers alone, the Packers conceded a dozen explosive plays.

A defense that has prided itself on being “bend, but don’t break” has been doing more of the latter in recent weeks. If the issue doesn’t get corrected soon, the Packers could be destined for another early playoff exit in January.

Defense has struggled with defending tight ends and covering the middle of the field

This struggle goes hand-in-hand with the first one.

Over the past five weeks, the Packers’ defense has been eviscerated by opposing tight ends. Last weekend, George Kittle torched them with six receptions for 129 yards and a touchdown. In the four games before that, it was a similar story.

Panthers tight end Greg Olsen caught eight passes for 98 yards, Chargers tight end Hunter Henry caught eight passes for 84 yards, Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce caught four passes for 63 yards and a touchdown, and Raiders tight end Darren Waller racked up seven receptions for 126 yards and two touchdowns.

Pass coverage has never been a strong suit for starting inside linebackers Blake Martinez and B.J. Goodson, and backup Oren Burks isn’t trusted enough by the coaching staff to see significant playing time.

The Packers upgraded both safety positions this offseason with free agent signing Adrian Amos and first-round pick Darnell Savage, but that hasn’t solved their tight end coverage woes.

According to PFF, cornerback Kevin King has allowed the most yards in coverage (755) among all NFL cornerbacks this season.

Despite their heavy offseason investments, the Packers still have some major liabilities on defense.

The secondary receiving options struggle to beat man coverage

As Zach Kruse mentioned in an article from earlier this week, the 49ers switched up their defensive coverage tendencies against the Packers. Going into last Sunday, the 49ers played zone coverage on a league-high 69% of snaps, per ESPN and NFL Next Gen Stats, but against the Packers, they played mostly man coverage.

I’ve mentioned it in previous articles, and I’ll say it again: the Packers don’t have consistent man coverage-beaters in their receiving corps other than wide receiver Davante Adams.

The 49ers realized this and took full advantage.

Generally, when the Packers’ offense has faced teams with more than one capable corner, it’s struggled mightily. Against Richard Sherman and Emmanuel Moseley of the 49ers, the Packers managed just eight points and quarterback Aaron Rodgers passed for only 104 yards and one touchdown. Against Casey Hayward and Desmond King of the Chargers, the Packers scored just 11 points and Rodgers passed for only 164 yards and one touchdown. Against Kyle Fuller and Prince Amukamara of the Bears, the Packers scored just 10 points and Rodgers passed for only 203 yards and one touchdown.

Green Bay probably could have had more success in the passing game if it had utilized running back Aaron Jones more frequently as a receiver in the aforementioned games, but the lack of production from the secondary receiving options is still alarming to say the least.

Not-so-special teams

The 2019 Packers are well on their way to making history… but not in a good way.

Through 11 games this season, Packers’ punt returners have accumulated a net total of -11 yards. No other team in NFL history has finished a season with negative punt return yardage, but Green Bay is right there, knocking on the door.

The Darrius Shepherd experiment was short-lived and the Tremon Smith experiment hasn’t fared any better for the Packers this season.

To make matters worse, punting has become an issue in recent weeks as well.

After a phenomenal start to his sophomore season, punter J.K. Scott has entered a cold stretch. In each of the last four games on a combined 18 punts, Scott has averaged less than 40 yards-per-punt.

Aaron Jones’ usage

Since Davante Adams’ return to the starting lineup in Week 9, the Packers have seemingly forgotten about their star running back’s receiving ability. In the three games since Adams’ return, Jones has a combined – wait for it – one catch for -1 yards. In the four-week span of Adams’ absence, Jones caught 22 passes for 280 yards and three touchdowns. Matt LaFleur said it himself in last week’s post-game press conference: Jones needs be more involved in the offense going forward.

Report: Packers claim veteran OT Jared Veldheer

The Packers claimed a veteran offensive tackle on Wednesday.

The opportunity must have been too good for the Green Bay Packers to pass up, especially with starting right tackle Bryan Bulaga nursing a knee injury.

According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the Packers claimed former New England Patriots offensive tackle Jared Veldheer, who was released off the reserve/retired list on Tuesday.

Veldheer, a third-round pick in 2010, has started 113 career games for three different NFL teams. He made 12 starts for the Denver Broncos last season.

Veldheer signed with the Patriots in May but soon after announced his retirement and hasn’t played during the 2019 season.

If he passes his physical and is activated to the Packers’ 53-man roster, Veldheer could provide the offensive line with veteran experience at both tackle spots.

Bulaga left Sunday’s loss to the San Francisco 49ers with a knee injury and could miss games.

