GREEN BAY – The Packers conducted their third practice of training camp on a cooler and cloudy Friday at Ray Nitschke Field.
Here are five things learned from the workout:
1. Christian Watson looks to be at the peak of his powers.
While fellow WR Matthew Golden is off to a strong start in camp and continued to make more plays Friday, Watson turned the final practice period in the red zone into a personal showcase.
In a span of just a few snaps, Watson scored two touchdowns. The first came when he lined up in a bunch formation tight to the left side of the offensive line, a common look where a receiver inserts himself as an extra blocker in the run game.
Only Watson didn't block. At the snap, he sprinted across the formation and flared out to the right as QB Jordan Love sold a play fake to RB Josh Jacobs and rolled out. With a full head of steam, Watson was wide open in the flat, caught the quick flip and strolled into the end zone from about 10 yards out.
Not long after, with the ball inside the 5, Watson ran a quick slant from the left side and made an impressive grab in the back of the end zone, staying in bounds while securing the ball as he went to the ground.
Back on Wednesday, Watson caught the first TD pass of camp from Love on a post route from just inside the 20-yard line. After recording a pair of two-TD games and four games with at least 80 receiving yards upon returning from his torn ACL last season, the fifth-year receiver who earned a long-term contract extension this offseason is picking up right where he left off.
"I'm excited to see how we continue to grow through this training camp and hit the ground running in Week 1," Watson said of the receivers.
2. Tucker Kraft has no qualms about practicing while his new contract is being negotiated.
Kraft's return to practice Friday comes amidst ongoing negotiations between the Packers and his agent on a new deal, but the fourth-year tight end isn't concerned with putting himself at risk.
Doctors have told him his knee "looks spectacular," and he's just focused on ramping himself up to be ready for Week 1. He's not sure when GM Brian Gutekunst and the medical staff will give him the green light to participate in 11-on-11 snaps, but that'll be the next step. He doesn't anticipate playing at all during the preseason games, but he hopes to be a full participant in the joint practice against the Cardinals during the final week of camp.
"I've accepted it's all part of the plan," Kraft said of waiting to get into full-contact work. "Gute and I have talked about how he's essentially protecting me from myself because I'm all gas. Like a tricycle, I don't come with brakes. It's really just helping me establish that mindset of consistency through a slow ramp-up and that's it."
Aside from his strong internal drive, Kraft also noted he's been inspired by how well Watson came back from his ACL surgery last year, and he's appreciated having such a successful road map to follow.
"Seeing him bounce back and kinda laying the path for me essentially in the training room … It was just a testament to his hard work," Kraft said. "I have the confidence to see him coming off his injury and him competing now at a high level, making great plays in practice and now it's my opportunity."
3. The edge rushers are doing a fair share of rotating in Micah Parsons' absence.
The top pair of edge rushers with the first-team defense has been Lukas Van Ness and Barryn Sorrell, but on Friday the duo of Brenton Cox Jr. and Collin Oliver rotated in with the first unit as well.
That type of opportunity speaks to how far Oliver, a fifth-round draft pick in 2025, has come in the past year. His rookie season was essentially washed out due to a hamstring injury from his college days at Oklahoma State. Numerous setbacks in his recovery kept him off the field until Week 18 at Minnesota last season.
Then he also missed time this past spring due to an undisclosed injury, but he's been fully cleared since the start of camp and said mentally and physically he's "definitely in a good spot."
It's unclear how long the current edge-rusher group will have to hold down the fort minus Parsons, but it appears everyone will get a chance to carve out a role for himself.
"Honestly, it's just a complete blessing to be able to be out there period," Oliver said. "Ones, twos or threes, in my opinion, I just see it as reps, and taking advantage of those reps is all that matters to me.
"Obviously you know who we're missing, an elite player, one of the best if not the best defensive players in our generation. We can't really focus on that, though. We have to focus on what we can control, and how well we do in practice, in the classroom, and ultimately how that applies to the game."
4. Some big bodies on defense are worth keeping an eye on.
The rotations along the interior of the defensive line have been rather steady as well, with Devonte Wyatt not yet taking 11-on-11 snaps and Javon Hargrave sidelined by a knee injury.
Two lesser-known names amongst the big bodies who might be worth paying attention to are Anthony Campbell and Jonathan Ford. Both rotated in for some first-team snaps Friday.
Campbell (6-6, 307) was an undrafted rookie with Seattle last year who spent part of the season on the Seahawks' practice squad. Ford (6-5, 338) is back for his second stint with the Packers, after the 2022 seventh-round pick spent parts of the last two years with the Bears.
5. The team is getting closer to putting the pads on.
On Friday, the players were dressed with what they call "spider pads" underneath their jerseys, another step toward getting to full pads. They'll wear the spider pads again in Sunday's practice before the full pads go on Monday.
