By Chris Havel

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Packers are counting on two things to ensure their 2021 season ends in a championship, rather than disappointment.

** No. 1 – Roster upgrades among the final dozen or so players on the 53-man roster to improve the team’s overall depth and ability to withstand injuries and/or COVID-19 outbreaks.

** No. 2 – Returning core players – especially ascending stars such as Jaire Alexander and Darnell Savage – to continue their path toward perennial All-Pro status.

It isn’t a reach to suggest the Packers will be better at every position.

Here’s a look at their current 53-man roster on the heels of the NFL’s mandated 3 p.m. Tuesday deadline:

** Quarterbacks (2) – Aaron Rodgers, the league’s reigning MVP, enters his third season in head coach Matt LaFleur’s system surrounded by better weaponry. In short, the Packers’ offense should roll.

Backup Jordan Love is an upgrade over Tim Boyle, who edged out David Blough as Jared Goff’s backup in Detroit, only to break his right thumb. Boyle will be sidelined six to eight weeks, while Love will be standing on the sideline watching Rodgers work his magic.

Love is an upgrade over Boyle on talent alone.

If Kurt Benkert isn’t picked up on waivers, the Packers are expected to sign him to their 16-man practice squad.

** Running backs (3) – Basically, the Packers have replaced Jamaal Williams and Tyler Ervin with A.J. Dillon and rookie Kylin Hill. Dillon is a more powerful runner than Williams, while Hill is a true running back (Ervin was more of a gadget guy) with special teams’ ability.

Rookie Amari Rodgers is considered a receiver, but his skillset should allow him to replace Ervin as the “jet sweep” guy in the attack.

** Receivers (6) – The Packers kept five receivers last year. The notable difference is Randall Cobb replacing Equanimeous St. Brown. Cobb’s ability to read defenses, play in the slot and collaborate with Rodgers will be invaluable as the season plays out.

Malik Taylor earned a roster spot with exceptional play in the preseason, but he knows nothing is guaranteed. He made the 53-man roster last year and started in Week 4 when Adams and Lazard were out with injuries, but there were no guarantees this offseason. Taylor’s contributions on special teams likely factored in the team’s decision to keep six receivers.

** Tight ends (4) – Robert Tonyan is expected to be an even better version of himself, which is saying a lot considering he caught 52 passes for 586 yards and 11 touchdowns last season.

Marcedes Lewis is a rock-solid veteran, while Josiah Deguara continues to impress after missing his rookie season with a knee injury. Dominique Dafney, the fourth tight end, is faster and more sure-handed than Jace Sternberger, who will be on the suspended list for the first four games.

** Offensive line (9) – David Bakhtiari’s placement on the PUP list is bittersweet. While the Packers want their All-Pro left tackle to return as soon as possible, Bakhtiari’s designation removes all temptation to bring him back too soon. He will be out for the first six weeks.

Until then, the Packers’ offensive line (left to right) appears to be: Elgton Jenkins, Jon Runyan, Josh Myers, Royce Newman and Billy Turner. When Bakhtiari returns Jenkins slides to left guard and Runyan returns to his backup role.

Myers is a downgrade from Pro Bowl center Corey Linsley if only because of the rookie’s lack of experience. The Packers believe Myers will develop into a top-flight center. Until then he’ll learn as he goes.

Newman burst onto the scene as a powerful, agile lineman. His size and mobility should lead to crushing downfield blocks in both the run and screen game.

The only question is this: How well does Turner hold up at right tackle? If he struggles the Packers could turn to veteran Dennis Kelly.

Guard-center Lucas Patrick, center Jake Hanson and tackle Yosh Nijman round out the position group.

** Defensive line (6) – The Packers kept five down linemen last year.

All-Pro Kenny Clark, Kingsley Keke, Dean Lowry and Tyler Lancaster all return. The changes are T.J. Slaton replacing the eternally disappointing Montravius Adams, with undrafted free agent Jack Heflin being deemed good enough to merit six down linemen. If Heflin proves to be an upgrade over Lancaster, the group may be back to five if another roster spot is needed.

** Inside linebackers (5) – De’Vondre Campbell is a significant upgrade over Christian Kirksey. Campbell (6-4, 232) has exceptional size and speed, plus he has been a healthy and productive tackling machine during his first five NFL seasons.

Rookie O.J. McDuffie earned a roster spot through special teams’ play. He joins holdovers Oren Burks and Ty Summers, while Krys Barnes effectively replaces Kamal Martin as the No. 2 inside backer.

