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

Jul 30, 2026 06:00 AM - 2 hours ago 1

The Green Bay Packers held their first training campy believe of 2026 connected Wednesday, a non-padded workout that lasted astir 80 minutes.

Here’s the good, bad and disfigured from their first time back.

THE GOOD

TUCKER KRAFT: The news continues to beryllium affirmative for tight extremity Tucker Kraft, who suffered a torn correct ACL connected Nov. 2 against Carolina.

Kraft is connected the PUP list, but said he believes he’ll beryllium activated “very soon.”

Packers wide head Brian Gutekunst echoed those sentiments.

“I expect … him being retired location sooner alternatively than later,” Gutekunst said. “The much activity he tin get pinch Jordan successful particular, moreover erstwhile he’s not fresh for the squad portion of it, the much individual activity he tin get done pinch Jordan is going to beryllium important for him arsenic he heads into the season.

“We’ve had a batch of discussions astir that, the timing pinch that. Obviously we want to beryllium protective. But the measurement he looks, you’d deliberation he’s fresh to go.”

Kraft was successful the mediate of an All-Pro play successful 2025 earlier his injury. Kraft started each 8 games he played 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).

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.

Both Kraft and the Packers would for illustration to get a agelong word statement done earlier the play starts.

“I deliberation the champion chance for Green Bay to triumph a Lombardi [Trophy] is pinch maine connected the section arsenic well,” Kraft said. “That's group nether the beforehand agency telling maine that and the value of america getting this woody done successful a timely fashion. But ultimately, for illustration I've said complete and complete again, I'm conscionable truthful grateful to beryllium a portion of this statement and I would for illustration to support it that way.”

MAKING STRIDES: Oft-injured moving backmost MarShawn Lloyd, who’s played conscionable 1 crippled successful his first 2 seasons, appears to beryllium patient and fresh to contribute.

Lloyd spent overmuch of his offseason pinch Dr. John Meyer of the Meyer Institute of Sport successful El Segundo, Calif. Meyer and his unit wished Lloyd was overcompensating while training his little body.

“He's the existent deal,” Lloyd said of Meyer. “I had to do truthful (many) tests, and he's seen really I moved and wherever I was overcompensating, and he benignant of sewage those places amended wherever I request it. So attraction connected a batch of azygous limb worldly and get my quads correct and getting my hamstrings right.”

Lloyd said erstwhile training campy began past play he was “uncertain” astir his health.

Today, he feels dramatically different.

“I mean, arsenic acold arsenic for illustration the spot of everything, yeah, my spot is simply a batch different,” Lloyd said. “A batch of azygous limb spot and conscionable beardown successful each aspects from the hips, everything. So I do decidedly consciousness a quality successful the measurement my assemblage feels.”

The Packers don’t person a proven No. 2 moving backmost down starter Josh Jacobs. And uncertainty still surrounds Jacobs aft his apprehension connected May 26 for home disturbance.

So it seems for illustration it’s now aliases ne'er for Lloyd.

“Obviously we cognize MarShawn's gone done his adjacent stock of things,” Packers backmost Jordan Love said. “To person him healthy, to person him retired location is great.

“That's a feline we request to person retired there, because I cognize he's going to beryllium a typical playmaker arsenic personification who tin make those large explosive plays successful the tally crippled and the walk game.”

MAKING HIS MARK: Linebacker Zaire Franklin, acquired connected an offseason waste and acquisition for protect tackle Colby Wooden, had an impactful day. The item came erstwhile MarShawn Lloyd made a reception and Franklin stripped the shot loose.

The only mobility was if it was a drawback and a fumble, aliases an incompletion?

“First of all, the crippled is astir the ball, truthful right, incorrect aliases indifferent, you return the shot away, past you did your occupation for the day,” Franklin said. “So that felt good, but I emotion to practice. My favourite portion of the crippled is practice. I'm (going to) make plays successful practice.

“You make plays successful practice, you make plays successful the game. I conscionable judge that, truthful maine and Coach LaFleur moreover talked astir it earlier today, for illustration I couldn't hold to get retired location and conscionable compete, get amended and thief make my teammates better. So it doesn't matter if it's July, May, August, mediate of December, each clip I'm connected the section I'm playing for illustration it's my past play and immoderate clip I tin make a play to thief the team, that's what I attraction astir the most.”

UPSIDE FOR O-LINE?: Left defender Aaron Banks came disconnected the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) database Wednesday. And Green Bay’s violative line, which struggled successful 2025, could beryllium improved this season.

After respective players bounced astir the statement a twelvemonth ago, Green Bay’s starters look group pinch the quintet of (from left) Jordan Morgan, Banks, Sean Rhyan, Anthony Belton and Zach Tom.

