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Green Bay Packers cornerback Keisean Nixon catches a pass during a distraction drill at training camp on Wednesday. Tork Mason / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Everything That Happened at Practice 11 of Packers Training Camp

Originally posted on Green Bay Packers on SI
By Bill Huber | Last updated Aug 6, 2025 6:19 PM ET

Similar to Saturday’s Family Night practice, the defense smothered the offense on Wednesday at Green Bay Packers training camp.

Usually, the starters face the starters, the No. 2s battle the No. 2s and the backups square off against the backups. However, during one period, it was Green Bay’s starting offense and top backups competing against a defense consisting of No. 2s and even some No. 3s. Jordan Love completed a couple passes for first downs but even that drive stalled. On third-and-5, Love’s perfect deep ball up the sideline to Mecole Hardman was pried loose by Corey Ballentine, who was signed a day earlier, for the stop.

Xavier McKinney, who got to watch it all from the sideline, ran out yelling congratulations and exchanging high-fives with the defense.

When it was starters vs. starters, there was a drill in which the offense started near its goal line, with a goal of getting two first downs. The offense didn’t get any first downs.

On the first play, Lukas Van Ness got past Jordan Morgan for a sack. That set up a third-and-9 in which Love threw behind Josh Jacobs.

Given a mulligan, the offense got another opportunity. On third-and-3, Love’s throw over the middle to Jayden Reed was almost intercepted by Isaiah McDuffie. Given another mulligan, the offense faced a third-and-9. Love surveyed the field before throwing a pass to Tucker Kraft, which was broken up by Edgerrin Cooper.

“Oh man, off this roof, man,” defensive end Rashan Gary said of the defense’s potential. “Coming back to OTAs, going through camp, I know everybody in here can feel the difference. Y’all can probably see the difference in how confident everybody is, getting to the ball, communicating and, shoot, that’s what it is going into Year 2. More confidence and now I just can’t wait to really go against somebody else and really put it to fruition.”

Jordan Love’s Day

Jordan Love was 15-of-22 passing, though the numbers don’t really tell the story.

Love’s first three incompletions were intentional throwaways because nobody was open and the pass rush was strong. One of the completions was a screen to Tucker Kraft, which didn’t gain any yards because Kingsley Enagbare was there for the stop.

During his second series of snaps, Love completed a pass to Kraft to convert a third-and-9. However, a checkdown to Josh Jacobs was stopped quickly by Xavier McKinney, a quick pass to running back Chris Brooks was blown up by Keisean Nixon, who beat the block of Malik Heath, and Lukas Van Ness, of all people, held Kraft to a minimal gain.

Finally, in the red zone against the starters, Love was 3-of-3. After a short gain to Luke Musgrave and a third-down conversion to Kraft, Love found Romeo Doubs streaking through the middle of the end zone for a touchdown against Carrington Valentine.

“I think we’re in a good place,” Love said. “I think we’ve done a lot of really good things, made some pretty cool plays out there on the practice field. I think it gets old going against the defense every single day. We’re ready to go play somebody else, see some different looks, see some different guys on the other side.

“I think that’ll be the fun test is once we get into these preseason games and these joint practices to be able to see how we shake up against some other teams. How we go out there and perform against different looks, things that we haven’t been going against every day, that’ll be the test.”

Player of the Day: Edgerrin Cooper

Coming off a blockbuster rookie season in which he posted elite numbers even while playing less than half the defensive snaps, linebacker Edgerrin Cooper continued his superb training camp on Monday.

No. 56 is a blur. Run or pass, he just plays at a different gear.

On an early bootleg, Cooper was practically in Jordan Love’s face before Love completed the fake. Later, he blitzed off the right edge and swatted aside Malik Willis’ path. Late in the practice, on the aforementioned pass breakup to Tucker Kraft, Cooper deflected the pass with authority, almost as if he was annoyed that Love would bother throwing the pass.

“Cooper, he’s a really good linebacker,” Love said. “You guys seen it last year but I think the speed he has and the more he’s able to dissect plays, it’s hard for these O-line on run plays to be able to get to him sometimes because he’s so quick. He’s a really good player. I think the more he keeps playing, he’s going to keep getting better and better.”

Play of the Day: Malik Willis

Malik Willis is the king of the funky arm angles. On his fourth play of the day, defensive end Brenton Cox sprinted into the backfield untouched. In the blink of an eye, Willis’ pump fake got Cox to jump in the air and Willis dropped sidearm to complete a pass to Ben Sims.

“I played baseball and I'm not 6-7,” Willis said, “so you got to find a way to get it to who we want to get it to and that’s, more than anything, the plan. But it’s just trying to find that angle, find that lane that we can get the ball out.”