** Edge rushers (5) – Za’Darius Smith’s back issues likely factored into the team’s decision to keep five OLBs, including the unheralded Chauncy Rivers. A rejuvenated Preston Smith and rising star Rashan Gary, plus holdover Jonathan Garvin, round out the group.

** Cornerbacks (6) – Alexander, the headliner, will lead a group that includes holdovers Kevin King and Chandon Sullivan, first-round pick Eric Stokes and newcomers Shemar Jean-Charles and Isaac Yiadom.

Stokes is an obvious upgrade over Ka’dar Hollman, and Jean-Charles’ special teams’ play is stronger than Kabion Ento’s. Yiadom replaces Josh Jackson in a Packers-Giants swap of disappointing corners.

** Safeties (4) – Savage and the underappreciated Adrian Amos are versatile, talented starters who set the tone on defense. Henry Black and Vernon Scott are quality backups.

** Special teams (3) – Punter J.K. Scott’s inconsistency ultimately cost him his job. The Packers sent a 2023 seventh-round draft pick to the Los Angeles Rams in return for punter Corey Boroquez, who lost his training camp battle with veteran Johnny Hekker.

Boroquez garnered some All-Pro votes while punting in Buffalo last season, but the Bills declined to re-sign him.
Mason Crosby is the team’s ageless kicker, while Hunter Bradley will handle the long snapper duties again.

By Chris Havel

GREEN BAY, Wis. –

One of the most interesting aspects of the Packers’ preseason was the way Matt LaFleur conducted it.

Clearly, the Packers’ third-year head coach took the lessons he learned during the NFL’s preseason-less 2020 due to the pandemic, and relied on that information to carve out his 2021 preseason plan.

The key takeaway is twofold:

** The Packers were less concerned with winning games than evaluating and developing players, as illustrated by the numbers 30, 32 and 31. Those are the number of player inactives in each preseason game.

** The Packers’ win-loss record (0-3) is less important than the overall plan, which includes plenty of time to smooth the rough spots between now and the Sept. 12 regular-season opener at New Orleans. Teams have an additional week between final roster cuts and the season opener.

This offseason LaFleur replaced preseason snaps with practice reps – a lot of practice reps – in a controlled environment. It reduced the number of injuries – especially traumatic injuries – considerably.

The Packers are healthier than I can recall coming out of training camp.

Now we’ll see how well-prepared the Packers are for the Saints in a game that’s on the road being played in front of a hostile crowd.

The hunch here is LaFleur will have them rarin’ and ready to go.

That is based on past performance intertwined with out-of-the-box thinking on the part of LaFleur and his coaching staff. Aaron Rodgers, Aaron Jones, Davante Adams and the rest didn’t need to play in the preseason to be fully prepared to wallop the Saints.

The Packers are 2-0 in season-openers under LaFleur. They beat the Bears in Chicago in 2019 and the Vikings in Minnesota last year. They were 3-1 through the 2019 season’s “first quarter” and 4-0 last year.

Rodgers and a handful of stars didn’t play in either of the past two preseasons, but they were ready at the outset. Apparently LaFleur extended the trust he has in those players to include a couple of dozen other veterans, thus the 30-plus inactive players per preseason game.

In the grand scheme, LaFleur’s handling of the preseason was thoughtful, innovative and practical.

The big question is this: Will the Packers’ offense and defense be cohesive and play together against another team’s No. 1 units?

By comparison, the Saints’ preseason featured a quarterback battle between Jameis Winston and Taysom Hill. Ultimately, Winston got the nod over Hill in the Saints’ shortened preseason due to Hurricane Ida.

Will the Saints rally around Winston? Will they be ready despite having their third preseason game erased?

We’ll see.

As for the Packers, in terms of preparedness, the lack of penalties (just three for 20 yards at Buffalo) and turnovers suggests they’re ready.

Offensively, the Packers’ concerns are few.

It seems likely the offensive line will be (left to right) Elgton Jenkins, Jon Runyan, Josh Myers, Royce Newman and Billy Turner. Starting two rookies (Myers and Newman) is always cause for concern, but once left tackle David Bakhtiari returns things should settle down, with Jenkins moving to left guard and Runyan taking a seat.

The receivers will be Adams, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Allen Lazard, Randall Cobb and Amari Rodgers, with Malik Taylor having an outside shot to make the 53-man roster.

Jones, A.J. Dillon and Kylin Hill will be the backs, with Hill handling the kick return chores and Amari Rodgers the punt-return duties.

