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4 hours ago
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The fatal flaw Green Bay Packers must address in training camp
The post The fatal flaw Green Bay Packers must address in training camp appeared first on ClutchPoints. The Green Bay Packers are no longer a team rebuilding around a young quarterback. They're hunting hardware. They snuck into the postseason in 2024 and gave the 49ers a scare in the Wild Card round. Now, the Packers enter the 2025 NFL season with higher expectations. That also comes with far less margin for error. Jordan Love's breakout campaign erased any doubts about his future under center, and head coach Matt LaFleur has returned with one of the most complete offensive units in the NFC. However, for all their growth and momentum, there's a looming concern that could unravel it all. As the pads come on and the battles begin in training camp, one flaw stands out like a blown coverage on third down: the cornerback room. Urgency Fueled the Offseason, Questions Remain Do the Packers finally have a Super Bowl-caliber roster? General manager Brian Gutekunst seems to believe they do. His offseason moves backed that up with quiet conviction rather than headline-grabbing splashes. He reinforced the interior offensive line with veteran guard Aaron Banks and added versatile corner Nate Hobbs to help stabilize a reshuffled secondary. They also used a rare first-round pick on wide receiver Matthew Golden out of Houston. That gives Love a potential long-term WR2 alongside Christian Watson. Still, Gutekunst has made it clear that the team wasn't about flashy moves. He emphasized that they about chasing stars. Their moves were all about chasing championships. Of course, results don't come without talent at key positions. And in today's NFL, few positions are more important or more exposed than cornerback. Fatal Flaw: A Secondary in Flux Here's the brutal truth about Green Bay's cornerback room. It is, at best, unproven. At worst, it is dangerously thin. The departure of Jaire Alexander, once the heart of the Packers' pass defense, was a bombshell. That's even if it felt inevitable after a prolonged contract standoff. Eric Stokes, another former first-rounder, followed him out the door. What's left is a mix of high-risk projections and raw youth. Hobbs, of course, was the team's biggest free-agent addition at the position. He is penciled in as a starter, but he's missed 13 games over the past two seasons due to injuries. He has also bounced between nickel and outside roles. Keisean Nixon, a standout returner, now enters camp as the team's No. 1 corner. That says less about Nixon's ceiling and more about how little Green Bay has to work with. Carrington Valentine flashed potential in limited snaps last year. He has impressed in offseason workouts, but cornerback is a position known for volatility from year to year. Then there's seventh-round rookie Micah Robinson. He is a long, athletic prospect with upside. That said, he didn't face top-tier competition in college and will now be asked to contribute early. And if that's not shaky enough, no other cornerback on the current roster played a single regular-season snap last year. That's a risky proposition in a conference filled with elite receivers. Hafley's Hands Are Full Enter new defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley. He's a DB guru whose college defenses routinely churned out NFL-ready talent. Hafley's influence on the unit is already being felt, particularly with how the Packers plan to use their safeties to support the corners. Xavier McKinney, another offseason signing, gives them a rangy presence in the back end. However, who lines up next to him is very much up for grabs. Rookie Javon Bullard could see snaps as a nickel corner or strong safety hybrid. Evan Williams has also received praise for his play recognition and physicality. The plan seems to be to get the five best defensive backs on the field, even if that means unconventional alignments. Hafley will mix and match based on opponent and game script. However, schemes only go so far. At some point, someone needs to cover Justin Jefferson, Amon-Ra St. Brown, or CeeDee Lamb—one-on-one, downfield, with the game on the line. Right now, it's unclear if anyone on this roster is truly equipped to do that consistently. Training Camp Will Define the Ceiling So what must the Packers accomplish in training camp? They need to figure out who can cover. The offense is ready and defensive front is stout. The safeties are versatile. But if cornerback play doesn't stabilize in July and August, Green Bay's title aspirations could be undone by one fatal flaw. All eyes will be on Hobbs' durability, Nixon's growth, Valentine's consistency, and whether Bullard or Williams can mask weaknesses on the outside. Hafley's system is built on aggressiveness and tight coverage. These are traits easier drawn up than executed without reliable corners. Camp is where the depth chart will be carved. Matchups in joint practices, preseason reps against live bullets, and situational drills in 11-on-11s will all factor into determining who gets the first crack in Week 1. Looking Ahead Because if the Packers can't figure out their cornerback rotation now, they'll be figuring it out in real time. And they will try to do it while trying to keep pace in a loaded NFC. The Packers are ready to win. But if they don't shore up their cornerback room in camp, they might not even survive the gauntlet of their regular-season schedule, let alone make a deep playoff run. Championship windows don't stay open forever. And sometimes, all it takes is one crack in the glass for everything to fall apart. Related: Packers' Matt LaFleur reveals Nathaniel Hackett's return, with a twist Related: The $432.6 million boom Packers just reported
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4 hours ago
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Ryan Clark reveals what Packers' Jordan Love needs to improve in 2025
