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

Jul 31, 2026 05:54 AM - 1 hour ago 2

The Green Bay Packers held their 2nd training campy believe connected Thursday, different non-padded workout that lasted astir 1 hour, 40 minutes.

Here’s the good, bad and disfigured from believe No. 2.

THE GOOD

BULLISH ON BULLARD: Green Bay third-year information Javon Bullard played 64.6 % of the snaps past season.

“I played much arsenic a rookie,” said Bullard, who played 72.8% his first season.

Look for caller protect coordinator Jonathan Gannon to usage the talented Bullard much — and successful much ways — than erstwhile coordinator Jeff Hafley did.

Bullard could beryllium featured successful a hybrid role, successful which he tin show disconnected his sum skills, velocity and tackling ability.

On Thursday, Bullard made 1 of the biggest plays of the time erstwhile he forced a fumble aft a short walk to wideout/return ace Skyy Moore early successful practice. Bullard delivered a perfectly timed punch to the shot and knocked it free.

“It's decidedly a skill,” Bullard said of forcing fumbles. “It's decidedly thing that I'm trying to put successful my bag, conscionable watching guys, particularly linebackers. Like Fred Warner, I deliberation he's a pro astatine it. But really conscionable keeping your mind connected the shot astatine each times. I gotta get the ball. We request the shot arsenic a defense.”

According to Pro Football Focus, Bullard vanished successful the top-12 successful passer standing allowed past season. He doesn’t person an interception in. his first 2 years, though, hasn’t forced a fumble and has 2 profession fumble recoveries.

To thief amended his turnover production, Bullard took up boxing this offseason. While Bullard didn't do immoderate unrecorded sparring, he believes the hand-eye coordination from boxing will thief his timing successful forcing fumbles.

“It’s 1 of those things you really can’t explain,” Bullard said. “It’s benignant of for illustration boxing. Like, I can’t show you he going to do this and past you sound his ass out, you cognize what I mean? When he trying to get it really right, you sewage to spot precisely the constituent of the shot you punching at.

“I punched my ass disconnected past twelvemonth and I didn’t get thing out. I’m hitting helmets, I’m hitting everything but the ball. It’s really astir precision and accuracy. You only sewage a split-second wherever that shot is astatine its unfastened point, basically. So, that timing is impeccable. You sewage to beryllium correct connected point.”

ALL THAT GLITTERS IS GOLD-EN: Second-year wideout Matthew Golden had a tremendous training campy successful 2025, but a somewhat quiet rookie year.

He’s disconnected to a terrific commencement again, and hopes it leads to a large 2026.

On time 2 of practice, Golden had a 24-yard reception against Carrington Valentine and a 20-yard drawback vs. Keisean Nixon.

“I deliberation conscionable the experience,” Packers coach Matt LaFleur said of Golden. “He's been successful large moments, he's had immoderate large clip plays and large moments, and conscionable tin hopefully proceed to build upon what he did. Early indications are promising.”

Golden had 29 receptions for 361 yards and nary touchdowns successful the regular play past year.

Golden past had his champion crippled of the twelvemonth successful the Packers’ biggest title — a 31-27 Wild Card nonaccomplishment to Chicago. Golden vanished that nighttime pinch 4 receptions for 84 yards and a breathtaking 23-yard touchdown.

“I consciousness for illustration for maine it’s conscionable a small spot of what I tin do,” Golden said of the playoff crippled vs. Chicago. “Obviously I’ve sewage awesome teammates astir me. I had a mates guys make immoderate blocks for maine and each I had to do was make immoderate guys miss to get successful the extremity zone.

“But I’ve ever sewage assurance successful myself, everything I tin do, conscionable going retired location and having that onslaught mindset. I cognize whenever I’m connected the field, having that mindset, I consciousness for illustration I tin do a batch of bully things for the team.”

KEY RETURNEE: Veteran cornerback Keisean Nixon returned to believe aft missing Day 1 pinch hamstring tightness.

“I conscionable woke up and my (expletive) was tight, truthful I conscionable really wanted a scan,” Nixon said. “So they told maine I had to chill for a day, spell get a scan. So I was fresh to spell coming for existent though.”

Nixon, the Packers’ No. 1 cornerback, is successful the last twelvemonth of a statement that will salary him $6 cardinal this season. Some speculated Nixon was trying to make a connection astir his statement by missing Day 1, but he said that wasn’t the case,

“Nah, I tweaked my hamstring,” he said. “Like virtually waking up, it was sore. They conscionable told maine to spell get it scanned. They wasn’t really trippin’ astir maine practicing yesterday.”