The tight ends will be Robert Tonyan, Marcedes Lewis, Josiah Deguara and Dominique Dafney.

Defensively, the picture is a lot fuzzier.

The individual talent is exceptional with defensive tackle Kenny Clark, edge rushers Za’Darius Smith, Rashan Gary and Preston Smith, inside linebacker De’Vondre Campbell, corner Jaire Alexander and safeties Darnell Savage and Adrian Amos leading the way.

Young players such as Krys Barnes, Chandon Sullivan, T.J. Slaton and Jack Heflin will be expected to contribute immediately.

I liked what I saw from rookie linebacker Isaiah McDuffie, cornerback Stephen Denmark and safeties Henry Black and Innis (Thump) Gaines. I could see the Packers keeping all four in some capacity, either on the team’s 53-man roster or its 16-man practice squad.

The Packers’ defense under new coordinator Joe Barry is a mystery, if only because we haven’t seen the No. 1 unit together yet. Then again, neither have the Saints.

Barry has better talent to work with than his predecessor, Mike Pettine, so significant improvement is expected.

The special teams’ units under new coordinator Maurice Drayton is even more of an unknown than the defense. At least punter J.K. Scott and place-kicker Mason Crosby are experienced and capable.

The other pre-eminent questions throughout camp and the preseason were these: How does Jordan Love look? Did he do enough to give the Packers confidence he can be the starting quarterback next season?

In short, Love looked like an inexperienced, developmental QB with unquestioned first-round talent. He had a lot more good moments than bad ones, and eventually we’ll see how quickly he learns from mistakes.

It was encouraging to see Love bounce back from a sore right shoulder and play competitively against the Bills’ No. 1 defense.

“I think for the most part he’s done a nice job,” LaFleur said of Love. “Certainly these are teachable moments, and I think you have to experience those and go through those in a game setting to really learn from them, so I’m pretty certain that he will learn from those mistakes and hopefully he doesn’t repeat them.”

Love’s red-zone interception stood out.

“That’s one I’ve just got to obviously learn from and just dump that to the sideline right there and play the next play,” Love said.

“I just told (Love) that you can’t ever just risk it quite like that unless it’s fourth down and the game is on the line then certainly you can throw one up,” LaFleur said. “But we never want to take points off the board and those, the interception and then the one at the end of the half certainly could’ve taken points off the board.”

Love will have plenty of time to learn from it, preferably while he’s watching a Hall of Fame quarterback destroy the Saints in the opener.

By Chris Havel

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Kylin Hill has been one of the best stories of the summer. The cat-quick seventh-round draft pick from Mississippi State has laid claim to the No. 3 running back job in convincing fashion.

In fact, Hill has been so impressive that some fans have slept on the Packers’ second-round draft pick from 2020.

They’re wide awake now.

A.J. Dillon reminded everyone of his speed, power and pass-catching ability on the Packers’ opening touchdown drive Saturday in a 23-14 preseason loss to the Jets at Lambeau Field.

The six-foot, 247-pound Dillon accounted for 40 yards of the Packers’ eight-play, 75-yard touchdown drive to grab a short-lived 7-3 lead.

The Packers didn’t dress 32 players, including most of their starters, but head coach Matt LaFleur made sure to get Dillon lathered up. The hard-running back ran four times for 28 yards and caught two passes for 12.

He managed to intimidate Jets defenders in a single drive.

After last week’s abysmal display in the run game, LaFleur said the offensive line play – and its run blocking – was a point of emphasis.

The message was delivered and received. The Packers rushed 32 times for 135 yards for a 4.2 average and a touchdown.

Whether it’s the preseason, regular season or postseason it is imperative that players respond to their coach’s criticism and expectations. The Packers’ backup offensive line – with Lucas Patrick at center the only starter in the bunch – met LaFleur’s challenge.

Hill rushed seven times for 29 yards (a 4.1 average) and also caught two passes for 11 yards. Patrick Taylor, who hurt himself with a first-half fumble, rushed eight times for 48 yards.

For his part, Hill loves the opportunity to play for the Packers.

“Seventh-round pick, that’s just my daily grind, my motivation,” he said. “When I’m tired, that’s what I think about, just to prove a lot of people wrong in my life.”

The Packers’ running backs got to showcase their skills because No. 3 quarterback Kurt Benkert ran the offense with proficiency.

Benkert, 26, was making only the second NFL start (both preseason) of his career. He played like a quarterback who’s getting good coaching.

