1. Micah Parsons might be on the field sooner than we thought.<\/p>\n
Gutekunst said the Packers have a \u201cpretty good idea\u201d that Parsons will be \u201cpretty close\u201d to playing once his mandated four games on the physically unable to perform list are up. The Packers\u2019 top edge rusher and best player overall tore his ACL last Dec. 14 and also suffered a meniscus injury that required surgery on Dec. 29.<\/p>\n
One key player to watch on the Packers’ 53-man roster<\/p>\n
Matt Schneidman<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m going to be pretty cautious with that. We\u2019ve got a big investment there,\u201d Gutekunst said. \u201cIt\u2019s really important to what we\u2019re trying to do. To accomplish the goals we want to late in the year, he\u2019s going to need to be at his best. So I want to make sure that that happens. But he\u2019s eager. There\u2019s a new rule this year where we can open their window to practice after the second game. I imagine when that time comes, there\u2019s going to be some conversations about things \u2026 because he\u2019s going to be really eager to get out there.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Packers typically have a nine-month, no-football rule for players rehabbing torn ACLs. Tight end Tucker Kraft returned to practice this summer around eight and a half months after his surgery. Parsons\u2019 nine-month mark post-surgery is the Tuesday before Green Bay\u2019s Week 4 visit to Tampa Bay, so practicing in Week 3 would also beat that timeline.<\/p>\n
2. Jonnu Smith is a wise man at 31 years old, and he thinks he has plenty left in the tank.<\/p>\n
The Packers signed the veteran tight end in part because Luke Musgrave (neck) is starting the season on the PUP list. Smith\u2019s nine years in the league make him wise on the field, but he showed his smarts off it when he sat next to quarterback Jordan Love in his first team meeting.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s a vet move,\u201d said head coach Matt LaFleur, who was the Tennessee Titans\u2019 offensive coordinator in 2018 when Smith was a second-year player for the Titans.<\/p>\n
Smith may be on the wrong side of 30, but just two years ago, he caught 88 passes for 884 yards and eight touchdowns for the Miami Dolphins. LaFleur said Smith still runs well and at 6 feet, 3 inches and 248 pounds, Smith said his size advantages and catch-and-run ability benefit him out of the slot.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s really versatile,\u201d Gutekunst said. \u201cHe can kind of do everything you ask of a tight end. He can line up on the line of scrimmage. He can move. He can be one of the move guys in the backfield. Been a tremendous receiver in this league for a long time from the tight end position.\u201d<\/p>\n
After playing for the likes of former Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith in Pittsburgh and former Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel in Miami, Smith estimated he\u2019s played in an iteration of the Shanahan\/LaFleur\/etc. offense seven out of his 10 years in the league and that will help him acclimate with less than two weeks until the season opener.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve got a lot of football left in me, man, a lot of football left in me,\u201d Smith said. \u201cI\u2019m grateful for every snap because I know how dangerous this game can be. I\u2019ve got a lot of ball left in me and I\u2019m excited to show it, for sure.\u201d<\/p>\n
3. MarShawn Lloyd is eager for his turn in the spotlight.<\/p>\n
The Packers\u2019 new starting running back didn\u2019t miss a practice this summer after playing in just one game over his first two years in the league. Finally equipped with a clean bill of health, Lloyd is primed to show off the explosiveness, speed and shiftiness that made the Packers keep faith in him.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m ready to play as much as they want me to play,\u201d Lloyd said. \u201cI\u2019m excited. It\u2019s a dream come true playing for the Packers, so however much carries I get, however much they put me in the game, I\u2019m ready to go.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lloyd averaged fewer than 10 carries per game and barely more than 10 in his final year at USC. He has only seven touches in the NFL since Green Bay drafted him in the third round two years ago. Lloyd said he hasn\u2019t shouldered a significant load since high school, but he might have to now with Jacobs on the commissioner exempt list.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou never in 100 years think something like this will happen,\u201d Lloyd said. \u201cYou gotta be ready and the coaches have been able to help me to be ready.\u201d<\/p>\n
Despite the disturbing allegations against Jacobs, Lloyd threw his full support behind him.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know what\u2019s going on, but that\u2019s my brother, so I just gotta stay on that forever,\u201d Lloyd said. \u201cHe\u2019s helped me when I was in the worst part of my life really, those last two years.\u201d<\/p>\n
4. Two other new guys will play important roles for the Packers\u2019 offense.<\/p>\n
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