GREEN BAY – On Wednesday, the Packers hosted the New York Jets for the first of their two joint practices at Ray Nitschke Field.
Here are five things we learned:
1. The Jets were anything but vanilla.
One of Aaron Rodgers' main trepidations about joint practices is how reluctant NFL teams can be to present any exotic looks to the opponent out of fear of exposing unscouted schemes.
Robert Saleh and Jeff Ulbrich didn't get that memo.
The Jets' first-year head coach and his defensive coordinator brought it during Wednesday's team periods, mixing their defensive fronts and blitzing with safeties and linebackers.
"They did a good job. They were really getting off the ball," Rodgers said. "Their D-line is good for our young guys to feel that pressure and that get-off from those guys. They've got really good 'backers as well. They're young in the secondary, so it's good for them, probably, seeing a veteran quarterback and me trying to manipulate them with their eyes."
In contrast, the Packers' joint sessions with Houston two years ago were drier from a scheme standpoint. Rodgers pointed out one red-zone period where the Texans continued spamming the same prevent call with eight dropping into coverage.
The difference this time is the familiarity between the two coaching staffs. Packers Head Coach Matt LaFleur is close friends with Saleh, while LaFleur's younger brother, Mike, is New York's offensive coordinator.
It also helped there were no major collisions (outside of one Jarrad Davis hit on Josiah Deguara) or unnecessary fighting between the two teams.
On the other side of the ball, veteran safety Adrian Amos felt likewise about the Packers' work against New York's offense and rookie first-round pick at QB, Zach Wilson.
"I think it went really well," Amos said. "It's great to play against somebody else, other than our offense, which we see every single day. It's great to get that work in, get to see different bodies, different skill types of things like that."
2. Royce Newman continues his push to win a starting job.
After rotating their guards with the ones on Monday, the Packers rolled strictly with Jon Runyan at left guard and Newman at right guard with the starting offense.
Newman, a rookie fourth-round pick out of Ole Miss, had been flipping between tackle and guard with the second-team unit throughout camp before rolling in with the ones at guard on Monday.
With second-round pick Josh Myers entrenched at center, this could be the first time in 15 years the Packers have featured two rookies on their Week 1 starting offensive line.
LaFleur plans to continually test them, as the Packers look to solidify their starting five.
"I told Saleh and those guys over there, 'Don't hold back man,'" LaFleur said before practice. "It's going to be great for some of our young players that haven't been in that situation with him before."
3. Jordan Love probably won't practice this week…
…but the Packers aren't ruling him out quite yet from Saturday's preseason game.
Love, who has a shoulder injury, was one of five players not practicing Wednesday, along with receivers Juwann Winfree (shoulder) and Chris Blair (ankle), running back AJ Dillon (calf) and safety Vernon Scott (hamstring).
"He threw a little bit (Tuesday)," said LaFleur of Love. "I think we'll test him again, but you probably will not see him in any practice reps.
"It's still day to day, but you know, we'll give him every opportunity (to play Saturday). We just don't want to ever put him in a situation where it could make it worse."
The Packers re-signed Jake Dolegala to serve as the third quarterback in Wednesday's practice, though Rodgers and Kurt Benkert handled all the snaps in team periods.
Rodgers and Benkert both won their two-minute drives at the end of practice, with Rodgers connecting with Marquez Valdes-Scantling for a 33-yard touchdown after a busted coverage and Benkert finding Equanimeous St. Brown in the back of the end zone for a 3-yard score.
4. Isaac Yiadom is no stranger to making quick adjustments.
The Packers announced Wednesday morning they had traded former 2018 second-round pick Josh Jackson to the New York Giants for Yiadom, a 2018 third-rounder.
Wearing No. 24, Yiadom was on the practice field Wednesday after he caught the last flight from Chicago to Green Bay the night before.
The 6-foot-1 cornerback has some experience in a comparable defense after spending a season with Vic Fangio in Denver, but otherwise is relying on the same instincts that allowed him to start 10 games for the Giants last year after being dealt from Denver on Sept. 3.
"Change is as hard as you make it," Yiadom said. "I dealt with the same thing last year. Last year, I got traded to New York and had to learn a different system there, too. It's my second time getting traded, so it's not that shocking to me right now. I know how to adjust to it since last time."
Coincidentally, Yiadom said he's good friends with Jackson, with whom he shares an agency. The two spoke after news broke on Tuesday about the trade.
While popular in the Packers' locker room, Jackson was unable to find his footing in Green Bay's defense. He reunites with former Packers assistant coach Patrick Graham, who's in his second season as the Giants' defensive coordinator.
"I appreciate everything that Josh has done," LaFleur said. "He's a great young man and certainly we wish him well. I've got a lot of respect for (Graham). I think he's a really good coach. But it'll be great for Jack-O to get an opportunity to go there and compete."
5. Yes, Adrian Amos really likes pistachios.
One storyline that has appeared out of thin air was the veteran safety's love of pistachio nuts.
It all began when veteran Jaire Alexander mentioned last month how cornerbacks Eric Stokes and Shemar Jean-Charles had been skirting their rookie responsibilities to keep the snack drawers full in the defensive backs' room.
Through that, it came to light Amos is a big fan of pistachios – which the seventh-year safety confirmed Wednesday.
"I used to take a lot of road trips when I was younger with my father, and I just got into pistachios," Amos said. "Everybody ate seeds. I had to go in there and grab some original – I only like one type, the regular salted pistachios."