Benkert completed 18 of 25 passes for 151 yards, one touchdown, one interception and an 83.9 passer rating.

LaFleur was pleased with Benkert’s play in the loss.

“It was a great look at a lot of our younger players versus some of their starters, and I thought our guys went out there and competed hard,” LaFleur said. “But we made way too many mistakes to win the football game, and we’re always trying to win here.”

Benkert didn’t get the ‘W’ but he may have won the No. 3 job.

That’s if the Packers keep three quarterbacks.

Benkert’s second scoring drive was an impressive 19-play, 81-yard monster that ate up more than 10 minutes. It was longer than any of the Packers’ scoring drives from a year ago.

Benkert tripped over right guard Royce Newman’s left leg twice on the drive, but still managed to cap it with a touchdown.

“That drive could’ve went to crap but didn’t,” he said.

Benkert showed chemistry with reserve receiver Malik Taylor, who caught four passes for 66 yards (a 16.5 average) on five targets. Amari Rodgers caught four passes for 31 yards, also on five targets.

The Packers were 2-for-2 in the red zone and committed just three penalties for 25 yards in a game that was fairly clean. They also converted eight of 14 third-down attempts to keep drives alive.

Benkert took a realistic approach to his future.

“I feel like I’ve done everything that I could,” Benkert said. “I feel like I’ve put myself in a pretty good position, but at the end of the day, I know it’s a numbers game and I could play (poorly) and they need me on the 53, or I could play really well and they don’t need me and I’m on the practice squad.”

Jordan Love, the Packers’ No. 2 quarterback, could return to practice after injuring his right shoulder in the preseason opener. LaFleur said Love could return to practice as soon as Monday, where he’d do individual drills and possibly progress to team (11-on-11) periods.

“He has been throwing every day,” LaFleur said. “So we’ll try to get the volume up, the velocity up and the distance to see how he feels.”

The Packers’ defense didn’t fare as well against the Jets’ Zach Wilson, the No. 2 selection in this year’s NFL draft. Wilson completed 9 of 11 passes for 128 yards and two 18-yard touchdown passes to Tyler Kroft.

The Packers’ lone pass defended was by first-round pick Eric Stokes. Kabion Ento played well and contributed five tackles, while defensive tackles T.J. Slaton and Jack Heflin also were stout.

Slaton had four tackles (three solo) and a sack. Heflin had four tackles (two solo) and two quarterback hits.

It appears Heflin will be on the 53-man roster, and both should have roles in the defensive line rotation.

Otherwise, the Packers’ defense and special teams were outplayed by the Jets, who got a 73-yard kick return from Corey Ballentine.

While the Packers have been fortunate on the injury front thus far, there is mounting concern over edge rusher Za’Darius Smith’s status. One of the NFL’s premier pass rushers has been dealing with a back injury that threatens to keep him out of the Week 1 opener at New Orleans.

“Obviously he’s working through something right now and I’m hopeful that that’s not the case, as far as missing Game 1, but he’s dealing with his little day-to-day (injury),” Packers GM Brian Gutekunst said. “We got him there to see if he could get a couple good days (of practice last week), and then it just flared up on him again.”

LaFleur isn’t sure if Smith will be ready to go Sept. 12.

“I’m not quite sure when we’ll get ‘Z’ back,” LaFleur said Sunday. “He’s injured right now. I know he wants to be out there, but we’re going to be smart with him. He’s obviously a big-time player for us and yeah it definitely is a concern.”

Rashan Gary, the team’s top pick in 2019, also has been limited with a groin injury. Gary’s injury isn’t thought to be serious, though, and he should be ready to roll against New Orleans.

By Chris Havel

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Jordan Love looked smooth, T.J. Slaton was a beast and Shemar Jean-Charles and Kabion Ento staked their claims.

In addition, Devin Funchess played like a WR2, Kylin Hill and Amari Rodgers are exciting as the kick and punt returners, and safeties Vernon Scott and Henry Black displayed the team’s improved defensive depth.

Beyond that, it was all Texans in a 26-7 rout of the Packers Saturday night in both teams’ preseason opener at Lambeau Field.

All eyes were on Love for obvious reasons.

While Aaron Rodgers once described his future as a beautiful mystery, Love’s future was a mystery, period, with 16 months passing since the Packers traded up in the first round to take him in the 2020 NFL draft.

That might be the longest time a team and its fans have had to wait to unveil a first-round quarterback in any type of significant action.

