GREEN BAY – The Packers conducted their seventh practice of training camp, and third in pads, on a much cooler Thursday at Nitschke Field.
Here are five things learned from the workout:
- Luke Musgrave turned in an impressive day.
The third-year tight end made a smooth catch on what might've been the throw of camp so far from Jordan Love.
Running a deep corner route, Musgrave was bracketed by cornerback Carrington Valentine in front and safety Xavier McKinney behind, and Love fit the ball into the tightest of windows along the boundary, allowing Musgrave to get both hands on the ball and drag his feet in bounds.
As McKinney came back onto the field from the sideline, he could be heard saying, "Good-ass catch," but Musgrave didn't want that much credit.
"As Matt (LaFleur) always says, there's no defense for the perfect ball, and I think that's a great example of it," he said. "I just ran the route and Jordan delivered just a great ball that couldn't have been defended. I'll have to look at it, I'm sure the defense was great, but it was a great ball."
That wasn't Musgrave's only play, though. A couple snaps later, he caught another pass on a deep corner route to the other side of the field, this time sliding to make the grab. The throwing window looked a bit more open, but Musgrave said Love still put it where no defender had a line on it, and he just went low to get it.
Musgrave also had a downfield reception from backup QB Malik Willis in team (11-on-11) work and converted a first down from Love in two-minute. On the final play of a two-minute drill, he nearly came up with Love's desperation heave to the end zone, making a heck of an effort on a pass that at first appeared to have no chance. Love was flagged for crossing the line of scrimmage before the throw anyway, but Musgrave's athleticism on the play was noticeable.
That's never been in question since the 6-6, 253-pound tight end was drafted in the second round in 2023, but injuries have hampered each of his first two seasons. He got enough playing time as a rookie to still post 34 catches for 352 yards and a TD (plus another six catches for 66 yards and a score in the playoffs), but he was limited by a significant ankle injury to just seven games and seven catches for 45 yards last year.
Healthy again after a full offseason of workouts, during which he worked on both lower and upper body strength, as well as some Pilates (his new wife is an instructor), Musgrave said his focus is simply on his all-around game.
"I need to stay healthy, just be a more complete tight end, working on my blocking," he said. "So that's what I've done. I still have so much more to improve upon in all facets of my game, but I do feel comfortable with the place I'm at right now, and excited to keep improving."
- A pair of Georgia rookies are making noise on the defensive line.
Sixth-round draft pick Warren Brinson and undrafted rookie Nazir Stackhouse were roommates as freshmen at Georgia, played their entire college careers together with the Bulldogs, and now they're still lining up next to each other in the trenches.
Getting work on the reserve defensive line units, both Brinson and Stackhouse have shown up, particularly against the run, clogging the middle or getting into the backfield to disrupt plays. Brinson also has flashed some pass rush, an area Stackhouse continues to work on after being primarily a run-stuffer in college.
"I gotta be prepared in those moments," Stackhouse said of the adjustment. "When we're doing two-minute, like I can't just be lackadaisical on the sideline, I have to always be expecting coach to call my name because they're not just asking me to stop the run here. They're asking me to stop the run and do a little bit more on the defense."
The two are certainly enjoying sharing a huddle again.
"It feels natural, honestly," Brinson said of playing alongside Stackhouse. "I'm really happy that he came here.
"We push each other to be the best that we possibly can be. But that's my brother. I never had a brother growing up, and then being roommates with Stackhouse was like having a brother."
- Jordan Morgan is getting snaps at left tackle with the No. 1 offensive line now.
As indicated by offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich in his media session Wednesday, Morgan will be getting more left tackle reps now that interior veterans Elgton Jenkins and Aaron Banks are returning to a full workload following back injuries.
Thursday's practice started with Rasheed Walker in his usual spot at left tackle with the first unit. But after the opening team periods, Morgan played there the rest of the workout, including in the final two-minute drill.
It's taken a while for the competition at left tackle to really get going, due to Jenkins' absence in the spring and then Jenkins' and Banks' back injuries. Morgan was playing a lot of guard as a result. But it appears to be on in earnest now.
- Mecole Hardman put his veteran savvy on display.
The new addition at receiver/returner won two impressive one-on-one reps by being somewhat sneaky about his breakaway speed.
First, against cornerback Kalen King, Hardman began his route upfield, sold the go with a brief acceleration to top speed, and then abruptly broke it off as soon as King committed to going deep. He caught the comeback with ease.
Then later against Javon Bullard from the slot, he was on cruise control as he bent his route inside and curled back to the outside. Bullard was right with him until Hardman kicked it into high gear to get the separation needed.
Toward the end of practice in two-minute, Hardman gave the No. 1 offense a chance by converting on third-and-10 with a 20-plus yard grab over the middle on which he sat down in front of the deep zone.
- The defense held on both two-minute drives.
On a pair of two-minute situations, the offense was in a tough spot, needing to go 65 yards for a touchdown in less than 1 minute, 40 seconds with no timeouts. The defense actually changed things up, too, with the No. 2 D-line facing the first offense and the No. 1 D-line going against the second offense.
Love got the starting offense inside the opposing 40-yard line but ran out of time and had to just heave one downfield on the final snap. Valentine intercepted Willis on a deep seam ball on which tight end Ben Sims wasn't on the same page as his QB. It was Valentine's third INT of camp.
