The Green Bay Packers are headed to Cleveland for the preseason opener against the Browns on Saturday afternoon. Matt LaFleur’s team looks young, deep and talented entering 2024, but the depth chart is far from settled, especially at a few key positions. While all the work on the practice field and in meetings is important to determining winners and losers of various competitions, performances during live preseason games might be the most important evaluation point overall.
Here are the most important position battles to watch when the Packers open the preseason schedule on Saturday in Cleveland:
Kicker
It’s certainly possible the Packers would have been playing in the NFC title game this past January had team’s kicking situation been in a more stable and reliable place. Since that night in San Francisco, the Packers have put on a legitimate kicker competition featuring five different kickers. Now it’s time to see which kicker can rise to the occasion in a game setting. The Packers would probably love for Anders Carlson to take a big developmental step and finally become more consistent and reliable, but he’s been up and down this summer. Greg Joseph, the veteran with his own consistency issues, has been the better on-field kicker entering the preseason. Rookie Alex Hale, who arrived Wednesday, is the wildcard. — Zach Kruse
Safety
Things we know: Xavier McKinney is going to start and lead, and both Javon Bullard and Evan Williams are going to play a lot of snaps. The competition here is centered around how the snaps will get distributed next to McKinney. Both Bullard and Williams can move around and wear different hats. Will the Packers give Bullard chances in the slot? And can Williams continue to make plays? Anthony Johnson Jr., who started games for the Packers as a rookie, may also factor into this competition. –– Zach Kruse
Backup quarterback
The preseason will be a proving ground for multiple position battles, but I’m especially interested in how the backup quarterback job shakes out. Sean Clifford appears to have the edge at the moment, as he’s still leading the second-team offense in practice. He also had a solid performance on Family Night, highlighted by an impressive drive during a two-minute drill. However, you can’t overlook how often Clifford has put the ball in harm’s way this training camp or the times when Michael Pratt has showcased his impressive arm talent. Clifford will likely take most of the snaps during Saturday’s preseason opener, but that could change week to week, depending on how each QB performs. The Packers want someone who can run the offense and also give them a shot at winning behind Jordan Love. Ideally, Green Bay would probably like to stash whoever doesn’t win the job on the practice squad, but there’s risk in that player signing with another team if he shows consistent flashes during the preseason. Unless they decide to roster three quarterbacks, the team may have to be ok with losing with either Clifford or Pratt. — Brandon Carwile
Right guard
Jordan Morgan’s shoulder injury is likely to keep him out of action on Saturday, but right guard is still a position to watch. Sean Rhyan is likely the next man up, and he must show he’s ready for a bigger role. At Thursday’s practice, Rhyan had a false start early in 11-on-11 and was pulled from the first-team offensive line. Rookie Jacob Monk, who replaced Rhyan at Thursday’s practice, will likely get an opportunity to show he can handle snaps at right guard. — Zach Kruse
Offensive tackle
What happens if Rasheed Walker or Zach Tom gets nipped by the injury bug? As it stands right now there is a black hole at offensive tackle behind Walker and Tom. In a perfect world, Jordan Morgan would kick outside from right guard and fill in. All eyes will be on Andre Dillard, Caleb Jones and Kadeem Telfort as they battle for positioning for the right to step in if something were to happen to Walker or Tom. It’s not out of the question that Sean Rhyan, who started 31 games at left tackle during his time at UCLA could also throw his hat in the ring if the Packers think he could be the team’s long-term swing tackle. — Brennen Rupp
No. 2 running back
Who will backup Josh Jacobs? Veteran A.J. Dillon appears to be the favorite, but MarShawn Lloyd, a third-round pick, and Emanuel Wilson, last preseason’s rushing leader, will get plenty of opportunities to showcase their abilities. Dillon looks more explosive this summer, but he must show it in a live-game setting. Lloyd and Wilson are both big backs who can get moving and break tackles. Pass protection and pass-catching will both be important factors for the young backs this preseason. — Zach Kruse