Green Bay Packers OTA Standouts Worth Keeping an Eye on This Offseason
They were in uniform, wore their helmets and lined up 11-on-11. No, Green Bay Packers football is not officially back, but it was nonetheless exciting to see the players, veterans and rookies alike, line up and run drills for the first time since the draft.
The Packers' first round of OTAs ran from May 27-29. Their next round will take place June 2-4 and then again from June 9-12 before the mandatory minicamp June 16-18.
Training camp is when the players will really get the opportunity to go all out and compete for starting jobs or even just a spot on the 53-man roster. After all, that will be their first opportunity to practice in full pads.
Still, OTAs are a valuable exercise in figuring out how much development the rookies need and what shape players returning from injury are in. Not to mention, they're just fun to watch.
Let's take a look at five players to keep an eye on during OTAs, either because they're making a comeback from an injury or because they're attempting to solidify their spot on the team and possibly a starting position.
WR Jared Abbrederis
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Jared Abbrederis isn't going at full speed during the Packers' first round of OTAs, and rightly so. The second-year player is coming back from an ACL tear that caused him to sit out his entire rookie season.
But the Packers allowed Abbrederis to participate in individual work and returning drills, per Lori Nickel of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, and he should continue to receive more reps as OTAs progress.
"We look at him closely every day," wide receivers coach Alex Van Pelt said, per Nickel. We think he's progressing. The training staff is happy. We're glad to have him out there during individual periods."
Abbrederis said that during this early, contact-free period of OTAs, he was pleased to discover his speed is returning. He "had a breakthrough moment recently when he saw he could keep up with or surpass people in running '200s,' or longer sprints," Nickel wrote.
Though he will be kept out of contact drills until training camp, Abbrederis' steady return from his injury is something to keep an eye on through OTAs. He didn't have much time last year in camp to show off his skills before tearing the ACL, so any time he can get on the field will be extremely valuable.
NT B.J. Raji
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He may be a seasoned veteran, but this offseason is just as important for B.J. Raji as it is for a rookie trying to make the team.
Though Raji's spot on the 53-man roster is essentially guaranteed, he's on his second consecutive one-year deal and must prove two things to the Packers.
The first is that that he's back to 100 percent after tearing his bicep during the preseason last year. The second is, now that he's moved back to the nose tackle position for the first time since 2011, he has another year like his 2010 campaign in him, in which he posted 29 total tackles, 6.5 sacks and three passes defensed.
From the way defensive coordinator Dom Capers spoke after this first round of OTAs, Raji is on his way to proving all of those things.
"Just a couple days out there in OTAs...he's a smart player and for a guy his size he's a good athlete," Capers said in a press conference, via Packers.com analyst Larry McCarren. "I think he's motivated to go out and have a good year."
McCarren shared Raji's approach to staying healthy this season.
"Raji says the bicep injury is behind him, and believe it or not the big man has taken up yoga to keep it that way," McCarren said.
In addition to the rookies and roster bubble players, keep an eye on Raji this offseason. He's staging a comeback that, if successful, could secure him the starting nose tackle gig for years.
QB Scott Tolzien
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This offseason, the Packers finally recognized quarterback Scott Tolzien's steady improvement over the past two years in Green Bay by declining to re-sign Matt Flynn in free agency, thereby making Tolzien Aaron Rodgers' primary backup.
It's a big step for Tolzien, who signed a one-year, $1.35 million contract with Green Bay this offseason.
But for as long as it took Tolzien to earn that No. 2 spot, new rookie Brett Hundley threatens to take it away from him. Competition is never a bad thing for a player, and now, with Hundley nipping at his heels, Tolzien must have a very strong offseason.
Per Packers analyst Larry McCarren, he's headed in the right direction so far.
"The Packers' new backup quarterback has gotten a lot better without playing a lot, and that is very difficult to do," McCarren said in a video on Packers.com.
"I think you do just focus on each day, and you have to treat everything as a real situation," Tolzien told reporters after OTAs practice, via Packers.com. "I'm lucky to have good coaches that have developed me."
Of course, much of that gratitude is directed at head coach Mike McCarthy, whose offseason quarterbacks school Tolzien has participated in for two years now. McCarthy's coaching helped Rodgers correct and perfect his throwing motion, and Tolzien, who is blessed with natural arm strength, has benefited from it as well.
Given his lack of knowledge of the playbook and NFL experience, it's unlikely Hundley will beat out Tolzien for the backup job this training camp. But it will be interesting to watch Tolzien play like he might anyway.
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CB Quinten Rollins
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There are two things to look for from second-round draft pick Quinten Rollins this offseason during OTAs and, later, in training camp.
The first is his versatility. Though he would theoretically be pushing Casey Hayward for the starting outside corner job opposite Sam Shields, he can also play on the inside, where he could see many snaps this season in the nickel and dime sub-packages.
But during OTAs, Rollins played inside and outside and showed off his natural ability, per Ryan Wood of the Green Bay Press-Gazette.
"#Packers second-round cornerback Quinten Rollins splitting second-team reps between perimeter and slot.
— Ryan Wood (@ByRyanWood) May 28, 2015 "
Rollins also got some reps returning punts during OTAs, along with Micah Hyde, Randall Cobb and Jared Abbrederis, per Wood.
The basketball star-turned-cornerback got some attention during the rookie orientation camp when he picked off a Brett Hundley pass and returned it for a touchdown. And that's the second thing to watch from him as OTAs progress: his ball-hawking skills. They're sure to emerge as he continues getting practice reps.
LB Jake Ryan
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He's the new addition to the inside linebacker group, but fourth-round pick Jake Ryan is already climbing the ranks.
Per Paul Imig of Fox Sports Wisconsin, Ryan and 2014 rookie Carl Bradford received second-team reps at inside linebacker during the first round of OTAs, with Clay Matthews and Sam Barrington playing with the first team.
"#Packers ILB rotation: Starters - Matthews & Barrington 2nd - Jake Ryan, Carl Bradford 3rd - Joe Thomas, Nate Palmer 4th - Dantzler, Francis
— Paul Imig (@Paulimig) May 28, 2015"
Joe Thomas and Nate Palmer have been on the team longer. Tavarus Dantzler is a talented undrafted rookie trying to survive final cuts, and Josh Francis was signed this offseason. But Ryan, the rookie, clearly has upside, and the better he plays, the more snaps Matthews can spend rushing off the edge.
Ryan began impressing his head coach at the rookie orientation camp.
"I like what Jake's done," McCarthy said, per Imig. "He's bigger than I thought he was in person. I like that. He's picked it up clean. Making the calls out there. He's been very assertive. He's off to a good start."
Barrington will likely lock down the starting middle linebacker spot. That leaves Ryan to rotate in with Matthews, if he's up for the task. Given his position in the lineup during the first round of OTAs, it's clear the Packers have high esteem for the rookie.
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