Packers Injury Updates

New injuries: DT Warren Brinson (unknown), DT Karl Brooks (unknown).

Old injuries: WR Christian Watson (knee), WR Dontayvion Wicks (calf), CB Nate Hobbs (knee), RB Emanuel Wilson (knee), RB MarShawn Lloyd (groin), CB Kamal Hadden (hip), linebacker Collin Oliver (hamstring), DE Arron Mosby (groin), LT Rasheed Walker (groin), offensive lineman John Williams (back), G/T Travis Glover (shoulder).

Returning from injuries: TE Messian Swinson (illness).

While Walker and Mosby were back on the practice field, they were limited to individual drills and time with a trainer.

Brooks was injured during the one-on-ones in a battle against guard Sean Rhyan and Brinson went down during team drills. With two members of their eight-man defensive tackle core out of practice, there were more chances for Colby Wooden, Nazir Stackhouse, Keith Randolph and James Ester. Even rookie defensive end Barryn Sorrell took some snaps at defensive tackle.

After practice, the team placed Glover on injured reserve.

Packers Practice Highlights

- During one-on-ones, Keisean Nixon went 2-1 against Matthew Golden. First, Nixon broke up a pass on a deep corner route. Second, he broke up a pass on a bomb. Finally, Golden beat Nixon on a slant and showed physicality to hold onto the ball. It was a fantastic day for Nixon.

- Sticking with one-on-ones, Carrington Valentine broke up a pass to Romeo Doubs; later, Doubs won on a deep ball for a big gain. Javon Bullard had a great rep against Mecole Hardman on an out-breaking route but Hardman later won deep. Bo Melton intercepted a wobbly pass by Sean Clifford.

- Early in 11-on-11, running plays went nowhere because of Nazir Stackhouse and Zayne Anderson on one play before tackles for losses by Ty’Ron Hopper and Kingsley Enagbare.

- When it was starters vs. starters, Kenny Clark stopped Josh Jacobs at the line of scrimmage and Lukas Van Ness plowed through John FitzPatrick to stop Jacobs, as well.

- A little later, Jacobs tried to bounce a run around the corner but Nixon closed quickly to stop the play at the line. Some pushing and shoving ensued.

- It wasn’t a great day for Jordan Morgan in his quest to beat out Rasheed Walker at left tackle. He was guilty of a false start early in practice and was benched and Gary beat him on a pass rush.

- Rookie running back Amar Johnson is fast. He caught a checkdown, hit the gas and split two defenders.

- Rookie receiver Matthew Golden is fast. He did the same thing, catching a short pass and accelerating between two defenders.

- During one three-play sequence, Edgerrin Cooper batted down a pass, Lukas Van Ness swallowed up a run and Rashan Gary batted down a pass.

- On third-and-3, receiver Julian Hicks showed off every bit of his 36.5-inch vertical jump for a leaping catch of a slant from Willis. Hicks added a big gain on a slant moments later. He initially bobbled the ball but held on and accelerated upfield.

- The final sequence was a brief red-zone period. After Love’s aforementioned touchdown to Romeo Doubs, Willis hit Ben Sims in the flat for what appeared to be a 17-yard touchdown. Perhaps for the good of the drills, Sims was ruled down at the 3. On the next play, Willis connected with John FitzPatrick for the touchdown against Zayne Andeson.

Packers Lineup Notes

- Mostly in base defense, the No. 1 linebackers were Quay Walker flanked by Edgerrin Cooper and Isaiah McDuffie. Isaiah Simmons replaced McDuffie a few times, though.

- That might wind up being the last big battle of camp. The anticipated battle at safety between Evan Williams and Javon Bullard just hasn’t materialized and might not. With cornerback Nate Hobbs out following knee surgery, it appears Bullard is destined to start the season with full-time slot duty while Williams and Xavier McKinney will start at safety.

“I think he’s had an outstanding camp,” coach Matt LaFleur said of Bullard. “I know you guys probably look at a one-on-one rep and he gets beat or whatever. That’s not what we’re looking at. So, I think he’s done an outstanding job just in terms of his ability to play within the box, knowing what’s going on. He’s doing double duty at nickel and at safety. He’s a really good young player that’s going to continue to get better and better and better the more he plays.”

- With Karl Brooks out of action, the No. 2 defensive tackles at times were former Georgia teammates Nazir Stackhouse and Warren Brinson. Colby Wooden got some work, as well, as did rookie defensive end Barryn Sorrell.

- New offensive lineman Lecitus Smith, who is back with the team after spending camp in Green Bay, got some work at center with the No. 3 offense.