The Packers wrapped up the preseason against another regular season opponent, the Kansas City Chiefs. Thirty-six Packers sat out of Green Bay’s preseason conclusion. While it’s hard to gauge how the team looks when none of the starters are on the field, there was still plenty to like in the 27-20 victory against KC. 

Ty Summers & The Defense

Ty Summers is a man on a mission, and that mission is clearly greater than simply latching onto the 53-man roster right out of training camp. While Summers has impressed all preseason, he capped off a strong showing with an interception returned 74 yards for a touchdown. Summers has a huge opportunity in front of him with the injuries to Oren Burks and Curtis Bolton. It’s entirely possible that Summers is starting opposite Blake Martinez at inside linebacker against the Chicago Bears next week. 

Perhaps one of the best moments of the game was safety Will Redmond high-fiving Summers as the pair jogged into the end zone together. That’s a defense with some swagger and confidence having fun on the field. 

Speaking of the defense as a whole, the tackling looked better against the Chiefs than it maybe has all preseason. The Packers defense was wrapping up tackles or at least forcing the Chiefs out-of-bounds for short gains. That bodes well for the unit as a whole moving forward under coordinator Mike Pettine. In a defense that emphasizes strong tackling and takeaways, the arrow is pointing up heading into the regular season. 

Playing for the Practice Squad

Every preseason finale, a player stands out and looks impressive under the lights. Last year it was inside linebacker James Crawford, who stood out enough to even make the 53-man roster on cutdown day. 

This year, I thought a few Packers had impressive showings against the Chiefs. While I don’t think either player has done enough for a spot on the 53, I do think all three players are making a strong case for the practice squad. 

One of those names is Manny Wilkins. I, personally, (and feel free to disagree) would like to see the Packers only keep two quarterbacks on the active roster. That means either Tim Boyle or DeShone Kizer would be the odd man out. If the Packers keep Kizer, Boyle has practice squad eligibility and likely returns to Green Bay if he’s not claimed on waivers. If the Packers keep Boyle, Kizer does not have practice squad eligibility left and would have to look for a fresh start elsewhere. All that said, if the Packers do keep Boyle, Manny Wilkins is a name to watch as a practice squad quarterback. Even if the Packers only keep two QBs on the active roster, they’d at least keep one more in Green Bay for depth, and Wilkins is an intriguing option to develop. 

Keith Ford and Teo Redding are my two other offensive standouts for the practice squad. I think Dexter Williams makes the roster as RB3 in Green Bay, but Ford has done enough to warrant additional looks. He also plays one of the most injury-prone positions in football, so roster insurance is never a bad thing. 

Teo Redding is in the middle of a very crowded WR contest, and I don’t think he’d done enough before the Chiefs game to take a spot on the 53 from, say, Darrius Shepherd or Trevor Davis, but he’s still shown flashes of big-play ability, and the Packers tend to have at least one WR on the practice squad at all times. 

Safety Dance 

The safety battle is heating up between Will Redmond, Tray Matthews, and Natrell Jamerson for the fourth spot behind Adrian Amos, Darnell Savage, and Raven Greene. While Matthews and Jamerson still have practice squad eligibility, Redmond does not. All three players had flashes against the Chiefs.

Redmond, as mentioned earlier, made some nice blocks for Summers on his interception return and posted seven total tackles on the night. 

Matthews flew around the field and posted six total tackles with one sack. I will add that it was funny to hear “Matthews gets the sack!” over the loudspeakers. 52 flashbacks, anyone? 

Jamerson had, in my opinion, the weakest night of the three safeties and posted only three total tackles on the evening. That said, he’s listed as the fourth safety on the depth chart and had a nice showing during training camp, so it’s still anyone’s spot. 

There’s still plenty that could be done to bolster the safeties unit. I think the fourth safety is on the roster, but the Packers might think differently. And, any one of these players could be a placeholder until Ibraheim Campbell is ready to return from the physically unable to perform list.