“I really for illustration that group,” wide head Brian Gutekunst said. “I’ve ever talked astir the versatility of that group. I deliberation we’ve sewage immoderate guys successful places this twelvemonth that make a small spot much sense. That continuity – hopefully we tin enactment patient – will use america moving forward.”

THIS AND THAT: Cornerback Keisean Nixon was retired pinch a hamstring injury. So rookie 2nd information draught prime Brandon Cisse joined Carrington Valentine pinch the No. 1 unit. … Center Sean Rhyan did immoderate agelong snapping pinch Matt Orzech (calf) out. … Undrafted cornerback Marlon Jones intercepted backmost Kyle McCord and went 99 yards for a touchdown. “I had been watching the guys successful beforehand of me, conscionable taking intelligence reps,” Jone said. “And truthful erstwhile I sewage in, I benignant of had an thought of what was going to come. The coaches called a bully play, and I was capable to conscionable make a play connected the ball, observe pinch my teammates astatine the extremity there. Good measurement to extremity practice.” … Quarterback Jordan Love had 2 rushing touchdowns. … Skyy Moore, known chiefly for his return skills, made a leaping drawback for a touchdown.

THE BAD

ALREADY BEAT UP: The Packers haven’t played a crippled since Jan. 10. They won’t put connected pads until Sunday.

Yet the pursuing players are either connected the PUP aliases the NFI list: separator rusher Micah Parsons (knee), tight extremity Tucker Kraft, protect tackle Javon Hargrave (knee), moving backmost Chris Brooks (hamstring), tight extremity Luke Musgrave (neck), agelong snapper Matt Orzech (calf), tackle Brant Banks (hamstring), cornerback Kamal Hadden (ankle) and protect tackle Jordon Reilly (Achilles).

Cornerback Keisean Nixon (hamstring) was besides out.

“I mean, you can't power who's available, who's not available?” coach Matt LaFleur said. “Certainly, the aesculapian isn't successful complaint of that piece, and each you sewage to, you person to accommodate arsenic a coach and effort to make it activity astatine the extremity of the day.”

WAIT AND SEE: Green Bay’s spot kicking conflict is betwixt rookie sixth information draught prime Trey Smack and chap rookie Lenny Krieg. But pinch Orzech out, the Packers didn't effort immoderate section goals.

“Obviously, pinch Matt retired there, it benignant of throws a wrench into immoderate of the things we wanted to do,” LaFleur said. “But you know, yeah, it's there's ever title whether it's astatine kicker, each position connected the roster. Certainly, you cognize we drafted Trey, truthful we decidedly person precocious hopes for him and understand that pinch each young kickers there's typically immoderate increasing pains that are associated pinch that, but yea conscionable want to push him to beryllium his best.”

THE UGLY

TURN BACK THE CLOCK: When Mike Sherman took complete arsenic Green Bay’s coach successful 2000, he held 51 practices his first training camp.

This year, Packers coach Matt LaFleur has 13 scheduled practices.

The NFL world has changed dramatically successful the past procreation aliases two. And today’s training camps are acold softer and gentler than the ones of yesteryear.

“Yeah, it’s really changed from erstwhile I first started and a batch of you guys were backmost location past excessively erstwhile we had the 2 practices a day,” Packers wide head Brian Gutekunst said. “Sometimes we had 2 padded days (practices).

“We had 1 successful the morning. We’d travel back, watch the film, eat lunch, get fresh for the 2nd practice, travel backmost that nighttime and watch the film. I deliberation we had an 80-man roster astatine that time. We had smaller believe squads arsenic we went into cutdown. So it was a batch different.”

The NFL’s corporate bargaining statement that was approved successful 2020 has severely constricted the magnitude of clip that teams tin beryllium connected the believe field.

For example, there’s a mandatory five-day acclimation play that’s required for players, wherever the attraction is connected meetings, aesculapian exams, and controlled beingness activity. Live interaction is besides prohibited during the first 5 days of campy and is constricted successful consequent practices.

The NFL is decidedly a safer spot than it erstwhile was, and that’s a terrific thing. The regular grind of training campy is thing for illustration it erstwhile was, though, and location surely aren't arsenic galore opportunities for fans to spot their heroes.

“The longer I do this, the much I support reminding myself of (former wide manager) Ted (Thompson) arsenic acold arsenic pinch injuries, conscionable trying to get done it healthy, but astatine the aforesaid clip knowing what you person to do to go a bully shot squad and really important this clip of twelvemonth is,” Gutekunst said. “So it’s changed rather a bit.

“I deliberation surely subject and exertion person changed immoderate things astir really we go. You spot the CBA rules person changed things astir really we spell astir it. But astatine the extremity of the day, there’s truthful overmuch worth successful this clip of twelvemonth successful coming together arsenic a team. It’s highly important. It really sets the reside for the full season.”