Lambeau Fields Returns to Form: Packers Receive a Huge Lift with Player’s Return to Practice

Zach at right tackle After tearing his pectoral muscle while lifting weights in the offseason, Tom—who shut down All-Pro pass rusher Micah Parsons in the Packers’ playoff upset of the Cowboys the previous season—has not been to practice at all or has just participated in individual work thus far. On Saturday night, the team practiced on one end of the field while Tom worked one-on-one drills in one end zone with defensive lineman Spencer Waege during Family Night.

Tom’s return to teamwork will be a great help to an offensive line that has been having trouble in training. The Packers have tried three men at right tackle in Tom’s place: 6-foot-9 Caleb Jones on Saturday night, second-year undrafted Kadeem Telfort, and veteran Andre Dillard. The Packers tried Telfort in Dillard’s place since he had trouble getting into camp. Rashan Gary, the defensive end, had a stern look at Jones on Saturday. Tom “looked amazing” in his ramp-up, according to LaFleur.

Here’s the crowd for tonight’s Lambeau practice with a couple minutes until practice gets underway pic.twitter.com/ndVF26qyXI

— Matt Schneidman (@mattschneidman) August 4, 2024

“It’s tough on the O-line right now,” LaFleur said. “Certainly, I think the D-line gets frustrated at times because in practice we use a lot of chippers. I’m like, ‘Hey man, that’s a credit to you guys. That’s the ultimate compliment. We feel we have to get four hands on you to block you.’ It’s going to happen during the season. I think our D-line is solid. Hopefully, they continue to get better and improve and just keep coming off the ball the way they are.”

The 2022 fourth-round pick Tom claimed that missing Saturday’s packed session at the stadium was the hardest practice he has yet to miss. Tom has been dying to take part in team drills. While Tom does not anticipate playing in every 11-on-11 play when he returns, the Packers will take what they can from a guy who might make it to the Pro Bowl in his third season.

“It’s probably going to be a work in progress,” Tom said of his strength. “I’ve never dealt with this injury, either. I’m sure there’s going to be some things that I’m going to have to work through, but the only way you’ll know is if you start playing football.”

Here are five more things you should know from Saturday night’s practice.

1. Since 1-on-1s typically offer the best matchup, watching CB Jaire Alexander throughout them is always the most fascinating aspect of the drill. Although Alexander has been facing wide receiver Romeo Doubs, he faced four different players on Saturday and completed four reps. On his first rep, he used excellent coverage on Doubs to force an incompletion on a shallow fade from quarterback Jordan Love on the right side of the end zone. He also successfully broke up Love’s pass to receiver Dontayvion Wicks, ending in high fives and trash talk (Alexander and Wicks got into an altercation at practice on Thursday). Lastly, in an end-zone 1-on-1 drill, he allowed wideout Malik Heath to make a catch close to the front-right pylon, but may have shoved him out.

Jordan Love drops a dime to Christian Watson for a TD over Jaire Alexander in 1-on-1s pic.twitter.com/zwbk0pLMVJ

— Matt Schneidman (@mattschneidman) August 4, 2024

2. Tom’s return to team drills may not be the Packers’ only significant improvement in participation the following week. The Packers have open practice from Tuesday through Thursday before traveling to Cleveland for their preseason opener against the Browns on Saturday. LaFleur stated on Saturday night that the team wants to have second-year tight end Tucker Kraft back in some capacity the following week as well. In the offseason, Kraft also tore his pectoral muscle while lifting weights, and he has not engaged in any activities at camp yet. After teammate tight end Luke Musgrave suffered a lacerated kidney in the second half of the previous season and scored a touchdown against the 49ers in the Divisional Round, Kraft saw his game take off. Second- and third-round selections, Kraft and Musgrave, respectively, in the previous year’s draft, might

3. Saturday night was the busiest open practice yet for kickers Anders Carlson and Greg Joseph. Joseph entered the night with a four-kick lead on Carlson in open practices, but the incumbent narrowed the gap by one after going 8-for-9 with makes from 33, 43, 45, 47, 49, 52, 54 and 55 yards (he made two from 55, but Packers iced their own kicker on purpose) and a miss wide right from 57 to finish practice. Carlson is now 33-of-40 on field goals during 10 open practices. Joseph made 7-of-9 on Saturday, hitting from 33, 43, 45, 47, 49, 52 and 55 yards with misses wide left from 54 and wide left from 57. Joseph is now 36-of-40 in camp.

