Where things stand in these 5 position battles after Packers close preseason with a win (2024)

GREEN BAY — Matt LaFleur had been asked specifically about the Green Bay Packers’ kicking situation, but his answer left little doubt that given the circ*mstances, he is glad there’s a church-and-state style separation of coaching decisions versus personnel decisions at 1265 Lombardi Avenue.

In truth, LaFleur is part of those conversations, but it is general manager Brian Gutekunst who makes the final call on such things. And whether it’s the kicking competition (between incumbent Anders Carlson and challenger Greg Joseph) or the backup quarterback battle (between Sean Clifford and rookie Michael Pratt), some difficult decisions loom.

LaFleur lumped both those situations together during his postgame Q&A session with reporters at Lambeau Field, acknowledging that the candidates all had “some really good moments” and then “there were some things we absolutely have to do better.”

With that in mind, here is a look at where those two battles — and three others — stand in the wake of Saturday’s win:

1. Kicker

The Packers’ summer-long competition among Carlson, Joseph and a rotating group of third candidates does not appear to have delivered a clear-cut winner.

Carlson seemingly was in position to wrap up the job — under the premise that a tie would go to the incumbent/guy in whom a sixth-round draft pick had been invested a year ago — until he pushed a 32-yard field-goal attempt wide right with 7 minutes, 23 seconds to go in the game.

It was the kind of miss that typified Carlson’s inconsistency, as heading into that attempt he’d made a 54-yard field goal and both of his extra point attempts.

Given that Carlson finished his rookie season having missed more kicks than anyone else in the NFL — he made 41 of 47 extra points and 29 of 36 field goal attempts, including playoffs — and missed a crucial 41-yard attempt in the Packers’ season-ending playoff loss, it’s reasonable to wonder if the team will look elsewhere.

Carlson, almost always accessible even after difficult games, was approached by a couple of reporters in the locker room but did not answer questions.

Joseph, meanwhile, made both of his field-goal attempts (from 55 and 36 yards) and his lone extra point.

“We’ve got a really good sample size, and then we’ll see what happens just around the league,” LaFleur said when asked how the team will make its decision. “Certainly, there were some really good moments. Both those guys went in there, hit a 54-yarder and a 55-yarder, and then there’s a poor moment there where we (Carlson) missed a chip shot.

“Again, a lot of good. Some we know we can be better at. And we’ll wait and see.”

2. Backup quarterback

In a departure from the first two games, Clifford and Pratt took turns under center, rotating essentially every two series. And as had been the case for most of the preseason, the results were mixed.

Clifford, who earned the backup job behind Jordan Love as a rookie fifth-round pick a year ago, completed just 6 of 14 passes for 53 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions (77.4 rating).

Pratt, a rookie seventh-round pick, was 8 for 12 for 80 yards with a touchdown and a bad interception he threw right into the chest of Ravens linebacker Trenton Simpson. Pratt then chased Simpson on his return and tried an ill-advised tackle, knocking the wind out of himself on the play and getting a gentle reminder from LaFleur not to take such risks.

“Pratt looked like he was a flyer on punt (coverage) going after the guy that picked off the ball,” LaFleur said, shaking his head. “That was a good lesson for him. You don’t have to go like you’re running down on kickoff to make that tackle.”

The greater issue is the looming question of whether a team with Super Bowl aspirations can entrust the backup job to either of these two youngsters or if Gutekunst needs to seek out a veteran to be the primary backup.

“It’s similar to the kicking competition in terms of, there were some really good moments and then there were some things we absolutely have to do better, and then we’ll evaluate everything that’s out there for us,” LaFleur said.

“I thought they competed hard. I thought they did, for the most part, what we asked them to do. There’s a couple throws you always want to have back.”

3. Running back

With starter Josh Jacobs among the Packers’ thirtysomething healthy scratches — meaning his preseason game action, like Love, consisted of three snaps against the Cleveland Browns in the Aug. 10 exhibition opener — and AJ Dillon (stinger) and rookie third-round pick MarShawn Lloyd (hamstring) both sidelined with injuries, the Packers’ running back pecking order is perhaps the cloudiest spot on the depth chart.

Emanuel Wilson did his best to stake his claim to one of the roster spots, carrying 11 times for 52 yards (a 4.7-yard average), while the Packers’ other two active running backs, Ellis Merriweather (16 carries, 74 yards) and Nate McCrary (11 carries, 64 yards) also had their moments against the Ravens’ backups.

Wilson, who made the team as an undrafted rookie free agent a year ago and led the team in rushing for the second straight preseason (37 carries for 160 yards and a touchdown), seems likely to be on the 53-man roster in some form.

“I felt like I put in good work,” Wilson said. “I just control what I can. I put everything in God’s hands.”

4. Offensive line

The Packers’ preferred starting five up front, at this point in camp and likely for the Sept. 6 regular-season opener against the Philadelphia Eagles in São Paulo, Brazil, consists of Rasheed Walker at left tackle, Elgton Jenkins at left guard, Josh Myers at center, Zach Tom at right tackle and either rookie first-round pick Jordan Morgan or third-year man Sean Rhyan at right guard.

All six of them spent the game watching from the sideline after going through pregame warmups.

The competition wasn’t really amongst them, anyway, especially since the coaching staff appears comfortable with Morgan or Rhyan starting.

The issue was figuring out how to cobble together an effective bunch of backups, especially with veteran tackle Andre Dillard, who had been the leader in the clubhouse for the swing tackle job before sustaining a shoulder injury against Denver last Sunday, sitting out.

The Packers’ starting line was Kadeem Telfort at left tackle, Lecitus Smith at left guard, rookie fifth-round pick Jacob Monk at center, Royce Newman at right guard and rookie sixth-round pick Travis Glover at right tackle.

Like Dillard, Telfort has gotten extensive work at both tackle spots while Glover has mostly played right tackle and Caleb Jones, who replaced Telfort during the second quarter, has been mostly at left tackle. Luke Tenuta, who took over for Glover, has played right tackle and right guard for most of camp.

Asked if Dillard’s injury has complicated that decision, LaFleur replied, “There’s some tough decisions looming, and you’ve just got to go off what you have in terms of evaluation.”

5. Linebacker

With starters Quay Walker, Isaiah McDuffie and Eric Wilson all inactive, and rookie second-round pick Edgerrin Cooper still not playing in games or participating in 11-on-11 periods of practice, veteran Kristian Welch has made a very convincing case for a roster spot — and for more than just special-teams purposes.

Welch tied for the team lead in tackles on Saturday (five) and now has been involved in a turnover play in all three preseason games — recovering a fumble in the opener and intercepting passes in each of the last two games. On Saturday, he baited Ravens No. 3 quarterback Devin Leary into an INT during the third quarter.

“He’s just a smart, tough, physical player,” LaFleur said.

“I thought the interception that he had was an outstanding play.”

For Welch, an Iola native who played collegiately at Iowa and saw action in 14 games (including playoffs) last year after joining the Packers following his release by the Ravens, it was an unforgettable day regardless of what happens when Tuesday’s cutdown deadline arrives.

“I love Green Bay. I have the utmost respect for the staff and the organization here,” Welch said.

“Obviously, I want to make this team. That’s been my focus. All the work’s really been done now. So, the ball’s in their court.”