The Green Bay Packers are entering the final week of the preseason after opening the exhibition schedule with a dominant win in Cleveland and then getting most manhandled in Denver. This week, the Packers will host the Baltimore Ravens for a joint practice and the preseason finale at Lambeau Field.
The NFL is a what-have-you-done-for-me-lately league. The one-sided win over the Browns in the preseason opener in a distant memory. The narrative shifted sharply to the concerns raised over a few days in Denver.
So, where are concern levels at a couple of question mark areas? Let’s measure.
Backup quarterback
Sean Clifford and Michael Pratt were mostly excellent in Cleveland against backups. They were mostly terrible against a mix of starters and backups in Denver. Clifford has had a turbulent summer, and Pratt is a seventh-round rookie, so any kind of on-field regression is reason for concern considering they are the only two quarterbacks competing to back up Jordan Love. It would be interesting to see how Clifford or Pratt operates behind the No. 1 offensive line and with all the weapons Love enjoys, but those opportunities are limited. In the case of a major injury to Love, the Packers’ season is over anyway. But is Clifford or Pratt capable of stepping in and guiding the Packers to a win or two over a short but multi-game absence? The evidence is scant. I wouldn’t expect the Packers to over-react, but you can tell Matt LaFleur is getting impatient. Sunday night in Denver was a confidence-rattling experience in the passing game and the Packers are running out of time.
Concern level: 6 out of 10
Kicker
Anders Carlson and Greg Joseph started training camp strong, but the competition turned concerning rather quickly. Both kickers had a rough past week, and Joseph missed the Packers’ only kick attempt in Denver. Entering the final week, Carlson and Joseph are both hovering around 80 percent on kicks. Not good enough. A kicker scores points, and any miss is a lost opportunity — as the Packers found out the hard way to end the 2023 season. Maybe the Packers are just reaping what they sowed; Carlson and Joseph have always been talented but inconsistent kickers. Unless one of the two gets hot this week, the Packers might have to look outside the current roster for the Week 1 kicker. That’s a scary proposition for a team with Super Bowl aspirations.
Concern level: 9 out of 10
Backup offensive tackle
Andre Dillard appears to have locked up one roster spot. He’s been solid as a pass protector while playing both left and right tackle this preseason. But it’s worth considering that Dillard is coming off a nightmare season in Tennessee, and the depth behind him hasn’t stepped up this summer. Kadeem Telfort, Travis Glover and Caleb Jones each have had issues, both in pass protection and run blocking. Maybe the Packers will cross-train Jordan Morgan at offensive tackle, and the combination of Dillard and Morgan can suffice as the backups behind Rasheed Walker and Zach Tom. Elgton Jenkins also have prior experience on the left and right side. The harsh truth: very few teams have actual depth at offensive tackle. The Packers’ situation now is how most teams live.
Concern level: 4 out of 10