Colts Should Force the Real Green Bay Packers Offense to Stand Up

Joint practice in Indy should result in some much improved execution offensively.

 

 

We are hours away from Week 2 of the Packers' 2025 Preseason matchup against the Indianapolis Colts. If you're anything like me, you're desperate for some improvements after last week's RUFF outing against the New York Jets.

 

But despite that feeling of embarrassment, some of you may be feeling, there is hope on the horizon. The Packers have spent the last week mixing it up with the Colts, and there are signs of life from the Green and Gold; on both sides of the ball, I might add. However, I'd give the defense a slight edge in the race to be ready for the season opener.

 

Last week, I believe we discussed what the defense might be able to do, and I compiled some defensive "Big 3s" that were worthy of consideration for further examination. This week I invite you to take a look at the offensive side of the ball, where I do believe we should see some considerable strides after being MIA against Aaron Glenn's Jets last week. While I don't necessarily have any triplets this go round, there are a couple of notes here and there for each position group.

 

Quarterbacks

With the injury to Jordan Love, the "Legend" of Malik Willis will continue to grow. Seeing as he's already faced and won against the Colts last year, his confidence ought to be sky high. I know he can run, but PLEASE be careful out there.

Sean Clifford should get an extended look. I know he's a lock for the Practice Squad, but in this game, he is probably playing for a roster spot on a team other than the Packers (perhaps even the Colts themselves). Which means Taylor Elgersma needs to take some steps forward, as he most likely has no guarantees past camp.

 

Running Backs

Based on the Jets' game, Amar Johnson deserves the start. While Emmanuel Wilson, I'm sure, would love to run over some Colts, I guess that the signing of Tyrion Davis-Price is so that he can sit alongside Marshawn Lloyd and Josh Jacobs. Chris Brooks is probably the first man stashed on the practice squad (and probably already is), but Israel Abanikanda is going to have to produce, or he could find himself gone. Davis-Price should look to be the "thunder" to Johnson's "lightning," (similar style to Wilson but gets stuck in 4th gear) so I'm intrigued to see how they pair against an almost gutless Colts defense in the box.

 

Wide Receivers

I think we saw Matthew Golden for what....6 plays last week? Hopefully, he has grasped more of the offense, and we might see him play a full quarter with Malik Willis. But who I'm REALLY excited about is athletic freak Isaiah Neyor, possibly being paired with Will Sheppard, who is a smooth operator in the intermediate game. I know everyone is dumping on Mecole Hardman, but I expect him to bounce back in a mighty way. This entire WR Corps, minus Golden and Savion Williams, should still be on notice. Whoever is the most consistent at making plays deserves to be here Week 1 of the regular season. The Colts don't scare anyone in the secondary, so I expect at least four plays of 20+ yards through the air.

 

Offensive Line

I'm soooo tired of the "let's find our best 5" approach of the last few seasons. But fortunately for the first time since like, Tauscher-Sitton-Wells-Lang-Clifton, we know who those guys are. The first unit should be Morgan-Banks-Jenkins-Rhyan-Tom. The Colts were near the bottom of the league in defensive pressure last year, so I expect this unit to have no problem keeping Willis upright and creating holes in the running game. I would like to see Anthony Belton get some more work at RG and RT, depending on where Rhyan finds himself within the 2nd unit (not C, hopefully). My hope is to see Lecitus Smith on the 2nd team with Trey Hill possibly filling in for the 3rd team. Will Jacob Monk play at all? That's a valid question. Is it too early to call Brian Gutekunst's next "3rd Round Gamble" an interior lineman in 2026?

 

Tight Ends

Luke Musgrave better start catching some d@mn balls....

 

 

The Packers kick off against the Colts at Noon Central, 1 pm Eastern at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. Don't miss out as the 2025 roster takes some serious steps to completion.

 

#GPG

 

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Joseph has been an avid fan of the Green Bay Packers since 1997, citing an affinity for dairy products during his childhood and his favorite color, green. Born in Jacksonville, FL, Joseph currently is an Active Duty servicemember in the U.S. Armed Forces. Joseph considers himself a lifelong fan of the game of football, competing since his youth well into adulthood. When it comes to the Pack, Joseph is particularly impassioned about the NFL Draft and collegiate scouting process, and will contribute regularly on CHTV.com leading to that year's upcoming Draft. You can follow him on Twitter at @joeyreyallday.

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Comments (21)

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Snap the ball's picture

August 15, 2025 at 08:28 pm

Musgrave might be odd man out

He looks lost and not into it. I think he needs a fresh start.

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GregC's picture

August 15, 2025 at 08:37 pm

You could not be more wrong. Musgrave has had a very good camp and is easily the #2 tight end.

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Snap the ball's picture

August 15, 2025 at 08:40 pm

He doesn't separate himself like a number 2 should from Patrick and Sims. He should be a number 1. That’s the difference.

He’s a 2.5 Should be a 1

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Snap the ball's picture

August 16, 2025 at 04:56 am

Ok

I will put on my rose color glasses

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Snap the ball's picture

August 16, 2025 at 05:00 am

Ok I give maybe he’s a 2.

But a 3 for many other teams

Until he crabs it by the horns …

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Snap the ball's picture

August 15, 2025 at 08:45 pm

He’s a catching TE and not blocking TE…

..he’s a forgotten piece of the offense…

we have more receivers than an old Best Buy store.

How do we change that. 2 balls his way a game maybe 3?