Love’s gap between meaningful snaps was a whopping 567 days, according to ESPN stats, which is significant rust even for a 22-year-old. Given that, Love’s choppy performance should’ve been expected.

Love completed 12 of 17 passes for 122 yards, a touchdown and a lost fumble for a strong 110.4 passer rating.

The takeaway that matters most is this: Love showed a quick release, decent accuracy and eye-popping arm strength. When NFL scouts deemed Love’s right arm high first-round caliber they were right.

Love also was impressive in his ability to keep his eyes downfield even as defenders were flying past or clawing at his cleats.

Now, there is evidence that Love can play NFL quarterback. It’s only in the preseason, but it’s all we’ve got, and it’s better than nothing.

Rodgers was impressed with the former Utah State QB’s performance.

The two were seen talking along the sideline during the game. Afterward, Rodgers said it wasn’t advice so much as analysis that was the thrust of their conversations.

“I wouldn’t tell him a whole lot; I just like looking at the pictures and seeing if there’s anything we might have missed on the pictures,” Rodgers said on the Packers’ television broadcast.

“I thought Jordan did a really nice job. He was efficient throwing the ball, he took was there. The key for him and any young quarterback is footwork. And if you watched him tonight on many of the plays where he threw the ball really efficiently, he was throwing on the right hitch or no hitch, and that’s when quarterbacks get in a rhythm.

“That looked good to me.”

Packers head coach Matt LaFleur pulled Love after the quarterback’s right arm was hit by a defender while he was releasing a pass. Both coach and quarterback described it as getting “dinged” and Love later likened it to feeling “like a little strain-ish.”

“It was obviously just precautionary, but I think I’ll be ready to go next week,” Love said.

Love led the Packers on an impressive touchdown drive.

It was their only score of the night.

Love connected for six straight completions on the nine-play, 88-yard touchdown drive that was capped with a 22-yard catch-and-score by Hill on a perfectly designed screen pass.

To get there, Love:

** Hit Jace Sternberger with a 34-yard laser;

** Found Funchess for 8 yards on a hitch;

** Connected with Funchess for 15 more when the sixth-year pro made an outstanding one-handed catch;

Then the Packers hit for six on the screen to Hill.

Before and after, however, Love’s play was uneven at best.

LaFleur said the young quarterback just needs to relax.

“If there’s one thing to just encourage him to continue to do is just, ‘Hey man, you got to let that sucker rip,’ ” LaFleur said.

“When you see it, trust what you see. Don’t worry about being perfect. Don’t worry about throwing a perfect on-target pass. When you do that, you’re not as accurate. You’ve got to let the ball go, but by and large, I think he did a really nice job.”

For Love’s part, he was his typical even-keel self.

“I think it just gives us something to go back and look at and learn from it,” he said. “See what little mistakes we made here and there and obviously what things we did well and be able to build from it going to next week and do it again.”

Love’s debut featured enough “damn, that was pretty good” moments to see no reason to think he’s on the right path. Both he and Kurt Benkert (8 of 12 for 88 yards, an interception) played like they’re well-coached.

The Packers played just three starters: center Josh Myers, right guard Lucas Patrick and inside linebacker Krys Barnes.

The special teams’ play under new coach Mo Drayton wasn’t good. Aside from Hill and Rodgers as promising return men, and Mason Crosby being himself, the coverage units played poorly.

Several players flashed promise.

Funchess, who played in the Super Bowl as a rookie, caught six passes for 70 yards on eight targets. It included an acrobatic, diving catch that can only help his pursuit of a roster spot.

In fact, Funchess looked ready to contend for the WR2 behind the NFL’s top receiver, Davante Adams.

On defense, Jean-Charles and Ento looked like they belong among the cornerbacks on the Packers’ 53-man roster. Ento corralled an interception, and Jean-Charles looked fluid and aware while they combined for eight tackles and two passes defended.

The eternally disappointing Oren Burks played faster than ever, which suggests Burks is finally getting it, coordinator Joe Barry’s scheme is reaching players, or both.
Burks was in on seven tackles with a sack and two tackles for loss.

Safeties Henry Black and Vernon Scott were active while combining for six tackles, a tackle for loss and a pass defended. It’s clear that Black and Scott have progressed as backup safeties, another shred of evidence that Barry’s scheme isn’t merely sinking in, but to some positive effect.

One of the most significant developments was rookie T.J. Slaton’s sustained effectiveness in the heart of the defensive line.

Slaton (6-4, 330) had five tackles (three solo) while losing some battles but winning plenty of others against the Texans’ interior offensive line.

