The Good, Bad And Ugly From The Packers’ 12th Training Camp Practice

Aug 17, 2026 01:22 AM - 1 hour ago 3

The Green Bay Packers held their 12th believe of training campy Sunday connected a sticky, 85-degree day. The believe lasted 2 hours, 10 minutes, conscionable the 2nd 1 of campy to transcend 2 hours.

The Packers are disconnected Monday, person an unfastened believe Tuesday astatine 10:30 a.m., and a closed believe Wednesday. Green Bay is past astatine Denver Friday astatine 8 p.m. (CST) for preseason crippled No. 2.

Here’s the good, bad and disfigured from believe No. 12.

THE GOOD

KRAFT RETURNS: Just 9 ½ months — 287 days to beryllium nonstop — aft tearing his correct ACL against Carolina, Green Bay Packers tight extremity Tucker Kraft took portion connected 11-on-11 drills astatine practice.

“I deliberation you could beryllium successful for a dainty today,” Green Bay coach Matt LaFleur said earlier practice.

It was surely a dainty for Green Bay.

Kraft’s first drawback successful squad drills came erstwhile he hit Edgerrin Cooper connected a extremity way for astir 8 yards, and the crowd went wild. Later Kraft caught retired routes for 12 and 9 yards, past he hauled successful a 12-yard touchdown drawback aft winning connected a slant route.

“Certainly, the effect that he has connected our shot team, not only arsenic a subordinate but arsenic a leader, is very important to us,” Green Bay wide head Brian Gutekunst precocious said of Kraft.

Kraft was successful the mediate of an All-Pro play successful 2025 erstwhile he tore his correct ACL against Carolina connected Nov. 2.

Kraft had been doing only individual drills successful believe the first 2 ½ weeks of training camp, but erstwhile asked precocious if he had immoderate hesitations to going afloat bore, he said, “absolutely not.”

“Gute and I person talked astir really he’s fundamentally protecting maine from myself because I’m each gas,” Kraft said of wide head Brian Gutekunst. “Like a tricycle, I don’t travel pinch brakes. It’s really conscionable helping maine found that mindset of consistency done a slow ramp-up and that’s it.”

Kraft started each 8 of the games he played successful 2025 and posted 32 receptions, 489 receiving yards and six touchdowns. He was the only tight extremity successful the convention pinch 30-plus receptions, 475-plus receiving yards, six-plus receiving touchdowns and an mean of 15-plus yards per drawback done Week 9. He besides became conscionable the 5th tight extremity since the 1970 merger to deed those marks successful the first 8 games of a season, joining Kellen Winslow (1980), Antonio Gates (2010), Jimmy Graham (2013) and Rob Gronkowski (2015).

After Kraft went down, though, the discourtesy wasn’t adjacent to the same. Green Bay averaged 27.6 points the first 7 games erstwhile Kraft went the distance. The Packers past averaged 19.8 points per crippled the last 10 games aft Kraft was injured.

A caller ESPN canvass that surveyed NFL executives, coaches and scouts classed Kraft arsenic the No. 6 tight extremity successful football. That mightiness not beryllium precocious enough.

After Week 9 past season, Kraft led each NFL tight ends successful yards per reception, yards aft the drawback (344), yards aft the drawback per crippled (43.0), yards aft the drawback per reception (10.8 avg.), was tied for No. 1 successful explosive receptions (12) and classed No. 2 successful explosive-reception percent (37.5) done Week 9.

Kraft classed No. 3 successful the NFL among tight ends successful receiving yards and No. 2 successful receiving yards per crippled (61.1) done Week 9. He was besides tied for No. 2 among tight ends successful receiving touchdowns and posted a touchdown reception successful 5 games, which tied for the NFL lead among tight ends done Week 9.

Kraft joined Paul Coffman (1983) arsenic the only Green Bay tight ends since the 1970 merger to person 2 games successful a play pinch 120-plus receiving yards. And his passer standing of 148.6 erstwhile targeted classed No. 2 successful the NFL astatine the clip of his injury.

“He’s successful a awesome spot,” Green Bay backmost Jordan Love precocious said of Kraft. “He’s been moving each offseason to get to wherever he’s astatine now.”

Which is backmost doing 11-on-11.

LET THE GOOD TIMES ROLL: Three days aft sparkling successful the Packers’ preseason opener, rookie kicker Trey Smack went 4-for-4. Smack connected from 43, 38, 33 and 28 yards during somewhat windy conditions.

In Green Bay’s 28-9 nonaccomplishment to Pittsburgh successful its preseason opener, Smack went 3-for-3 making kicks from 58, 38 and 37 yards. Smack besides made different 58-yarder that the Packers took disconnected the committee pursuing a Pittsburgh penalty.

Smack is now 27-for-35 connected each kicks, and his occurrence complaint of 77.5% is his highest of the summer.

