These are different days in Green Bay. In the final years of the Aaron Rodgers era , it was unimaginable to think starters — especially the quarterback — would play preseason games, let alone the first one. But now head coach Matt LaFleur truly calls the shots, and he sees value in it.
Therefore, Jordan Love and everyone else will play against the Cleveland Browns on Saturday. But there's one big problem with that approach: The offensive line won't be complete this week.
Starting right tackle Zach Tom is just returning from a torn pec. On Tuesday, he participated in team drills for the first time this training camp, but it's already decided that he won't play. So, the right tackle with the starters will probably be veteran Andre Dillard — the alternative is Kadeem Telfort.
To get things even more concerning, rookie right guard Jordan Morgan was with trainers during team drills. There's no answer if it's something significant, but at least it's worth monitoring. If Morgan can't go, Sean Rhyan will start.
It's undoubtedly a risky decision, even though a preseason gameplan is obviously designed to protect the quarterback and Love might play only one drive.
"Just going through, re-evaluating the last couple of years, when we've had guys not play, and last year having all the guys play, I thought it was beneficial for us early on, especially Week 1, just knocking the rust off," Matt LaFleur said. "There's a lot of value in going through and getting your mind right to play a football game. Obviously, we're going to be smart with those guys."
Schedule
The Packers will have three preseason games , at the Cleveland Browns, at the Denver Broncos, and versus the Baltimore Ravens. And each game will have a different start time — 3:25pm, 7pm, and 12pm (Central Time). That, according to LaFleur, is a useful step for players to get ready for the regular season.
"We have three different kick times, so they get the feel for the rhythm for what they need to do to get ready," LaFleur added. "We'll be smart with them. I do think the preparation for getting ready for a game is invaluable. Why not use those opportunities"?
Last year had different circumstances, because Jordan Love had never been a full-time starter. So, the snaps were even more meaningful. The quarterback threw 10 passes against the Cincinnati Bengals, eight against the New England Patriots, and 15 against the Seattle Seahawks.
The Packers will play their last preseason game on August 24. Then, they have a bye week before traveling to Brazil to open the regular season on September 6, against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Related: Three backup quarterback options for the Packers who are on other teams' rosters
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