Highlights From Day 2 of Packers Minicamp Include 2-Minute Controversy

The Green Bay Packers released Jaire Alexander this week. In free agency, they didn’t re-sign Eric Stokes.

The time is now for Carrington Valentine.

A seventh-round pick in 2023, a starting job essentially has been handed to Valentine. Other than Valentine, Keisean Nixon and free-agent addition Nate Hobbs, not a single cornerback on the roster played a regular-snap on defense in the NFL last season.

“My big word was consistency,” Valentine said at Packers minicamp on Wednesday, the next-to-last day of the offseason program. “Obviously, when you play the game of football, there’s going to be some ups and downs, but limiting those. Honestly, put it all together, so that was my big thing.”

Valentine, who started 19 games his first two seasons, forced a turnover in each of the final four games of the regular season. He almost had a big-time interception at Wednesday’s practice.

Here are some of the highlights from Day 2 of minicamp.

Taking Attendance

Twelve players did not practice on Wednesday, with cornerback Nate Hobbs and left tackle Rasheed Walker joining the list.

The 10 players who did not practice on Tuesday and remained out on Wednesday: linebacker Quay Walker, receiver Christian Watson, cornerback Micah Robinson, cornerback Kalen King, safety Zayne Anderson, defensive end Collin Oliver, offensive linemen Aaron Banks, John Williams and Elgton Jenkins, and receiver Julian Hicks.

Coming off his torn ACL, Watson sprinted up and down the sideline. Oliver, a fifth-round pick, and Williams, a seventh-round pick, have not practiced this spring.

Two-Minute Drills

The situation was on a tee for the offense, with a full 2 minutes on the clock and the ball at the 20-yard line and in need of a field goal.

- Up first was the No. 2s. Malik Willis continued his strong spring by leading the offense to a field goal. First, he moved the chains with a fourth-and-3 completion to receiver Cornelius Johnson, a practice-squad player to end last season who had a great day and has had a good spring.

Next, after a false start, Willis went deep to Johnson, who hauled in a catch for 40 yards. After a running play, it was Willis to Johnson again, this time for 9 yards and a first down. Willis let the seconds drain away before clocking the ball to set up Alex Hale for a 38-yard field goal for the win.

- The No. 1s ran the other 2-minute drill. This one appeared doomed after an 8-yard completion to Romeo Doubs and an 8-yard interference penalty on Keisean Nixon against Doubs.

On first down from the 36, safety Xavier McKinney came in unblocked for a sack. On second-and-20, Carrington Valentine almost made a leaping interception.

“Definitely should have had that one. But we’ll get it back,” Valentine said.

After a third-down incompletion to no one in particular, Love faced fourth-and-20.

More on that … next.

Play of the Day

This will be the play of the offseason. On fourth-and-long and with Lukas Van Ness coming free up the middle, Jordan Love threw the most beautiful deep pass imaginable. Veteran speedster Mecole Hardman got behind the secondary, including slot Gregory Junior, caught the pass in stride around the 30 and raced the rest of the way to the end zone.

The ball traveled about 50 yards in the air; Love couldn’t have placed it any better had he run downfield and placed it in Hardman’s hands.

“It was a great throw. Hit the guy right in stride,” coach Matt LaFleur said. “Now, it’s questionable whether he gets that ball off or not.”

No question at all, if you ask safety Evan Williams.

“It was a sack, I’ll say that. It was a most-definite sack,” he said.

Whatever, it was a big-time play by Hardman, who made a one-handed catch for a touchdown in a 2-minute drill on Tuesday.

“I think I seen 0 (coverage), safety was kind of playing flat-footed, so all I know is try to run by him,” Hardman said. “After that, Jordan made a good throw and tried to catch the ball and make a play.”

With the Chiefs two years ago, Hardman caught the game-winning touchdown in Super Bowl LVIII against the 49ers in overtime. So, he took this big play in stride.

“Just trying to get better every day,” he said. “Trying to build chemistry throughout the team, no matter who’s at quarterback. Just want to make plays, learn the offense and try to get better every day and try to put good things on film.”

Lineup Notes

- With left tackle Rasheed Walker, left guard Aaron Banks and center Elgton Jenkins out of commission, the No. 1 line for a second consecutive day was left tackle Jordan Morgan, left guard Donovan Jennings, center Jacob Monk and the customary right side of guard Sean Rhyan and tackle Zach Tom.

“He’s done a nice job,” LaFleur said of Monk, who has been the first-team center all spring without Jenkins. “I can tell you he’s a lot more comfortable and confident in terms of going out there and knowing what to do. And for him it’s just going to come down to those live reps.”

- When the teams split into two units, with the starters and key backups on the north side and the young backups on the south, rookie second-round pick Anthony Belton worked left and right tackle with the backups. Among the lineup combinations on that side of the field: Belton at left tackle, J.J. Lippe at left guard, Trey Hill at center, Tyler Cooper at right guard and Kadeem Telfort at right tackle.

- For the starters’ 2-minute drill, the secondary consisted of Keisean Nixon and Carrington Valentine at cornerback, Gregory Junior in the slot, and Xavier McKinney and Evan Williams at safety.

- Several of the young cornerbacks have rotated through with the No. 1 unit. For a few snaps on Wednesday, the lineup consisted of Bo Melton and Kamal Hadden at corner, Javon Bullard in the slot, and Williams and McKinney at safety.

Extra Points

- While the offense won the 2-minute drills, the defense won a seven-on-seven period featuring get-back-on-track situations. It was a scripted period that started with second-and-long (10-plus yards) and a predetermined third down. The defense appeared to get stops on all six third downs.

On third-and-7, safety Xavier McKinney tackled Matthew Golden shortly after catching a pass from Jordan Love. On third-and-9, two defenders were on the scene to keep Emanuel Wilson from converting a checkdown. On third-and-7, Malik Willis threw incomplete to Sam Brown. On third-and-8, the defense rallied to keep Amar Johnson short of the marker on a screen. On third-and-7, the defense was there to keep Chris Brooks from moving the chains on a checkdown. On third-and-3, Love extended the play but couldn’t connect with Mecole Hardman.

- Once again, Bo Melton played receiver in his usual white No. 80 jersey, then put on a green pinnie to play defense. During 11-on-11 periods, all of his work came with the No. 1 unit (and top backups).

“I’m still a receiver. We’re trying stuff out right now,” Melton said.

- Australian kicker Alex Hale, who as an international player doesn’t count against the 90-man roster limit, appeared to make 8-of-10 field-goal attempts. While it looked like he missed an extra point – there are no officials to signal the kick is good or no good – he split the uprights with plenty of distance to spare from 54 yards on the final play of the day.

- On a punt-return drill, the returners were Keisean Nixon, Mecole Hardman, Jayden Reed and Romeo Doubs.

- Usually, the last practice of minicamp is canceled in favor of a team-building event such as paintball. However, with only two weeks of OTAs instead of three, the team will practice on Thursday before going their separate ways.

“We’ll be on the field tomorrow,” LaFleur said. “I think that is team building, right, when you’re going through some hard stuff together. I just think with kind of the circumstances of this year, the fact that we’re the bone is really next week, not having them all in here.”

The first practice of training camp is set for July 23.

Quote of the Day

What was Carrington Valentine’s first impression of Bo Melton playing cornerback?

“You chuckled a little bit, for sure. I laughed a little bit. It was funny. No, it’s different when you see a receiver come over there and he’s wearing No. 80 and you see him in a one-line drill, but when you see him start doing it, we like, “Oh, yeah, he got him some Melton blood right there, for sure.’”