Recapping sixth practice of Packers training camp: Matthew Golden shines
Recapping Day 6 of Packers training camp practices:
Injury updates
Receiver Dontayvion Wicks has a new calf injury and didn't practice. Running back MarShawn Lloyd injured his groin during Monday's practice and didn't participate Tuesday. The Packers believe Lloyd suffered a soft-tissue injury before he was hit by Nate Hobbs on Monday. Left guard Aaron Banks, who had a back injury last week, didn't practice, suggesting he really is day to day. Rookie receiver Savion Williams departed practice early.
Big things to know
While Jordan Morgan replaced Aaron Banks at left guard, Elgton Jenkins took his first 11-on-11 snaps of training camp at center. The Packers are easing him back into the mix, but Jenkins is progressing.
It's getting more and more difficult to temper expectations for Matthew Golden. On a 1-on-1 rep versus Carrington Valentine, Golden made a big-time adjustment of an underthrown deep ball and made the contested catch. Later, he got behind the coverage of the starting defense and caught a long touchdown pass from Jordan Love in 11-on-11. Love also found him on a crosser under pressure, and he drew two different penalty flags against coverage. The rookie is looking increasingly more impressive during the first week of camp.
Lukas Van Ness beat Jordan Morgan twice in pass-rushing 1-on-1s. Per Rob Demovsky of ESPN, Van Ness is 3-0 in the drill to start training camp. And the 2023 first-round pick has been active in 11-on-11 periods. Positive early signs.
Rookie defensive lineman Nazir Stackhouse continues to make noise. Twice during team periods, he produced a "sack" of the quarterback. The undrafted rookie has made notable plays during three straight practices.
Signs of improvement are also showing up for Ty'Ron Hopper, who had another active practice.
Xavier McKinney had a pick of Jordan Love in a team period.
Can Luke Musgrave be a playmaker in Year 3? He had a good round of 1-on-1s against Javon Bullard.
Matt LaFleur pulled Rasheed Walker and made him run a lap late in the practice, and he was not happy in his post-practice huddle. It's possible an intense, physical practice got a little too intense and physical late.
Matt LaFleur press conference
Brian Gutekunst press conference
What's next
A well-earned day off on Wednesday. The Packers return to the practice field on Thursday for the first of three straight days of practice, culminating in Family Night at Lambeau Field on Saturday night.
This article originally appeared on Packers Wire: Recapping sixth practice of Packers training camp: Matthew Golden shines

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
34 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Added competition makes wide receiver the position to watch at Packers training camp
GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Jayden Reed acknowledges that the Green Bay Packers receivers didn't perform quite the way they wanted last season. That left them plenty motivated to take a step forward this season, even before the front office selected two more receivers in the first three rounds of the draft. The additions of Texas' Matthew Golden — the first Packers wideout drafted in the first round since Javon Walker in 2002 — and TCU's Savion Williams have made the competition at receiver one of the biggest stories to watch around Green Bay's training camp. 'We've got so many different guys who can do so many different things, which makes us so dynamic,' said Reed, whose 55 catches for 857 yards last season led the Packers in both categories. 'I think that's always how our room has been. We've just added more talent to the room.' Christian Watson's eventual return from a torn anterior cruciate ligament will only add to that talent. Even with Watson expected to miss the start of the season, the Packers face plenty of hard choices in determining which receivers to keep on the 53-man roster. The Packers have enough depth at receiver that Bo Melton has spent much of the offseason working out at cornerback instead. Melton caught 24 passes for Green Bay from 2023-24. Green Bay's receivers also were garnering plenty of attention last training camp after the Packers made a late-season surge in 2023 that resulted in a surprise divisional playoff appearance. The presence of Reed, Watson, Romeo Doubs and Dontayvion Wicks gave Green Bay plenty of young talent, even if there wasn't a clear-cut No. 1 option. But they didn't show much improvement a year ago. While the various statistical services offer different totals regarding dropped passes, Pro Football Reference says Packers quarterback Jordan Love had 7.3% of his attempts dropped last season. Only Daniel Jones had a higher rate of passes dropped. 'Not to the standard, for sure,' Reed said. 'I do think we made a lot of plays, but we left a lot of plays out there as well.' They've been making plenty of plays so far in camp. Golden has been particularly impressive, showcasing his speed and demonstrating he has the traits of a future No. 1 receiver. Williams, drafted in the third round, is practicing as well after recovering from shoulder surgery that limited his offseason activity. 