Packers: Pair of big plays the highlight of Day 2 of training camp

July 29, 2021
|In Packers
|By Zach Heilprin

The Packers were in the field for the second practice of training camp Thursday and there were a couple big plays in the passing game that stood out during team drills.

On the first pass of the session, quarterback Aaron Rodgers floated one up to wide receiver Juwann Winfree, who had gotten behind the secondary. The ball seemed to stay in the air forever before it landed in Winfree’s hands for what would have been a long touchdown. A sixth-round pick by Denver in 2019, Winfree had some really good days during OTAs and has continued it the first two days of training camp.

Later, it was Rodgers and Adams hooking up on a deep ball down the left sideline. It appeared for a second that safety Darnell Savage was going to get over and make a diving interception, but somehow the ball found its way into Adams’ hands for a beautiful over-the-shoulder catch. He took off for what would have also been a long gain or a score.

Rodgers took 23 reps over the course of the practice in team drills, going 9-for-15. His only real miss came on a miscommunication with Adams, while the only ball that came close to getting intercepted was on an out to tight end Jace Sternberger. Cornerback Jaire Alexander got his fingertips on it but it was too high for him to pull in.

Backup Jordan Love got 19 snaps working with the second- and third-team units. He went 5-for-9, with his best throw probably being his first of the day when he tossed a dart over the middle to Devin Funchess for a nice gain. Love did throw the first interception of camp, sailing a pass by his intended receiver into the hands of linebacker Ty Summers.

* Randall Cobb was wearing someone else’s helmet and cleats, but he was on the field for his first practice since being traded to Green Bay from Houston. Cobb, who spent his first eight years in the NFL with the Packers, didn’t see any time in team drills, but did do individual work. It’s worth noting that Rodgers made sure to be the quarterback on each of Cobb’s reps.

* David Bakhtiari is on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list, so it caught some folks off-guard when a tall guy with hair flowing out of his helmet took the field wearing the No. 69 jersey with Bakhtiari on the back. It became clear pretty quickly it wasn’t the All-Pro left tackle but instead the newly signed Dennis Kelly.

Kelly and Bakhtiari do look like family, even if the former is several inches taller than the latter.

Bakhtiari finished off the joke but coming out to the field late in practice wearing Kelly’s No. 79 jersey.

* Former Wisconsin offensive linemen Cole Van Lanen and Jon Dietzen got some work with the second- and third-team groups. Van Lanen was working at left tackle, the spot he played for the Badgers. Most think, if he’s going to make the roster, it’ll be at one of the guard spots. Dietzen, an undrafted free agent, saw time at right guard on Thursday.