Tick, tick, tick.
Time is quickly running out on training camp. And ‘The Turk’ — who informs players they didn’t make the roster — is going to rear his ugly head soon.
The Green Bay Packers and Denver Broncos — who held a joint practice Friday — meet in a preseason game Sunday at 7 p.m. And there’s no question the game means more to certain players than others.
Some Packers are fighting for starting jobs. Others are battling for roster spots.
Here are a handful of players to keep an eye on tonight.
A.J. DILLON, RB
Green Bay’s offensive line didn't do Dillon any favors against Cleveland last week.
Dillon’s final stat line — 4 carries for 2 yards — wasn’t pretty. Much of that was due to shoddy blocking, though, as Dillon had 7 yards after contact or he would have finished with negative rushing yards.
MORE FOR YOU
“I mean, the circ*mstances that he was in would be hard for most backs,” Packers running backs coach Ben Sirmans said of Dillon’s performance against the Browns. “I mean most premier backs would have had a problem trying to get a first down in those cases where everything just closes in on you.
“Sometimes you’re just trying to find the right soft spot to hit at the right time and then see if you can muscle your way in and then you can see like in the one that he had, you can see him starting to muscle his way in but then everybody’s bodies got under his feet so he was stepping on actual bodies so he couldn’t really build up any more power to push it.”
Still, Dillon could use a big game, especially with Emanuel Wilson continuing to impress this summer and making a move to be Green Bay’s No. 2 running back.
Wilson ran for 67 yards on 13 carries (5.2) and scored a touchdown last week. Dillon could use a similar performance tonight.
ANDERS CARLSON AND GREG JOSEPH, PK
This really goes without saying, as the battle between these two is razor thin.
Joseph is 51-of-62 on kicks during practices this summer (82.3%), while Carlson is 49-of-61 (80.3%).
In Green Bay’s win over Cleveland last week, Carlson kicked first and made both of his field goals and his only extra point attempt. Joseph went second and made his only field goal try and his lone extra point.
We’ll see if Joseph gets the first opportunity to kick tonight in a game where any miss could be a killer for one of these two. While the Packers have invested a lot of time in both Carlson and Joseph this summer, they could eventually look elsewhere for their 2024 kicker.
“Greg’s an awesome guy,” Carlson said. “He’s a little bit older, a step older. He’s not maybe my older brother, but he’s been in the league so he can guide. He has good stories about the league, too. A lot of fun. You get to learn from him and he’s learning from me.”
KEISEAN NIXON, CB
Packers head coach Matt LaFleur said last week he won’t be playing his starters much. Whether or not Nixon is included in that group remains to be seen.
If Nixon does play, he could use a big showing.
Nixon, Green Bay’s nickel corner, is battling players like rookies Javon Bullard and Kalen King to keep that job and might need a big game to do just that.
Nixon took to X (formerly Twitter) earlier this week and told one keyboard warrior: “I’m the nickel. Get over it.”
Packers coach Matt LaFleur had a different take the next day when he was asked if Nixon had a hold on Green Bay’s slot corner job.
“We'll let it play out and … throughout the course of the season there's going to be competition,” LaFleur said. “We're trying to get our best players out there. The guys that give us the best chance to win, and there's nothing to say that you can't have multiple groupings as well.
“I know a lot of teams will do that, just depending upon what they want to play. Do they have a lot of different bodies in there. Some teams will have a big nickel or they get more of the safety body type in there versus their regular nickel, it's just however it shakes out.”
SEAN RHYAN, RG
When rookie first round draft pick Jordan Morgan left practice on Aug. 6 with a shoulder injury, it opened the door for Rhyan to claim the right guard job. Rhyan has made the most of the opportunity, too, with a terrific performance against Cleveland last week and a handful of solid practices.
Morgan returned to individual drills this week, but is unlikely to play tonight. So Rhyan could have a chance to strengthen his hold on the job.
“I’m just kind of expecting to play like last week and play pretty much four quarters,” Rhyan said. “So in Denver it’s going to be super important to recover and be able to make sure I can perform.”
Morgan, who played strictly left tackle in college, could still wind up as Green Bay’s No. 3 tackle if he loses out to Rhyan. Both Andre Dillard and Kadeem Telfort have had chances to claim that job through camp, but have been mediocre, at best.
“I think it’s going to take all of camp to let that play out to see where it lands,” LaFleur said of the third tackle spot.
SEAN CLIFFORD AND MICHAEL PRATT, QB
These young, inexperienced quarterbacks are battling to be Jordan Love’s backup.
Clifford, the Packers’ No. 2 quarterback last season, has had an uneven camp. And after Clifford threw two interceptions last Tuesday, Pratt — a seventh round rookie quarterback — began getting some work with the second string offense.
Clifford took most of the snaps with the No. 2’s Wednesday, but Pratt also received time there.
With Love sitting out tonight, Pratt and Clifford are expected to split the snaps. Just how they divide them remains unclear.
“Right now, the plan is probably to give Sean the first crack at it and then Pratt,” LaFleur said on Aug. 14.