'It's starting to slow down for me,' said Golden, the No. 23 overall pick in the draft. 'It's starting to feel like I can go out there and just play and have fun, not have to think about what I need to do. It's just going out there getting open, knowing my assignment and alignment.' Some of the Packers' returning receivers also have made an impression. Doubs, entering his fourth season, has produced plenty of highlights. He caught a deep touchdown pass from Love on Tuesday and followed that up with another long reception in one-on-one drills Wednesday. 'I just love where he's at mentally right now,' Love said. 'He's playing pretty lights-out right now and making a lot of good plays when the ball's in the air, which is one of those things that's expected from Rome. He's done that so many times.' Mecole Hardman, a three-time Super Bowl champion with the Kansas City Chiefs, signed with the Packers before they drafted Golden and Williams. Hardman has made plenty of plays as well, including a touchdown catch from Malik Willis on a fourth down play Tuesday. 'It's a very competitive room, a room that's hungry, a room that's going to work, that wants to play, that wants to make plays,' Hardman said of the competition among the receivers. 'When you get a room like that, I think the sky's the limit.' That upside will become even more apparent whenever the Packers welcome back Watson, who has been the team's top deep threat since his arrival in 2022. Watson, who tore his ACL in the 2024 regular-season finale, says he isn't setting a target date for his return. 'I've been doing cutting stuff already, some route stuff already,' Watson said. 'I'm letting the training staff and the strength staff tell me what I got that day. I'm trying not to look too far ahead because then I'm going to want to push for more and more, just how my mind works.' NOTES: The Packers signed wide receiver Isaiah Neyor and placed offensive tackle Travis Glover on injured reserve. Neyor signed with the San Francisco 49ers in May as an undrafted free agent from Nebraska but got released Monday. He also played college football at Wyoming and Texas. ___ AP NFL:
Yahoo
34 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Roger Goodell explained why he doesn't think ESPN will change NFL RedZone
The deal had been rumored and reported for weeks, and on Tuesday, it became official. ESPN is acquiring the rights to distribute NFL Network and NFL RedZone in exchange for a 10 percent stake in the network. And while the deal obviously ruins any facade of objectivity ESPN has with respect to covering the NFL, fans are also concerned about what it will mean for the wildly popular NFL RedZone. RedZone — and its seven hours of commercial-free football — has been a staple of the NFL fan experience for 16 years now. And the last thing fans want is for ESPN to come in, replace Scott Hanson with Stephen A. Smith and load RedZone with ads. In an interview on SportsCenter Wednesday, Roger Goodell assured fans that nothing about RedZone would change. According to Goodell, RedZone would remain an in-house production for the NFL. Just instead, it will air on ESPN-owned platforms. Under that arrangement, ESPN wouldn't actually be able to change the content we see on RedZone. It would almost seem like ESPN is just simulcasting the typical version of RedZone. At least that's how Goodell described the beginning of this arrangement. Could ESPN slowly make changes to the product down the road? It wouldn't be surprising. But for now, it does sound like RedZone will remain the same viewing experience. That's good to hear. This article originally appeared on For The Win: Roger Goodell explained why he doesn't think ESPN will change RedZone


USA Today
36 minutes ago
- USA Today
Roger Goodell explained why he doesn't think ESPN will change NFL RedZone
The deal had been rumored and reported for weeks, and on Tuesday, it became official. ESPN is acquiring the rights to distribute NFL Network and NFL RedZone in exchange for a 10 percent stake in the network. And while the deal obviously ruins any facade of objectivity ESPN has with respect to covering the NFL, fans are also concerned about what it will mean for the wildly popular NFL RedZone. RedZone — and its seven hours of commercial-free football — has been a staple of the NFL fan experience for 16 years now. And the last thing fans want is for ESPN to come in, replace Scott Hanson with Stephen A. Smith and load RedZone with ads. In an interview on SportsCenter Wednesday, Roger Goodell assured fans that nothing about RedZone would change. According to Goodell, RedZone would remain an in-house production for the NFL. Just instead, it will air on ESPN-owned platforms. Under that arrangement, ESPN wouldn't actually be able to change the content we see on RedZone. It would almost seem like ESPN is just simulcasting the typical version of RedZone. At least that's how Goodell described the beginning of this arrangement. Could ESPN slowly make changes to the product down the road? It wouldn't be surprising. But for now, it does sound like RedZone will remain the same viewing experience. That's good to hear.