3 Packers to watch during Saturday’s preseason opener against Texans
The Green Bay Packers kick off their preseason this Saturday against the Houston Texans. Earlier this week, head coach Matt LaFleur confirmed that select veterans would be resting, which means more reps for the young guys. However, the 2021 preseason is only three games, which means fewer opportunities for roster hopefuls. This year, every snap has more value.
If Family Night was a quiz, this Saturday’s game is the test. A lot of young players have been recognized for their performance in practice, but doing it in a game is more impactful.
There are a ton of players to keep an eye on when the Texans make the trip to Lambeau. It will be Jordan Love’s first snaps as a quarterback in a game setting since 2019. It will also be the debut for the Packers 2021 draft class, which features a first-round corner in Eric Stokes and wide receiver Amari Rodgers among others.
But for this exercise, we are picking only a few players that Green Bay fans should watch out for against Houston. Let’s look at the chosen three.
Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Braden and Jon Runyan have both spent time with the first-team offense. Yesterday, it was Braden, and today it was Runyan who started practice at left guard. With Elgton Jenkins kicking out to left tackle in David Bakhtiari’s absence, someone has to take over the left guard spot, and right now, it appears to be a two-man race between Braden and Runyan. Runyan played 160 snaps last season and held his own for a rookie thrown in the fire. Braden spent most of last season on the practice squad but did get promoted to the active roster for the postseason. It will be interesting to see who trots out there first when the offense takes the field. If Braden is able to beat out Runyan, he has a good chance of starting at guard when the season begins.
Green Bay Packers wide receiver Devin Funchess (11) runs off the field after Packers Family Night at Lambeau Field, Saturday, Aug. 7, 2021, in Green Bay, Wis. Samantha Madar/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin
Wide receiver will be one of the most competitive positions to watch this preseason. Guys like Reggie Begelton and Juwann Winfree are certainly worthy of your attention, but Funchess brings a lot of intrigue. The Packers obviously have the top of the depth chart basically decided, but there are one or two spots up for grabs. A guy like Funchess is someone who will be fighting for one of those remaining spots. He made some plays on Family Night but is still very much grinding for a roster spot. 2019 was the last preseason Funchess appeared in, and he totaled just 30 snaps. He will have to play a lot more than that this time around and may even have to contribute on special teams if he wants to remain a Packer.
DL TJ Slaton
Green Bay Packers' defensive lineman T.J. Slaton during NFL football training camp Wednesday, July 28, 2021, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Matt Ludtke)
Who doesn’t want to see Slaton push opposing players around? Everyone who has seen the fifth-round draft pick in practice can’t help but take note of his impressive stature. Standing 6-4 and measuring 330 pounds, Slaton remains the biggest guy on Green Bay’s roster. Recently, he has taken snaps with the first-team defense, which is an encouraging sign. At Florida, Slaton was known for his run defense, so he could help sure up the middle of the Packers' defense. If Slaton does play a decent amount of playing time on Saturday, maybe, he flashes some potential.
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