GREEN BAY – The Packers open the 2024 preseason Saturday in Cleveland. Here's what to watch for.
Get in, get out: Head Coach Matt LaFleur has said the starters will play on both sides of the ball, and the goal is for the offense and defense to execute well and exit healthy.
Jordan Love & Co. won't have starting right tackle Zach Tom but will look to put together a productive drive (or two) and get points on the board. Meanwhile new coordinator Jeff Hafley's defense would like to make a good, if brief, first impression in its debut.
The reason for the approach is to have the starters go through an entire warmup to physically and mentally prepare to play a game, even if their actual game time is short.
Safety dance: The competition to start alongside veteran Xavier McKinney remains open, and all the Packers' young candidates – rookie draft picks Javon Bullard and Evan Williams, along with 2023 seventh-round pick Anthony Johnson Jr. – have had their moments in training camp.
All three should expect a good chunk of playing time, and which one(s) can carry over their big plays from the practice field to the game will help define the pecking order.
Building depth: In Tom's absence through the first two weeks of camp, the Packers used Andre Dillard, Kadeem Telfort and Caleb Jones at right tackle with the starting offensive line. No one has yet emerged, though, as the next man up at tackle and these preseason games will be used to sort out that depth up front.
New kickoff: The Packers, along with everyone else in the league, will be getting their first live reps at the modified kickoff implemented in the NFL this season. It'll require ongoing adjustment as the live action is executed and reviewed, but every team has to start somewhere.
More kicks: Speaking of kicking, there's been little separation in camp thus far between Anders Carlson and Greg Joseph, and another third candidate has entered the mix in Alex Hale. Nothing was revealed in advance relative to how the kicking reps will be divvied up, but the spotlight on the competition gets a little brighter now.