Slaton, a fifth-round pick out of Florida, is expected to spell All-Pro Kenny Clark early in the season. Then, as his game grows, he’d likely be paired inside with Clark later in the season.

So far, there’s reason to think Slaton is the real deal at defensive tackle.

By Chris Havel

GREEN BAY, Wis. -The Packers’ Family Night Scrimmage was a huge success Saturday night at Lambeau Field.

No one drowned.

That isn’t to say some of the first- and second-year players’ heads weren’t swimming with assignments to execute, inclement weather to navigate and 34,835 fans to impress.
It’s a tall order in a single, weather-shortened evening, but players such as Kabion Ento, Krys Barnes and even veteran Devin Funchess managed to make enough plays to be noticed for the right reasons.

Beyond that the fans were amazing.

A little rainfall – ok, a lot of rainfall – couldn’t dampen their enthusiasm for Packers football. After the pandemic limited last year’s scrimmage to a small gathering of fans, they weren’t going to miss this one.

“What a great experience to have fans back in the stands, man,” Packers head coach Matt LaFleur said. “They brought a lot of juice, a lot of energy. I think that you don’t truly appreciate how much more joy and just how much more fun the whole experience is to have that many people in less-than-ideal conditions to show up for practice.
“That was pretty cool.”

There were no injuries, according to LaFleur, so the only casualty was the post-practice fireworks display, which had to be canceled.

LaFleur noted that he also had to forego several periods, including red zone, because the start was delayed by lightning. When practice did start LaFleur was told he had maybe an hour before they’d get washed out.

“Heck, we could still be out there,” LaFleur said at his post-practice news conference. “I got some bad information, but we did get to go ‘live’ (tackling) as promised, and we got a lot accomplished tonight.”

Once practice unfolded it appeared the defense outplayed the offense.

Ento made nice plays to defend two passes, although he whiffed trying to tackle receiver DeAndre Thompkins on play that went for big yards.

Inside linebacker Krys Barnes was active as usual, and his running mate, De’Vondre Campbell, flashed his considerable length and athleticism.

Clearly, the Packers’ inside linebacker unit is much improved. Campbell is a productive, durable player in his prime. He is what Christian Kirksey was supposed to be, but with more size, speed and length.

“He’s been lights out,” LaFleur said of Campbell. “You can see the instincts that he has and he’s very, very fluid. There’s been a couple instances in practice – whether it’s as a blitzer, whether it’s coverage – where (you can see) he’s a very good athlete.”

Safety Darnell Savage, Jr., made a juggling interception after Davante Adams bobbled a pass from Aaron Rodgers.

For his part, Rodgers’ accuracy, arm strength and swagger were on display. He routinely threw the football into a waste-basket sized net from 25 yards, and also did so twice from 45-plus yards.

Rodgers looked in mid-season form.

Funchess also drew notice with two nifty catches from backup quarterback Jordan Love. He hauled in a 25-yard grab along the boundary and also did a clever toe-tap along the sideline for another.

Funchess has missed the past two seasons – he sat out 2019 with an injury and opted out in 2020 due to the pandemic – so he’s anxious to get back to playing football and having fun.

“I got to have fun again,” Funchess said. “I’ve got to have fun with the guys and just put on a show for the crowd that was here.”

Funchess undoubtedly is in a roster battle, especially with Randall Cobb in the house, but he’s confident he’ll catch on. As a rookie, he caught two passes for 40 yards in Carolina’s Super Bowl L loss to Denver. In that 2016 season he caught 31 passes for 473 yards and five TDs.

Funchess appears to be in terrific shape, too.

It’ll be interesting to see how the receiver position shakes out.

The Packers’ offense was clean for the most part, although there were several poor quarterback-center exchanges between Love and undrafted rookie center Jacob Capra.
LaFleur seemed pleased aside from the unforced errors.

“There was a little bit of sloppiness … we definitely need to clean up,” he said. “Shoot, we’re a week away from our first preseason game, so that’ll definitely be a point of emphasis throughout the week.”

** Charles Woodson inducted into Pro Football Hall of Fame

Former Packers’ cornerback Charles Woodson gave an emotional, family-oriented speech Saturday night as part of his induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.

Woodson spent seven of his 18 NFL seasons in Green Bay, where he earned NFL Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2009 and won a Super Bowl in 2010.

In seven seasons with the Packers, Woodson racked up 38 interceptions, 15 forced fumbles, 99 passes defended, 11 ½ sacks and nine “Pick 6’s.”