Training Camp: Tuesday, August 2nd

Today's practice marked the first time in training camp when players were fully padded. It is always interesting to see how the transition from shorts to pads goes — especially for players who seem to be ascending quickly. Today's focus revolves around the work of the offense and how they were able to win some key matchups.

Offense

The offensive line and personnel groupings have been something to watch as training camp progresses. The starting line today was (L to R) Nijman, Runyan, Myers, Newman, and Tom. With Bakhtiari and Jenkins out for the foreseeable future, it will be worth keeping an eye on who could potentially play the tackle positions. Fourth-round rookie Zach Tom has expressed a desire to be trained at every position along the offensive line. If he can continue to show out in the ways that he has in camp so far, he has a legitimate chance to have versatility like Elgton Jenkins. Today was not the first time that Tom had lined up at right tackle.

Yosh Nijman was given some opportunity last season to step in and play LT. He was fairly serviceable, but struggled one-on-one against star pass rushers. After a few snaps against stud Rashan Gary, he showed some promising development. In particular, he was much more swift with his foot movement and was able to stand Gary up without letting the pocket collapse.

After Davante Adam's surprise trade to the Las Vegas Raiders in March, many (me included) wondered who would be the leader among the receivers. Several players have stepped up being both a vocal leader, but also showing promise that they might be able to take some share of Adam's targets.

When he was not making plays on the field himself, Sammy Watkins was seen coaching Romeo Doubs.

Romeo Doubs continues his humble ascent as he makes play after play at practice.

Allen Lazard is really embracing the notion of wanting to be a true WR1. Aside from having the athletic gifts, having the mindset and belief in yourself is really the first step.

Special Teams

Special teams continues to have its hiccups along the way. As I noted yesterday, the ST unit is taking strides in the right direction. Now it is just a matter of minimizing mental mistakes in practice so they do not happen in a game.

Amari Rodgers has cut weight in the offseason and is looking far more lean. He is at his best when he plays confidently — less mental mistakes occur then, too.

Aside from cutting weight, Amari has seemingly matured quite a bit in the offseason. Despite mistakes and adversity, he does not turn down the opportunity to be coached. In fact, he welcomes constructive criticism and feedback.

Wisconsin fan-favorite Danny Davis is really making a strong case for himself. Like me, many believe that he could be the Packers "standard" as a practice squad candidate. His greatest contributions on the field would likely be on special teams.

Defense

The offense and defense were much more balanced in today's practice. However, Rashan Gary and De'Vondre Campbell showed off why the rest of the league needs to be on notice.

Campbell has the sideline-to-sideline speed that the Packers inside linebackers had been missing for many years. Despite the fact that he was a tackling machine, Blake Martinez would not have been able to make a play like this.

After a few snaps where Nijman handled him, Gary was able to make some noise. He continues his ascent as a leader on this defense.

Today's practice ended in a "tie" between the offense and defense. In fact, writer Andy Herman declared a winner on the offensive and defensive sides of the ball.