GREEN BAY – The Packers put their pads to good use during their sixth public practice of training camp on Tuesday at Ray Nitschke Field.
Here are five things we learned:
1. Barryn Sorrell capped strong day with a pick-six in team.
After an impressive showing in the first 1-on-1 period of camp between Green Bay's offensive and defensive lines, Sorrell then produced the play the day with a pick-six off quarterback Jordan Love in team 11-on-11.
The second-year edge rusher sensed the Packers' offense might be looking to pull the rug from underneath the defensive front when the offensive line didn't immediately engage with Sorrell in his rush.
Noticing Josh Jacobs veer left, the 6-foot-4, 256-pound pass rusher flowed with the Pro Bowl running back and plucked a screen pass out of the air from Love and ran 60 yards the other way.
Sorrell couldn't remember the last time he had an interception in practice but was telling Love back in the spring that he was going to pick him off.
"I told J-Love in OTAs … and he kept laughing at me," Sorrell said. "Now I got him. He's gonna hear about this for a while."
A fourth-round pick out of Texas last year, Sorrell played sparingly during his rookie season but has been afforded first-team reps this offseason with All-Pro Micah Parsons still working his way back from a torn ACL.
Sorrell was champing at the bit for this week's padded work and made those reps count on Tuesday. During early 1-on-1s, Sorrell generated pressure through a bull rush against Darian Kinnard before speeding around Jordan Morgan later in the drill.
It's all stuff Sorrell worked on this offseason, part of which he spent training with Parsons and fellow 2025 draft classmate Collin Oliver.
"This is what I prepared for all offseason is getting better at my pass rush so I can be the player that I want to be," Sorrell said. "When the opportunity was there today, I had to take advantage of it. I'm proud of myself and happy that the work that I've put in is showing up."
Sorrell, who played some receiver and tight end in high school, teasingly told reporters after practice that he possesses the best hands in the Packers' defensive line room.
Parsons would not concede that, citing a lack of film to prove Sorrell's claim. However, the five-time Pro Bowler is proud of the work his 23-year-old pupil put in to come back to Green Bay a better player this summer.
"From February all the way until July 17, he did everything he possibly could to become a better player, and I think it's showing," Parsons said. "How he's playing, how confident he is, everything. I told him, 'Yo, you finally starting to get abs, looking like a football player, not looking like a rook no more.'"
2. The Packers' offensive and defensive lines got after it in 1-on-1s.
Green Bay ran more than 35 reps between the offensive and defensive line over a span of 12 minutes early in practice, with Morgan and Lukas Van Ness starting things off.
Morgan, who's slated to start at left tackle, held his own against the Packers' fourth-year edge rusher while offensive lineman Jacob Monk, and defensive linemen Warren Brinson and Anthony Campbell had strong showings of their own.
Brinson, who won all three of his reps, flashed his speed and craftiness while working his way past center Sean Rhyan on the penultimate rep of the drill.
"I love the competition aspect of it, what it brings to practice and guys making sure that they're using the proper technique and fundamentals," Head Coach Matt LaFleur said. "But, at the end of the day, it's about what you do more so in those 11-on-11 situations."
3. With injuries mounting at tight end, the Packers added Cedarburg's Drew Biber and re-signed McCallan Castles.
There were two new tight ends on the practice field, as Castles and Biber replaced Luke Lachey (foot) and R.J. Maryland (hamstring), who were both waived injured.
With Tucker Kraft (knee) only doing individuals at the moment and Luke Musgrave (neck) out indefinitely, Green Bay was down to only former practice-squad players Josh Whyle, Messiah Swinson and Drake Dabney prior to signing Biber and Castles.
Castles finished last season on Green Bay's practice squad but was released in April. The 6-foot-4, 244-pound tight end was staying fit in Knoxville this offseason while also working at former NFL player Lee Smith's training facility.
Biber played four years at Purdue before transferring to Minnesota last year, finishing his college career with 33 catches for 271 yards and a touchdown.
Biber, who grew up idolizing Jordy Nelson and Clay Matthews, worked out for the Packers last Monday and left unsigned. He was home when he got the call this week to come back.
His family was in a slight state of shock when Biber told them he had to pack a bag and immediately head north.
"It was kind of funny. I'm like, 'No, this is not a prank. I have to drive up to Green Bay right now," Biber said. "It's just amazing."
4. Packers weathering a few secondary injuries, as well.
Green Bay was again without provisional starting cornerback Carrington Valentine (hamstring) and reserve nickel Johnathan Baldwin II, who dropped out of practice Monday with a knee injury.
Rookie cornerback Brandon Cisse continued to work across from Keisean Nixon with the first-team defense while Benjamin St-Juste and Jaylin Simpson held down the perimeter with the twos. Undrafted rookie Murvin Kenion III spelled Javon Bullard in the slot in place of Baldwin.
5. Jonathan Gannon is not shy about blitzing his DBs.
Green Bay's new defensive coordinator continues to give the offense something to think about with how frequently defensive backs have been firing toward the quarterback.
Safety Evan Williams was in Love's face in an early team period on a delayed blitz through the B-gap while St-Juste and Simpson both came free off the edge on a would-be sack of backup quarterback Tyrod Taylor.
"At corner we're trying to mess with J-Love and Tyrod with our alignments and what we're doing outside," Simpson said. "Trying to make it hard for them to know when it's coming, when it's not and hopefully, they don't know when it's coming and me and Juste get back there and hopefully they think it's coming and we back off and we in coverage."
