GREEN BAY – The Packers conducted their first practice in pads Monday at Nitschke Field.
Here are five things learned from the workout:
- Brandon McManus still hasn't missed.
The veteran kicker, who stabilized a shaky kicking situation for the Packers at midseason last year and then re-signed a long-term deal in the spring, made all eight of his field goal attempts Monday to stay perfect thus far in camp.
Monday's performance included three kicks from 45-plus yards along with a pair of makes to conclude both two-minute drills at the end of practice. He's 23-for-23 since camp started, with a long of 56 yards.
"It's kind of been that way ever since he got here," said long snapper Matt Orzech, referring to McManus' strong 2024 campaign during which he missed just one kick in the regular season (20-for-21) before his first career playoff miss came in the wild-card loss at Philadelphia.
"Even through all the crazy winter months with the wind, it's crazy on that practice field, but he handles it in stride. He never lets a miss of what he thought a line would do get to his head, and he just keeps taking each kick as it is."
The whole operation amongst Orzech, punter/holder Daniel Whelan and McManus looks as smooth as can be right now. Orzech said as the trio has built a working relationship since McManus' arrival last October, feedback is quick and corrections are efficient.
It's provided significant peace of mind for the coaching staff as well after a tumultuous year-plus in the kicking game following the departure of all-time leading scorer Mason Crosby after the 2022 season.
"I don't even think about it," Head Coach Matt LaFleur said of the kicking operation. "It's great."
- Elgton Jenkins is back on the practice field, fine with the move to center, and not worried about his contract.
The Packers' new center, who's been dealing with a back injury from offseason weightlifting, practiced for the first time, albeit on a limited basis as he ramps up activity.
The two-time Pro Bowl guard addressed some issues that have been swirling around him regarding his position switch and reported request for contract adjustments.
First, he said his absence from OTAs this spring was about family matters and not contract related. Second, he said he actually mentioned last year potentially switching to center at some point later in his career, so when it was discussed in his exit interview after last season and again later in the offseason, he was agreeable.
Third, he acknowledged there have been some discussions regarding his contract but he's not expecting anything to change, and it's not a concern at the moment.
"Right now, I'm not even thinking about that," Jenkins said. "It's more so just what I can do to help the team and just being present, getting good with the offensive line, building chemistry with the quarterbacks and the offensive line."
The shoulder stinger that knocked him out of the playoff game in Philly took a week or more to get back to normal, but other than that he was fine health-wise until tweaking his back in the weight room. He's being extra careful working through that and said his back "felt good."
- Jayden Reed was the go-to guy in the two-minute drill.
With the offense at its own 30-yard line with no timeouts and 1:45 on the clock, QB Jordan Love missed Reed on a slant on the first play, throwing low and incomplete.
But after that, they were in sync, as Reed converted on third down with a short reception, then caught passes on the next two plays in succession to get the offense into field-goal range. The three straight grabs covered more than 30 yards.
"Just connecting man," Reed said of the sequence. "It was the two-minute drill so it was kind of our fast-pitch stuff."
Just before that, the No. 2 offense also got a field goal on its two-minute drive thanks to an impressive diving catch along the sideline by Malik Heath. The 26-yard completion from QB Malik Willis might not have been pulled off in fully live action, though, as edge rusher Brenton Cox Jr. was in position to sack Willis in the backfield before he got the throw off.
One play before that, Carrington Valentine nearly had his third interception of camp on a pass intended for Heath along the other sideline, but he was only able to jump and deflect it.
- Nate Hobbs still needs to dial it back a bit.
Within the first few snaps of 11-on-11, RB MarShawn Lloyd got up slowly and walked off gingerly after taking a low hit from Hobbs on a pitch play. Lloyd did not return to practice.
Hobbs, who had already been talked to about excessive contact on a couple of plays during non-padded practices, sat out a series of snaps after the Lloyd play before re-entering practice.
He told Lloyd it was an accident, and he explained to the media he wasn't actually trying to tackle him. He just came off a block and suddenly he was right next to Lloyd, who had lowered his shoulder pads, so Hobbs went low in order to not get run over.
"Had good intentions and just a mistake," said Hobbs, who did have an interception Monday on a pass that deflected off of rookie receiver Matthew Golden's hands. "Just me trying to play the game how it's played but I need to be better.
"I just got too low."
- Keisean Nixon is settling in as an outside cornerback.
Nixon, who transitioned from slot to boundary cornerback last year in the wake of injuries to Jaire Alexander and others in the secondary, has played almost strictly outside in camp thus far, and he's liking it.
He hasn't made any splash plays yet, but he's broken up a couple of passes downfield with good coverage, and he's made other receptions difficult. While he could always play the slot again in a pinch, the defense has worked Javon Bullard, Hobbs and Kalen King in that spot so he's not concerned about it anymore.
"I don't have to worry about inside-outside, I can just focus on one position now, and it's going really good for me," Nixon said. "I'm comfortable."