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Snap the ball's picture

August 15, 2025 at 08:31 pm

I still like Walker Morgan Jenkins Rhyan Tom

It may be that has time goes on. That is the Best 5

Overed paid for banks.

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mnbadger's picture

August 15, 2025 at 09:53 pm

Couldn't agree more Snap.
Unless Morgan takes the spot away with great play, RWalker must be LT1.
I'm still hoping that adding Banks was like paying a premium for an older Benz.
An expensive and overpriced addition to the garage.
Must be dependable and available on game day to justify his $. Still too rich IMO.
GPG!

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Snap the ball's picture

August 15, 2025 at 08:36 pm

Walker and Morgan on the left side would be fantastic.

Jacob’s for 6 yards in his sleep behind that

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Snap the ball's picture

August 16, 2025 at 04:58 am

Watch as time goes on…..

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GregC's picture

August 15, 2025 at 08:44 pm

I don't think Clifford is a lock for the practice squad, and he doesn't look ready to join any team's 53-man roster. Elgersma may have a chance to pass him up and become the practice squad QB.

I don't think Jordan Morgan has come close to beating out Rasheed Walker at left tackle, but at least he has managed to get himself into the conversation. Now that Walker is healthy again, I think he is still a slight favorite.

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Snap the ball's picture

August 15, 2025 at 08:46 pm

Your correct. Because Walker is better….

Clifford I don’t think would start at Wisconsin,

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JosephR's picture

August 16, 2025 at 01:53 am

Given the expansion of the practice squad in recent years, I dare you to find a player who would knock him off. It would take someone pretty special (and probably more than one) being released from another team to eliminate Clifford.

Walker is maybe slightly better than Morgan right now, but Morgan's floor is probably just a tad below Walker's ceiling if you ask me. Let's also not forget Walker is in a contract year. The clever play is to start Morgan and then offer the team-friendly discount to Walker as backup LT money, rather than starting him all year and demanding a number he likely doesn't deserve.

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Zapato's picture

August 16, 2025 at 09:19 am

I don't think Elgersma is ready to play in an NFL game yet. But I do think he has a higher upside than Clifford. Do you stash two QBs on the practice squad? I'd like to see Elgersma against somebody's 2s just to see how he performs.

I really like Rasheed Walker, but understand your logic in playing Morgan at Left Tackle. Another question for next year is: is Belton possibly the better tackle in the future? I think he could be a pretty formidable left tackle as he continues to develop. Morgan might ultimately have a bigger impact at guard. Time will tell.

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Coldworld's picture

August 16, 2025 at 09:29 am

Walker may have a lower ceiling than Morgan eventually, but he’s already been consistently near elite in pass pro. His weakness has been the run game, which declined over his time here. That’s a heck of a statement to say Morgan is already there or nearly there. If that’s the case, the smart move isn’t to play Morgan at LT, the premier OL position. This isn’t some roster simulation it’s your QBs blind side. No team meaning to win benches there best current LT.

As to Clifford, last year they waived him with no alternative. This year they have Elgersma, who appears to be a guy with great arm strength but adjusting to the NFL game and an uplift in competition. It will be interesting to see how much we see of him because I think he’s done enough that they will invest They seem to like his potential but he will go to the PS if they keep him. It’s possible as a result that we see little of him this preseason.

As a third QB, neither are winning options this year most likely. If they really don’t think Elgersma can do enough yet, then maybe, but in my view they’d probably just go with Elgersma on the PS and consider bringing someone in if both Love and Willis went down or one was out for a long time, knowing neither Clifford nor Elgersma are likely to win this year.

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Snap the ball's picture

August 15, 2025 at 08:51 pm

The Bears Lions or Vikings will pick up Clifford to see what we are doing. The changes.

The Lions won’t because they really don’t care

The Bears wont because that would be an insult to Ben the new coach

And

I won’t mention the other team…….

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Snap the ball's picture

August 16, 2025 at 04:58 am

You must be a Vikings fan

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Coldworld's picture

August 16, 2025 at 01:38 am

This is the game for depth plus a few who need snaps due to prior injuries. It’s the chance for those guys that seldom get covered by media watching in practice. It won’t always be pretty.

It will be interesting to see if any CBs makes some noise and of course any WRs, but really any player can grab attention. The game might not be fun but watching individual players will be for me. No favorites going in: just want to see one or two at least catch my eye positively.

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JosephR's picture

August 16, 2025 at 02:03 am

I don't disagree with your take at all.

However, if I was MLF, I need the 1st team to show me they can execute AT LEAST two series before I start rotating folks in. The Jets are still stout defensively, but the Colts are the exact opposite. We should see the offense move the ball.

I would also like to see some plays made by CBs as well. I don't believe Melton dressed for Week 1, so I assume he's safe. But CB4-CB6 is definitely up for grabs. It would not surprise me to see Bullard get some Nickel and Dime work if nobody stands out.

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Coldworld's picture

August 16, 2025 at 09:40 am

With only Golden available of the WRs, I’m not sure I’d use this week for that, at least on O. Maybe the OL because there have been injuries there preventing it settling. Otherwise I’d start with all youth on D and the rest of the O. This is their chance to claim more time next week and serious roster consideration. We now have 2 weeks after the last game. I think with the chance of more back at the skill positions we may see starters initially.

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LambeauPlain's picture

August 16, 2025 at 08:04 am

More vanilla O and D from both teams where the final score doesn't matter. What does matter is solid execution , hustle, focus, no stupid penalties, no injuries and hope for a solid display on the field that shows the Packers are rounding into form.

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