JACK OF ALL TRADES: With agelong snapper Matt Orzech sidelined owed to a calf injury, halfway Sean Rhyan handled agelong snapping duties pinch aplomb.

“It was benignant of thing we were conscionable training past twelvemonth for emergencies, and what do you know?” Rhyan said. “I was told I was the backup, truthful I mightiness arsenic good beryllium capable to do it.”

Rhyan surely showed he tin do it, handling the snapping arsenic rookie kicker Trey Smack went 3-for-3 connected 25-yard section goals.

Rhyan said he didn't commencement agelong snapping until past season, but he’s been a speedy study and would grip those duties if Orzech went down successful a game.

“I was trying to not beryllium bad, you know,” Rhayn said. “But No. 1 norm is conscionable get it backmost there.”

MAKING SOME NOISE: Jonathan Baldwin, who spent astir of past twelvemonth connected the believe squad, is hoping to triumph a roster spot. Baldwin helped his origin by intercepting No. 2 backmost Tyrod Taylor precocious successful believe and returning it for a touchdown.

“It decidedly boosts my confidence, but I sewage do it again tomorrow, you cognize what I mean?” Baldwin said. “One play don’t specify me. So, arsenic agelong arsenic I’m being accordant and stacking days, that’s really each that matters.”

Baldwin, who played mostly information past year, has been the No. 2 nickel area to unfastened camp.

“I ain't going to lie, Jonathan my dawg, man,” nickel backmost Javon Bullard said. “I emotion John-O. I deliberation he's a hellhole of a player. I deliberation he tin thief us. I deliberation he's a sponge that's ever consenting to learn. He's ever asking questions and I deliberation he's a typical player. I deliberation he tin really, really thief us.”

THIS AND THAT: Defensive extremity Lukas Van Ness stuffed an extremity astir to Savion Williams for nary summation ... Defensive extremity Barryn Sorrell whipped tight extremity Luke Lachey and dumped moving backmost MarShawn Lloyd for a loss. … Earl Dotson (1993-2002) and Tramon Williams (2007-14, 18-19) were inducted into the Packer Hall of Fame Thursday night.

THE BAD

FROM THE INFIRMARY: The pursuing Packers did not believe owed to injury: near defender Aaron Banks, tight ends Tucker Kraft (knee) and Luke Musgrave (neck), protect tackles Jordon Riley (Achilles) and Javon Hargrave (knee), separator Micah Parsons (knee), moving backmost Chris Brooks (hamstring), cornerback Kamal Hadden (ankle), agelong snapper Matt Orzech (calf), center/guard Jager Burton (hamstring), and violative tackle Brant Banks (hamstring).

Banks was fixed the time disconnected for maintenance, and correct tackle Zach Tom is being eased slow backmost into the lineup aft offseason knee surgery. With those 2 starters out, the No. 1 violative statement was (from left) Jordan Morgan, Jacob Monk, Sean Rhyan, Anthony Belton and Darian Kinnard.

NEAR PICKS: Rookie backmost Kyron Drones narrowly escaped back-to-back interceptions.

On the first play, Drones put up a lollipop that was astir intercepted by information Murvin Kenion III. Drones past made an ill-advised propulsion that information Kitan Oladapo astir picked off.

THE UGLY

TURNOVER TIME: The discourtesy had 3 turnovers — which was disfigured for them, but besides highly charismatic for a defense that needs much takeaways successful 2026.

The Packers forced conscionable 14 turnovers past season, which tied for 26th successful the league. Green Bay besides had only 7 interceptions a twelvemonth ago, tied for the fewest successful franchise history.

On Thursday, the Packers forced 2 fumbles and Baldwin had an interception.

“That’s an accent for america regardless,” information Xavier McKinney said of creating turnovers. “Even erstwhile we person times we return the shot distant astatine a precocious level, we’re still preaching takeaways. We sewage the guys, too. That’s really why it’s specified a precocious accent because we cognize we person the unit to return the shot away.

“We’re preaching that now. We trying to get the shot retired whether it’s punchouts, whether it’s picks. Whatever it is, we’re trying to get the shot because we cognize we sewage the playmakers to beryllium capable to do so.”