4. Doubs continued his strong week on Saturday night, most notably during a two-play sequence in which he caught two touchdowns in the low red zone. On the first, he beat cornerback Eric Stokes on a slant and Love hit him for a six-yard score. On the next play, Love lofted one up to Doubs in the back-left corner of the end zone and the third-year receiver Moss’d cornerback Keisean Nixon for a three-yard score.

“Just understanding the situation, timing, most importantly, and that’s part of why the practice habits play a huge role,” Doubs said of the fade. “We hit on a fade and I just know from this point on forward that we’re going to keep progressing and continuing to practice those reps because ultimately, we want to make them easier in a game.”

Doubs is perhaps the best red-zone receiver for the Packers, and he keeps proving why Love need to go to No. 87 first when it comes to a crucial decision. During a team session, Doubs also hauled in a contested catch with Alexander in tight coverage. Later in practice, Doubs scored a big gain on what appeared to be a deep dig route, partly because rookie right guard Jordan Morgan stopped defensive tackle Kenny Clark’s rush. Clark had his hand up in front of Love when Love was throwing the ball.

5. Defensive end Kingsley Enagbare missed practice on Saturday due to a hamstring issue, which was a new absence. After bouncing back from a suspected ACL tear against the Cowboys in the playoffs—he never actually tore it, despite his own admission—the third-year pass rusher has been a camp standout. Under new coordinator Jeff Hafley, he will be a key rotational player on Green Bay’s revitalized defensive line. Center Josh Myers, a running back, returned to practice on Thursday after missing it due to a personal issue. Josh Jacobs, wearing a helmet and pads, took part in the kick return warm-ups but sat out the remainder of practice due to a groin issue that kept him out of Thursday’s practice. He claimed he could have practiced on Thursday.

Julius Peppers is legendary. pic.twitter.com/Sq6N4y2RcX

— Green Bay Packers (@packers) August 3, 2024

Quick hitters

• Rookie Morgan, who had never played right guard before, began at the position for the third practice in a row. He commented, “They throw me in there with Kenny Clark and T.J. Slaton, you have got to get comfortable with being uncomfortable, for sure.”

• Love used Aaron Rodgers’ trademark “guitar fake” play action on Saturday and seemed to have mastered it, finding a wide-open Wicks for a huge gain.

• Gary continued to be a threat to Green Bay’s offensive line in a drill that lasted four plays. He had pressure on the first, a sack (or tackle of Love close to the line of scrimmage) on the second, and a tackle for loss against the run on the fourth.

Linebacker Quay Walker showed great coverage abilities on many plays. On one play, he stuck with receiver Grant DuBose on a short crosser to force an incompletion. On another play, with Alexander in coverage behind him, he broke up a throw intended for Doubs.

• Following a mistake on a handoff between running back Jarveon Howard and quarterback Jacob Eason, defensive tackle Jonathan Ford, a projected seventh-round selection in 2022, had one of the more disruptive plays of the day. Ford would have destroyed Howard in the low red zone.

• Second-round rookie safety With his propensity for being close to the ball, Javon Bullard nearly had two interceptions on Saturday: one against Love near the goal line, which he was unable to stop, and another from receiver Jayden Reed on a stop route, which Love eventually knocked down before Bullard appeared to have established possession. Bullard is practicing with the starting group at deep safety and in the slot, and based on his agility, it appears like Bullard is most excited about live tackling. He claimed that in order to make sure he does not light anyone up in practice, he is received the “take care of your teammate” pep talk a few times.

• During a live tackling period, third-string quarterback Michael Pratt—a seventh-round pick in 2024—had two beautiful completions to receivers, Dimitri Stanley and Julian Hicks, of 24 and 21 yards, respectively.

• Sean Clifford, the backup quarterback, appears to be throwing the ball much more skillfully now than when he struggled to find the other team during training. When cornerback Robert Rochell dropped back and abandoned his flat route on Saturday, he had a chance to intercept the pass, but he was unable to collect a ball that was placed directly into his hands. However, Clifford seemed to throw the ball cleaner on Saturday overall, and he completed a few great passes including his best pass, a bomb down the left sideline to Hicks, which appeared to be dropped by Hicks with cornerback Gemon Green pursuing.

(Photo of Zach Tom: Stacy Revere / Getty Images)