Packers Practice Roundup: July 25, 2025
Carrington Valentine comes up with more plays.
One hour and 59 minute practice leading into a day off tomorrow. Demovsky
NOT PARTICIPATING:
Not practicing: G Aaron Banks (back), WR Savion Williams (concussion), LB Quay Walker (ankle), WR Christian Watson (knee), DE Collin Oliver (hamstring), RB Amar Johnson (hamstring), OL John Williams (back), OL Elgton Jenkins (back). Hodkiewicz
WR Savion Williams has a concussion, not practicing. Wood
LaFleur said it was a back issue that forced LG Aaron Banks out of practice yesterday. Said everything checked out OK and he will be day-to-day. Demovaky
PERSONNEL:
First OL today with no Elgton Jenkins or Aaron Banks: LT: Rasheed Walker LG: Jordan Morgan C: Sean Rhyan RG: Jacob Monk RT: Zach Tom. Schneidman [Note that Morgan has not gotten snaps at LTm LG, RG and a few at RT. It seems to me as though Belton might just as well have gotten the RG reps but the coaches went with Monk. TGR]
Love Jacobs
Walker - Morgan - Rhyan - Monk - Tom
Kraft - Mustrave Wicks - Doubs
Gary - Wyatt - Clark - LVN
Cooper - McDuffie - Simmons
Hobbs - Nixon - Williams - McKinney [These were the starters per Herman. We won't see that offensive line absent injuries and probably won't see 3 inside linebackers on the field all that often. TGR]
[Later during practice] Monk now at center. Rhyan at RG. Herman
OFFENSE:
First play - Love to Wicks off play action for a nice pickup. Another clean catch from 13. Musgrave did a nice job helping on Gary. Golden end around - nothing doing. Tom false start Jacobs for a couple - Wyatt & Gary converge. 2) Love dealing early. Finds Doubs over the middle. Fake end around to Golden, play action, Doubs settles in a zone, slightly high throw but Doubs brings it in easy for about 16. 3) Willis with a keeper on a read option and a fantastic job by Chris Brooks getting out on the block to make it a big gain. Brooks does everything well. [Emphasis added by TGR.] 4) I may have jinxed him too. Brooks with a clean drop in the open field. 5) Another end around to Golden. This one gets a bit more. Solid blocking downfield. Speed is real! Herman
Two-Minute Drill:
Love to Doubs for a few. Clock ticks. Love outside to Kraft but McKinney jumps it and breaks it up. 3rd and 5 upcoming. LVN with a coverage sack on Love. 10 had nowhere to go. Defense wins. 2) Love to Kraft for about 4. Somehow they gave him the first down. It looked well short. Gave him oob too. Love to Wilson on the Checkdown for 5. Clock ticks. Timeout. 35 seconds left. 2nd and 5. Ball at midfield. Doubs beats Nixon off the line. Love goes deep. Had him but Love under threw it by at least a yard or two. Nixon breaks it up easily. Love atones. Wicks with the deep post. Wide open. Love hits him in stride. About a 50 yard bomb for the td. Herman
Jordan Love hits Dontayvion Wicks for 49-yard bomb on a deep post, leading him into the end zone. Wicks beat Xavier McKinney on back end. Wood
DEFENSE:
Cox all over a play action fake. Willis gets it off to Golden for a few. Wilson for a few up the middle off a can call from Clifford after seeing Bullard creeping up. [RB Jalen] White slips down on a toss play after picking up a couple. Defense was swarming. 2) Willis rifles an out route to Hardman which Kalen King dives for but it zips right past his fingertips to Hardman for a nice pickup. Willis’ arm is legit. Willis to Hicks on a comeback for about 7. Willis to Hicks deep right side but Valentine fights him off, Hicks slips and Valentine gets the pick. His 2nd of camp!!! 3) LVN also would have had a sack on this play. Great rush against Rhyan. {Possible starter vs. possible starter in LVN who at least will probably get a lot of snaps. Emphasis by TGR] 4) Tucker Kraft puts the ball on the ground in team. He would have been down but it doesn’t matter. They play through the whistle and have defenders keep attacking the ball. Still a knockout for the defense. Bullard with the knockout. 5) Carrington Valentine with STICKY coverage on a Golden comeback. Wicks fires and Valentine almost comes up with his 3rd pick of camp 6) Johnathan Baldwin with his first really nice play of camp. Baldwin ranges from center and breaks perfectly on a ball from Clifford over the middle to break it up. Baldwin is still listed as a CB on the roster but he’s been all safety since minicamp.. Herman
Xavier McKinney all over the field on 2-minute drill. Tackled Romeo Doubs immediately for 6 yards on first-down stop route. Next play, gets a PBU against Tucker Kraft. The defense forced a three-and-out. 2) Carrington Valentine, who forced turnovers in 4 straight games last late season, now has two interceptions through 3 days of camp. Just picked a deep Malik Willis pass intended for Julian Hicks. 3) Zach Tom with a false start. Smacks his hands in disgust. Anthony Belton replaces him for a rep. No superstar treatment. [I wondered if Belton would get RT reps but I was thinking about something more substantial. TGR] Wood
SPECIAL TEAMS:
Brandon McManus is now 15/15 during two open practices and 9/9 today on his 34th birthday. Makes from 33, 33, 38, 40, 41, 41, 43, 44, 46, 46, 46, 48, 51, 51 and 56. Schneidman
MISCELLANEOUS:
Probably way too early to be making firm predictions but at this point it seems like the Packers are gonna keep Hardman as the 6th receiver, Melton as a corner/unofficial 7th WR, and release Heath hoping to get him back on the practice squad. Oldacres
The media loves Melton. They are really pulling for him. Click here for Bill Huber's article on Melton and his chances. 2). It is early and just my opinion, but if GB keeps only 3 running backs, I suspect Emanuel Wilson will be looking for a new job, though maybe they can slide him onto the PS. TGR
Wicks looks fantastic. Getting open per usual - catching everything his way. 2) Wicks looks fantastic. Getting open per usual - catching everything his way. No I don’t believe in jinxes and yes I still have all my Wicks stock. Herman [One tweet apparently was insufficient. TGR] 3) I may have jinxed him. Love to Wicks over the middle. Gets to his hands but Wicks can’t hang on. Tbf there was super tight coverage by Hobbs and it may or may not have been early. Herman [Oh well. TGR]
Dontayvion Wicks said he lost confidence in hands after shaky opener in Brazil last season (three drops vs. Eagles), but it turned around midway through the fall. His numbers show that. Now, he feels back to himself, what he showed rookie season: Wood
Anytime the Packers are asked about left tackle Rasheed Walker, the answer is some version of... "He's capable, but he needs to be more consistent." Kruse
Nate Hobbs drills Dontayvion Wicks to the ground on an in cut route over the middle. Forces a Jordan Love incompletion, but also a talking to from Matt LaFleur. Looked like Wicks got up ok, but slowly. 2) Mark Murphy turns it over to Ed Policy, and the Green Bay Packers are under new leadership. Wood
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Comments (12)
Thegreatreynoldo
July 25, 2025 at 06:48 pm
I am laughing a little at how the media is pulling so hard for Bo Melton, but I have nothing against it or him. If people who have come into contact with him like him, that's great. Strangely enough, I find myself pulling for Carrington Valentine despite never having met him and not knowing much about him. Frankly, I attribute my attitude to my belief that the Packers gave him the shaft when they played Stokes for so many snaps in 2024. I thought Valentine was the better player. I am still on the Wicks bandwagon, as well.
So, what is important is for the Packers to find the right combination of players for their secondary, and to put the right player in the right role. If Hobbs is the better outside CB, so be it. Of course, that might be the case and it is still the right answer to play Hobbs in the slot. I have nothing against Bullard, who did a lot right last year.
In any event, I am happy with the top six DBs. As safeties I like McKinney, Williams, and Bullard (and Zayne Anderson, for that matter), along with Nixon, Hobbs, and Valentine. I think only McKinney is really good, but I don't think the others are liabilities.
I have fewer preconceptions about the offensive line. I think Jenkins is the best center and Tom is the best right tackle. I imagine that Banks is going to play left guard. I don't know if he can play any other position. As an aside, I have questioned whether Banks can execute a long pull and been dismissed. I can see a ton of different offensive line combinations, particularly if there is an injury. I can think of a lot of permutations for 2026.
Justis Mosqueda suggests that the Packers are low-balling Quay Walker. Justis thinks the market for a guy like Walker was set when Nick Bolton and Jamien sherwood signed recently for nearly identical $15M per year/$30M fully guaranteed 3 year deals. Where we disagree is that I think the market is set but it is closer to $11M because Quay's salary should be south of those guys'. First, Sherwood is simply better than Quay. Bolton is also better than Quay. He got the same deal as Sherwood but both deals were announced the same day (March 9, as both guys were re-signed). I think poorly of Sherwood's agent.
LayingTheLawe
July 25, 2025 at 07:04 pm
Is Melton only playing db in camp? Have they already admitted he's not making the sqaud as WR? The Packers like Melton's special teams ability, so they are trying to see if he has a fit anywhere. If he can even be an emergency CB, he might carve out a spot. But, as you list the 7 d-backs there, it is hard to see where Melton fits in. With the O-line already having some balky backs and knees there, it would seem that is where they will need to carry an extra body. With Hardman already probably a specialist/deep guy, it seems difficult for the team to carry another primarily special team guy.
Thegreatreynoldo
July 25, 2025 at 07:59 pm
Yes, I think that is the case. “We know what he is as a wide receiver,” coach Matt LaFleur said, “and I think it just gives him the best opportunity moving forward regards to if he can really carve out a role in that spot.” Make what you will of that.