“I mean there's nary mobility he's sewage the talent,” LaFleur said of Smack. “And it's conscionable I deliberation successful peculiar the kicking position, it's the consistency astatine which you do it.”

POSITION BATTLES: Green Bay has yet to determine connected its starting guards aliases cornerbacks for its Week 1 crippled astatine Minnesota.

On Sunday, rookie Jager Burton was astatine near defender pinch the No. 1 discourtesy and Jacob Monk was astatine correct guard. Green Bay gave Aaron Banks a four-year, $77 cardinal woody successful March, 2025, but LaFleur said Friday that Banks — who’s battled a knee wounded passim campy — wasn't a judge stake to triumph a starting job.

“I deliberation Jager has done a really bully job,” LaFleur said of Burton. “I deliberation not only him but Monk, and so, you cognize he hasn't been retired there, truthful it's difficult to say.”

Green Bay seems group to spell pinch rookie Brandon Cisse astatine 1 corner. Keisean Nixon, the Packers’ apical area past year, is battling pinch free supplier signee Benjamin St-Juste for the different starting spot.

On Sunday, Nixon worked pinch the No. 1 defense, while St-Juste was pinch the No. 2s. Nixon batted down a walk connected a cornerback blitz, but besides was deed pinch a 40-yard walk interference punishment erstwhile he tackled Matthew Golden.

“We person a area competition,” said Bobby Babich, Green Bay’s secondary/passing crippled coordinator. “That’s what we have. We’re going to proceed to move pieces around, each those types of things.”

On Sunday, LaFleur said: “We request corners that are consenting and tin tacklers.”

Last season, St. Juste had a missed tackle complaint of conscionable 3.2%. Nixon’s missed tackle complaint successful 2025 was 4.9%, but it was 9.9% successful 2024 and 14.6% connected 2023.

Carrington Valentine, a starting area past twelvemonth who missed clip this campy pinch a hamstring injury, had an unsightly missed tackle complaint of 21.3% past year.

“We’re not worried astir erstwhile your reps come, we’re worried astir what you do connected your reps,” Babich said. “That’s the only point that matters and putting together the champion resume you can. Competition brings the champion retired successful immoderate athletics and mostly what you spot is the champion type of that shot pinch the much title you have. That’s it.”

MIXING IT UP: There’s thing for illustration a training campy scuffle, and Green Bay had its first of the summertime erstwhile linebacker Zaire Franklin and moving backmost Chris Brooks mixed it up.

Later, rookie protect tackle Chris McClellan took moving backmost Pierre Strong to the ground, and violative lineman Travis Glover objected. Glover past shoved McClellan, and the protect lineman deed Glover successful the facemask.

Both sidelines cleared earlier things calmed down.

ON THE MEND: Packers that returned to believe were defender Aaron Banks (knee), protect tackle Anthony Campbell and cornerback Domani Jackson (core).

THIS AND THAT: Nickel cornerback Javon Bullard was retired of his stepping boot. … Wideout Bo Melton made a bully accommodation and hauled successful a heavy shot from Love erstwhile he sewage down Cisse. Green Bay’s defense was disconnected sides, truthful Love took advantage of the free play. … The Packers displayed their ‘Jumbo’ package, wherever Anthony Belton wad the sixth violative lineman.

THE BAD

FROM THE INFIRMARY: Here’s really the Packers’ wounded database looked Tuesday.

Not practicing: Edge rusher Lukas Van Ness (shoulder) and violative lineman Darian Kinnard (ankle) were caller to the group not practicing. Others included information Javon Bullard (foot), separator Dani Dennis-Sutton (illness) and moving backmost Josh Jacobs (groin).

Reserve lists: separator rusher Micah Parsons (knee), tight extremity Luke Musgrave (neck), agelong snapper Matt Orzech (calf) and protect tackle Jordon Reilly (Achilles).

THIS AND THAT: Left tackle Jordan Morgan dropped retired of believe for a bit, but later returned. … Anthony Belton, the projected correct defender erstwhile campy began, again took each his reps astatine tackle.

THE UGLY

TURNING IT OVER: Jordan Love had a brace of bad interceptions and Tyrod Taylor had a 3rd arsenic Green Bay’s quarterbacks had a unsmooth time successful the turnover department.

Love made a bad read, past underthrew Matthew Golden connected an retired route. Rookie area Brandon Cisse undercut the way and intercepted Love.

Later nickel backmost Kitan Oladapo — who’s playing pinch the No. 1 defense for the injured Javon Bullard — intercepted Love

Earlier successful practice, Taylor took a heavy changeable for wideout Kaden Prather connected a spell way down the correct sideline. Cornerback Jaylin Simpson stayed pinch Prather stride for stride, past hit the cornerback to the ball.