The post Ryan Clark reveals what Packers' Jordan Love needs to improve in 2025 appeared first on ClutchPoints. The Green Bay Packers went 11-6 last season behind Jordan Love. Despite that record, the young quarterback proved that he still has a lot of growing to do in order to replace Aaron Rodgers. However, Matt LaFleur and his coaching staff believe that he is the answer behind center. However, ESPN's Ryan Clark pointed out one part of his game that needs to get better this season. Love had a touchdown-to-interception ratio of 2.27. While that mark is far from the worst in the NFL, it needs to get better for Green Bay to have a legitimate shot at the Super Bowl. Luckily for the 26-year-old, he has plenty of time to settle back into LaFleur's system before the season kicks off. However, turnovers are a product of his decision-making, not his coaching. Clark reiterated how important Love is to the Packers' plans this season. According to him, limiting turnovers should be the quarterback's top priority this season. 'It's about protecting the football during the most crucial moments. He carries this entire organization's dreams in his right arm, and his decision-making,' Clark said. 'Jordan Love has to protect the ball while maintaining his aggressiveness at the quarterback position.' Green Bay gave Love and LaFleur a new weapon when they drafted Matthew Golden. The first-round pick gives the quarterback another option in the passing game, which will make his life much easier. However, the biggest key for the Packers to win a title is Love's continued growth. If he can become what Rodgers was in Green Bay, the sky's the limit. For now, Love prepares for his third full season under center for the Packers. LaFleur and the offense runs between both of them as they navigate through the NFC North. With an improved defense, Green Bay could emerge as early favorites to challenge the Philadelphia Eagles. In order to do that, though, Love needs to show improvement when it comes to his turnovers. Related: The fatal flaw Green Bay Packers must address in training camp Related: Packers' Matt LaFleur reveals Nathaniel Hackett's return, with a twist
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5 hours ago
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Packers HC Matt LaFleur reveals key to keeping all of Jordan Love's weapons happy
The post Packers HC Matt LaFleur reveals key to keeping all of Jordan Love's weapons happy appeared first on ClutchPoints. The Green Bay Packers have a lot of talent on their roster heading into the 2025 campaign. While head coach Matt LaFleur and quarterback Jordan Love will both play pivotal roles in the team's success, figuring out a way to keep all of their playmakers involved on offense is going to be one of the bigger storylines heading into the year. Simply put, the Packers may have the deepest wide receiver depth chart in the NFL. Jayden Reed, Romeo Doubs, and Matthew Golden appear set to lead the way, but Dontayvion Wicks, Malik Heath, and Savion Williams are going to command snaps too. Plus, Christian Watson will be returning from a torn ACL at some point. That could create some issues for LaFleur, but he revealed that he's hoping these guys will focus on winning games, rather than their own individual production. 'Hopefully winning will keep them all happy,' LaFleur said, per Rob Demovsky of ESPN. 'The beauty of our offense is you really don't know necessarily who's going to get the ball, and I think it really frees up the quarterback. He doesn't have to feel that pressure [of], 'Oh I got to get this guy the ball,' and it's really on us as a staff to try to move these guys around and showcase what they can do.' Matt LaFleur, Jordan Love hoping to help Packers take step forward in 2025 On the surface, this may not seem like a massive issue, but it is worth remembering that Doubs was suspended by the team last season after skipping two days of practices and meetings. However, the team moved past that, and the abundance of weapons should allow Love to play his best football, assuming everyone buys into LaFleur's system. It's going to be a learning process for everyone, especially when considering both Golden and Williams are rookies. Add in tight end Tucker Kraft and star running back Josh Jacobs, and the Packers' offense is in a great spot heading into the new season. And if everyone gels together, they could make some noise in 2025. Related: Packers' Matt LaFleur hands out never-before-seen punishment at training camp Related: Jordan Love addresses throwing interceptions during Packers' training camp
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a day ago
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Packers rookie Matthew Golden: 'It's starting to slow down for me'
After his most productive practice of training camp so far, Green Bay Packers rookie receiver Matthew Golden said he can feel the game starting to slow down as his comfort level in the offense rises. It's early in the process for the Packers' first-round pick, but the results -- including a big-time contested catch against a starting corner and a long touchdown catch during an 11-on-11 period on Tuesday -- are hard to ignore. "It's starting to slow down for me," Golden said after Tuesday's practice, via Wes Hodkiewicz of "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." As the thinking is slowing down, the big plays have sped up in frequency. On one play on Tuesday, Golden came free on a bootleg play and made a catch along the sideline. Later, during 1-on-1s against Carrington Valentine, Golden adjusted to an underthrown deep ball and beat Valentine to the ball, completing a tough contested catch for another big play. The highlight play came during 11-on-11. Golden ran a double move, improving on a route he failed during an earlier training camp practice, and got behind the coverage of Nate Hobbs and Evan Williams for a long touchdown catch from Jordan Love. The big play was the result of a young player improving in real time and a quarterback already starting to trust a rookie pass-catcher. Love said Golden has the type of "aggressiveness" in his hands that could separate him as a ball-winner at receiver for the Packers. But the biggest hurdle for any young player is usually on the mental side, and playing fast is tough when a rookie is thinking and not just reacting. It takes time before a player's assignments on every play are engrained, especially for a receiver in Matt LaFleur's diverse scheme, but Golden appears to be on the right track. If this kind of production is happening a week into training camp while learning on the fly, what could Matthew Golden be capable of when it all comes together? This article originally appeared on Packers Wire: Packers rookie Matthew Golden: 'It's starting to slow down for me'
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4 days ago
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Jordan Love evaluates Packers roster talent at training camp 'Back Together Weekend'
Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love provides his assessment of the developments made by his teammates since they have been at training camp.