I think the Packers will roster more than 8 and probably 9 or 10 defensive backs. 11 is not unknown. McKinney, Evan Williams, Bullard, are locks and Kitan Olapado is a good bet. Zayne Anderson probably deserves to make someone's 53-man roster, and it would not surprise me if it were in GB. If all of them stick, that would be 5 safeties. But Olapado and Anderson can possibly play themselves off the team. Herman wrote that CB Jonathan Baldwin made a special play, and noted that the UDFA is listed as a CB but has played only safety so far.
The top 3 CBs are locks: Hobbs Nixon, and Valentine. They usually keep 5 CBs. The numbers are not as stacked against Melton as they might be.
Coldworld
July 26, 2025 at 07:30 am
We particularly lack speed beyond the top 3 CBs, or at least a known player with it. King and Hadden are weakest in long speed. There’s a big opportunity for someone to grab a spot as perimeter depth and perhaps more in certain defensive alignments and coverage calls. So far, it’s been impressive how Melton has managed to be in position to defend. That’s a positive for me. Next we need to see whether that continues in contact periods. Those will be a big test for Valentine too: what keeps him off the field is his tackling.
GregC
July 26, 2025 at 04:59 am
At this point, it looks like Melton could easily fit in as the #4 CB.
Leatherhead
July 25, 2025 at 07:44 pm
I like the top six DBs as well. The trouble is, people get hurt and then we're playing our #9 DB.
We played Stokes instead of Valentine last year. I mean, he only got 7 starts. But by the end of October, he was the guy playing over 50% of the snaps. In the playoffs, he got 1 snap, and Valentine got 60. I suspected several times that the Packers were just trying to get something out of a former first round pick. He didn't improve the defense when he was on the field, IMO.
I think we're fortunate to have 3 CBs that have all played lots of games in the league. Detroit, for example, is going to be lining up rookies and 2nd year guys at CB and hoping their safeties are good enough.
Thegreatreynoldo
July 26, 2025 at 08:48 am
I also think the top 6 offensive linemen are very capable. They have all proven that they can play in the NFL at something about an average level or better. For some reason, I have decided in my own mind that Belton will be able to play guard as rookie. That is a little unusual: it is not like I especially approved of drafting Belton.
The Packers do a good job of cross-training. I don't know if Jenkins can still play OT, but I think he can play LG, RG and OC. I think GB can make do with Rhyan at center or guard. I think Tom can play all 5 positions. I noticed that Morgan has gotten reps at all of the spots except OC, and he seems to have the athletic ability to do that.
I am a bit intrigued by Donovan Jennings but only in a vaguely hopeful way. And Monk, Glover, Telfort, and Jennings simply have to show me before I will buy into any of them.
Guam
July 26, 2025 at 08:12 am
Some interesting news on the O-line. Monk is getting more playing time than Glover, Telfort and Jennings which is a little surprising after Monk all but disappeared late last season. Hopefully Monk is making a second year jump. I know the Packers and a number of CHTV commenters were high on him when he was drafted.
Morgan is getting more time at guard (left and right) than tackle. A bit surprising but given the injuries to Banks and Jenkins that maybe indicative of nothing. I would like to see Morgan assert himself and become a starter somewhere on the O-line.
Simmons is getting a long look at LB after playing mostly safety for the Giants and Cardinals. Sure would be nice if he found his position in GB. The Packers could use his speed and coverage skills at LB.
LambeauPlain
July 26, 2025 at 09:16 am
Monk is in position to be #7 on the depth chart. He played in over 50 games at Duke at RG, C, and LG. All ACC three times and elected team Captain as a senior.
His teammate Graham Barton got all the coverage going into the 2023 draft...and rightly so. After the Packers drafted him I read reviews from Duke beat writers who raved about him as a player and leader.
He didn't get many snaps as a Green Bay rookie which is not unusual for Packer OL, but it seems the lights are on now as a sophomore. Glover, Telford, and Jennings didn't many snaps either last season. Of those three I still lean toward Jennings.
Guam
July 26, 2025 at 11:17 am
Monk had good credentials coming out of college (somewhat similar to Tom's actually), but he showed nothing his first season (unlike Tom). I was concerned he wasn't going to make the adjustment to the NFL. I want to see what he does when the pads are on, but I am hopeful now.
Leatherhead
July 26, 2025 at 08:20 pm
So you would have him ahead of Belton, despite the fact he really didn't show anything last year? That actually seems fair, all things considered, and the idea of the #8 guy on your offensive line being a 2nd round pick kind of indicates some (potentially) good depth.
Rookie offensive linemen don't play for us unless they're needed. Tom became a starter as a rookie, so did Jenkins. Neither Walker nor Rhyan played as rookies. Myers was a starter from right out of the box, but that's the exception, not the rule.
NickPerry
July 26, 2025 at 07:59 pm
Thanks TGR for the write up. I look forward to this every day! Great work as usual.