What to Watch For

Can Isaiah Simmons Bounce Back?

Simmons’ performance last Saturday against the Jets wasn’t particularly encouraging. The former top-ten draft pick is now with a new team for the third time and playing a new position for the third time. Simmons was originally drafted eighth overall as an uber-athletic, hybrid defensive player. In the NFL, he logged snaps at several different positions. The Packers have had him focus solely on linebacker. The results have been mixed, but it’s been a constant learning process for Simmons.

Simmons played 39 snaps against New York, which was the third-highest snap total. He often looked lost, and his reactions were delayed, but his coaches are still optimistic. “I think when you look at the body of work so far in camp, it’s been really good,” said linebackers coach Sean Duggan. “I think last night, he’d be the first to say he wished he had some plays back, but that’s why these preseason games are so great. There’s stuff we can correct, there’s stuff we can improve on. Overall, he’s had a good camp.”

One area Simmons can also make his mark is on special teams. On Saturday, Simmons took two reps as the gunner on punt coverage. “We played him two plays out there at flier and thought he did a really good job on the first one,” said special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia. “We’re asking him to do some things he hasn’t done before in the kicking game to try to use his abilities to help all of us, and he’s on the come.” 

Simmons has some stiff competition to earn a roster spot. Quay Walker, Edgerrin Cooper, and Isaiah McDuffie are locks to make the team. That leaves Simmons to compete with Ty’Ron Hopper, Kristian Welch, and Jamon Johnson for two or three open roster spots. Matt LaFleur stated, “He’s got to go out there and do it within our defense for us to feel confident to put him out there and be a key contributor to our defense. I thought he got some good work in yesterday.” Saturday was a good learning experience for Simmons. The performance wasn’t what anyone was hoping for, but a good response against the Colts would go a long way in helping him make the team.

The Progression of the Offensive Line

The famous Charles Dickens novel, A Tale of Two Cities, is known for the quote, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” That accurately sums up the performance of the Packers’ offensive line on Saturday. There were some moments of brilliance followed by plays that would drive any coach crazy. Jordan Morgan and Anthony Belton showed a lot of promise. Jacob Monk and Sean Rhyan have had better days. Last week’s performance aside, the focus this week needs to be on building on the Jets game and showing progression.

With Rasheed Walker missing time due to injury, Morgan has gotten all of the work at left tackle, and he was just starting to find his groove. Morgan’s performance on Saturday was very strong, and he should be looking to build on it to show the Packers coaches and front office that the Jets game wasn’t a fluke. Unfortunately for Morgan, Walker returned to practice this week, so Morgan’s reps at left tackle will be reduced. Morgan even took some reps at right guard again. It’s tough to say where Morgan will play versus the Colts, but he has a great opportunity to put some consistency and versatility on full display. 

In Belton’s first NFL action, he showed why the Packers were interested in drafting him. Belton played 25 snaps in pass protection. He didn’t allow a single pressure. He did get called for a holding penalty, but he still finished as the second-highest graded blocker for the Packers. Most notably, Belton had a mighty impressive pancake block on Amar Johnson’s 39-yard touchdown run. Zach Tom likely won’t play much against the Colts, if at all. That would give Belton an excellent opportunity to perform against the Indianapolis starters.

Monk and Rhyan will both just need to play better, plain and simple. Monk had been rotating in with the first unit throughout training camp, and there was hope he could be the primary backup on the interior. His performance on Saturday showed the opposite. Three holding calls, two pressures, and a sack given up? Yikes. Rhyan’s night at center wasn’t much better. He gave up a strip sack fumble recovered by New York. Both players need to respond in a big way. Let’s hope the entire offensive line can take a step in the right direction. 

A Big Opportunity Ahead for the Young Safeties

The Packers’ safety room is loaded with both experienced, young, talented, and versatile players. Unfortunately, the depth of the room is already being tested. Xavier McKinney is out with a calf injury. Zayne Anderson will miss time with a knee injury. Javon Bullard splits his time between playing slot cornerback. For the Packers, it’s time for the “next man up” mentality. “I look at it as it’s time to develop the other players,” said defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley. “We have to make sure as coaches that we’re developing the next guy, and that’s what we’re doing right now.”

Kitan Oladapo is one of the young safeties who is in line for a big workload on Saturday. He played a little bit last season when the safety position was banged up, but he was dealing with an injury himself. “KT is obviously a big safety who can really run,” said defensive backs coach Ryan Downard. “You see when he turns it on he can really go. He’s done a good job with his communication…He’s very smart…has good instincts. …This will be a good opportunity for him to get more reps, and the more the better for his development.”

Omar Brown, the star of Family Night, is another young guy who has a big opportunity ahead of him. The young safety has picked off five passes throughout training camp thus far. He always seems to be around the football, and by all accounts, he’s getting better every day. “He’s doing a good job. Obviously, the Family Night was a great performance by him, he did a great job of capitalizing on the ball in the air opps,” said Downard. “He’s gotten better as we go. Each day, he just keeps getting better and better, and I knew that was going to be the case with him arriving when he did.”

Both Oladapo and Brown have a prime opportunity ahead of them. They should see a lot of playing time on Saturday, with some of it coming against the Colts’ starters. It’s hard to predict how many safeties the Packers plan on keeping on their 53-man roster, but if both Brown and Oladapo put together strong performances, it would be hard to keep either off the final roster. 

What to Expect from the Colts

The Packers might not be playing their starters, but the Colts are. Indianapolis Colts head coach Shane Steichen said that the Colts’ starters will play about a quarter on Saturday. Daniel Jones will start at quarterback, but it sounds as if Anthony Richardson Sr. will play a majority of the reps. While it’s hard to know what to expect from the Colts schematically in the preseason, the Colts will definitely emphasize physicality – something the Packers need to be ready for.

Steichen heads into his third season as the head coach of the Colts. He has a 17-17 record as a head coach. Steichen also calls plays for the offense, with Jim Bob Cooter supporting as his offensive coordinator. The Colts will also be shifting to a new defense under defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo. Anarumo, who spent the last five years as the defensive coordinator of the Bengals, will be implementing a system based on versatility, unpredictability, and adapting to the strengths of the opponent.  

The Colts added a few notable pieces this offseason. Daniel Jones, Charvarius Ward, and Camryn Bynum are among the most notable additions via free agency. All three will be expected to play significant roles for the Colts this season. They also drafted tight end Tyler Warren with the 14th overall pick. Warren was a star at Penn State and has been lauded for his alignment versatility and advanced pass-catching skills. It’s probably safe to say the Colts won’t look the same as they did last year.