As it stands currently, the Packers have second-year offensive tackle Alex Light as the primary backup, with right guard Billy Turner, backup Adam Pankey and rookie Yosh Nijman as options behind Bulaga.

Nijman, who spent the first 12 weeks on the Packers’ practice squad, was activated to the 53-man roster this week. He could be sent back down if Veldheer is officially added to the roster.

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Packers not yet ruling out RT Bryan Bulaga (knee) for Sunday vs. Giants

It’s still possible the Packers will have Bryan Bulaga at RT against the Giants.

The Green Bay Packers aren’t yet ready to rule out starting right tackle Bryan Bulaga for Sunday’s matchup with the New York Giants.

Although coach Matt LaFleur said the team would take the week to figure out the best combination of starters for the offensive line, it’s possible Bulaga – who left Sunday night’s loss in San Francisco with a knee injury – will still factor into the equation.

“The goal is to put our five best out there, and we’ll take the week to figure that out,” LaFleur said Tuesday. “We’re going to go through the week of practice and see what combination works the best. I also wouldn’t rule Bryan out at this point.”

Bulaga got rolled up on from behind in the first quarter against the 49ers and didn’t return. The Packers believe he avoided a significant injury, which seems to be confirmed by LaFleur’s hope that Bulaga could still play against the Giants.

Second-year offensive tackle Alex Light replaced Bulaga on the right side against the 49ers. LaFleur kept the door open for the Packers shuffling the starters if Bulaga can’t go, suggesting right guard Billy Turner could slide out to right tackle against the Giants.

The Packers will release their first injury report of the week on Wednesday. LaFleur could give Bulaga the entire week to see if the knee responds well enough to play Sunday.

Mike Pettine’s Packers defense has been hugely disappointing

The Packers offense has tracked well with expectations. The defense? Not so much.

The Green Bay Packers offense was going to be a work in progress. New coach. New scheme. No major additions. Through 11 games, Matt LaFleur’s group is 13th in points per game and seventh in DVOA. That tracks well (or better) with pre-season expectations.

It’s hard to find legitimate excuses for Mike Pettine and the highly disappointing Packers defense.

This is the second year in the scheme. GM Brian Gutekunst added two top picks and three high-priced free agents to a group already stacked with high picks. There have been no major injuries.

Yet the Packers are 14th in points allowed per game and 22nd in DVOA.

Despite a strong start, the Packers have allowed the third-most yards per play (6.1) this season. Seven times in the last eight games, the Packers have allowed 22 or more points.

Za’Darius Smith and Preston Smith, the team’s two prized free-agent acquisitions, both have 10 or more sacks. Gutekunst hit home runs with both. But it hasn’t really mattered.

Five quarterbacks in the last eight games produced a passer rating over 100.0. against the Packers.

Only five teams have allowed more yards per attempt (8.2) than the Packers this season. Only five teams have allowed more rushing yards per attempt (4.8). This is one of the most inefficient defenses in the NFL on a down-to-down basis.

As a result, there’s been a lot of bending. Overall, the Packers are 27th in the NFL in forcing three-and-outs per drive. And the defense has allowed more passing yards, more rushing yards and more total yards per game than last season.

The only saving grace for Pettine’s group has been an ability to create turnovers (16, tied for ninth-most) and get stops in the red zone (48.6 touchdown percentage, 10th best), but the Packers are starting to fade in those two stats, too.

Despite adding veteran Adrian Amos and speedy rookie Darnell Savage at safety, the Packers still can’t consistently guard the middle of the field. Tight ends are gashing the defense every week.

When a defense can’t cover the middle of the field, big plays are common. And the Packers have struggled to prevent explosive plays all season.

While Jaire Alexander has been a standout cover corner on one side, quarterbacks have picked on Kevin King on the other side. In fact, no cornerback has allowed more passing yards into his coverage than King, the third-year corner who continues to struggle with quicker receivers.

Over the last six games, quarterbacks are averaging 9.0 yards per attempt with a passer rating of 105.9.

How did this happen?

It wasn’t unreasonable to think the Packers could become a top-10 defense in 2019. Pettine showed some encouraging schematic designs during his first season but injuries hit hard and the personnel wasn’t there. Gutekunst made huge investments to make sure personnel was no longer a problem, and the Packers have been blessed with excellent injury luck on defense, but the results haven’t followed.

The numbers are probably going to get better over the final five weeks. The Packers will likely play at least two rookie quarterbacks on bad teams and struggling Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky, and there’s no guarantee Matthew Stafford will play in Week 17.

But the last two months have mostly exposed the Packers defense as a paper tiger. This no longer looks like a defense capable of surviving against good quarterbacks in the playoffs, and that’s pretty disappointing for a team that has invested a lot on that side of the football.