Green Bay Packers' Biggest Preseason Disappointments so Far

There has been a lot to like during Green Bay Packers training camp and into the preseason: the depth and talent of the young defensive players; the continuity between Aaron Rodgers and his receiving corps; the dominance of Eddie Lacy. 

However, the preseason has brought to light a handful of disappointments for the Packers, as well, whether it be players who can't avoid the injury bug or recent draft selections who haven't lived up to their billings. 

Criticism is best when it's constructive, so let's take a look at five players who didn't play to their potential this preseason and examine why that might be, and what they can do to turn it around—if anything. 

Khyri Thornton's Play

Morry Gash/Associated Press

Some players only need reps in practice and snaps in games to prove that their play has improved. For Khyri Thornton, however, the more opportunities he gets, the worse he makes himself look. 

Bob McGinn of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that at practice on Thursday, Thornton went 0-4 against guard Matt Rotheram and center JC Tretter, bringing his overall record to 5-13, "a 27.8% winning mark that ranks near the bottom among defensive linemen."

Thornton is running out of time in a preseason where he should be excelling, given that the Packers will have to open the season without defensive linemen Datone Jones and Letroy Guion, both of whom will miss the Week 1 matchup against the Chicago Bears due to suspensions. 

Especially given that Thornton, a third-round draft selection in 2014, spent last season on injured reserve, one would assume he would be champing at the bit this preseason to make up for lost time. 

Before the Packers' first preseason game against the New England Patriots, Thornton spoke to Martin Hendricks of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel about the opportunity to be evaluated on that stage, saying, "You'll all see a big difference (from last year)."

However, it was more of the same from Thornton, who failed to make much of an impact: one tackle in 22 defensive plays, per Pro Football Focus. 

The first round of cuts will need to be completed by Sept. 1. It's unsavory to think of general manager Ted Thompson cutting a third-round prospect from a year ago in a little over a week, but with players like undrafted rookie Lavon Hooks and sixth-round selection Christian Ringo nipping at his heels, Thornton is up against the wall. 

Nick Perry's Continued Injuries

Mike Roemer/Associated Press

It's hard to fault a player for an injury. Most of the time, the circumstances are out of the player's control and the potential consequences to that player's career are far worse for the individual than for the team, which usually has someone on the bench ready to step up.

However, 2012 first-round pick Nick Perry's career has suffered so much due to injuries that it's hard to know or remember what he looks like as a healthy, productive player. 

First there was the wrist injury Perry suffered in his rookie year that landed him on injured reserve in Week 6. Then he played only 11 games in 2013 while dealing with a fractured foot. 

In 2015, Perry played 15 games but revealed after the season that he was struggling with a shoulder injury that affected his play. "It’s pretty frustrating knowing the opportunities, knowing how great I can be and just looking behind me and seeing some of those lagging issues over the past I wish weren’t there," Perry said in June per Tyler Dunne, formerly of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. 

The shoulder injury partially explained why Perry's numbers in 2014 didn't appear to match his opportunities: per Dunne, Perry had only 8.5 pressures in 417 snaps. 

During training camp, Perry has been sitting out with a groin injury, but he did return for one play in team reps as Ryan Wood of the Green Bay Press-Gazette reported Wednesday. However, he did not travel to Pittsburgh for the Packers' preseason matchup against the Steelers, as the team announced Sunday. 

Jared Abbrederis' Injuries

Morry Gash/Associated Press

It's hard to judge whether wide receiver Jared Abbrederis is having a disappointing preseason; much like last year, Abbrederis has missed most of training camp due to injury. 

In his first training camp, Abbrederis tore his ACL and was placed on season-ending injured reserve. This year, he went down hard after an attempted catch on July 30 and suffered a concussion, as Ryan Wood of the Green Bay Press-Gazette reported. 

As of August 19, he still had not returned to practice, per Wes Hodkiewicz of the Green Bay Press-Gazette. 

What's disappointing—but also intriguing—about Abbrederis is that the Packers still haven't had an opportunity to truly evaluate how his skill set translates to the NFL. At Wisconsin, Abbrederis tied the school record for receptions (202) and was No. 2 all-time receiving yards (3,140) and touchdown receptions (23), per UWBadgers.com. 

He also had invaluable special teams achievements in college that the Packers could have used on their squad; Abbrederis set a Wisconsin record for average kickoff return yards (25.8) and is No. 5 all-time in punt return average (10.7). 

However, the Packers only got to use Abbrederis on punt returns during OTAs and minicamp; he barely took any reps there before getting injured in the first practice of camp. He did not travel to Pittsburgh for the Packers' preseason matchup against the Steelers, the team announced Sunday. 

Can Abbrederis still possibly compete for a fifth wide receiver spot after Jordy Nelson, Randall Cobb, Davante Adams and Ty Montgomery? His competitors, including fellow second-year player Jeff Janis, veteran Myles White and undrafted rookies Larry Pinkard, Javess Blue and Ed Williams have all had more opportunities to prove they deserve the spot this summer. 

But if the Packers have to cut Abbrederis, they might have to sit on the sidelines and watch him flourish with another team down the road, if he can stay healthy. 

Ultimately, Abbrederis' health has to come before football. But it would be great for him to have a few healthy practices to put his play out there. 

Carl Bradford's Slow Development

Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports

Some players just can't replicate their level of performance in college at the NFL level. As his second training camp winds to a close, it may be time to consider whether that's the case for linebacker Carl Bradford. 

Bradford didn't play any snaps for the Packers in 2014. He was continuing the transition from outside linebacker to the inside that began during his first training camp, a likely outcome of discovering that short arms (30 1/4") limited him at the NFL level as an edge-rusher.

However, Bradford is now more than halfway through his second camp playing the position and is still receiving third-team reps.

While Clay Matthews sat out of practice, Nate Palmer and Sam Barrington were the first-team duo, and Joe Thomas and rookie Jake Ryan were second-team, with Bradford at the bottom of the rotation, per Brian Carriveau of 247Sports.

Also like Thornton, Bradford was a relatively high draft selection (Round 4) in 2014, which makes him potentially difficult to cut. 

Bradford made more of an impact in Sunday's preseason matchup against the Steelers, with five tackles (including one for loss). However, he'll still have a tough time making the roster behind Barrington, Matthews, Palmer and Ryan. 

The Potential Loss of Jordy Nelson

Mike Roemer/Associated Press

The Packers suffered a shocking blow in their preseason matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday when Jordy Nelson came down awkwardly after making a catch and limped off the field.

While the non-contact injury at first appeared that the wideout may have tweaked his ankle, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport revealed that the initial diagnosis, pending MRI results, is that Nelson tore his ACL. If confirmed, the Packers will lose Nelson for the year. 

As far as disappointments go, there's not much of anything worse than losing your No. 1 receiver and your quarterback's favorite target in a preseason game. But that's exactly what appears to have happened for the Packers.

Nelson is coming off the best performance of his career in 2014, with 98 receptions for 1,519 yards and 13 touchdowns. However, veteran Randall Cobb, whom the Packers wisely re-signed in free agency, will step up, along with second-year players Davante Adams and Jeff Janis and rookie Ty Montgomery. 

Head coach Mike McCarthy did say after the game that he was still hoping for "good news" about Nelson's injury, per ESPN.com's Rob Demovsky. But the initial reports are not promising.