It’s Week 4, so we know a good amount about the Green Bay Packers, but there are still some moving parts. This week, the team made some expected moves, and they also made some decisions that seemed out of nowhere. Let’s go position-by-position through the team’s offensive and defensive snap counts, explaining what did or did not change for each position (if there was anything notable that happened on Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers).
Quarterback
- Jordan Love: 55 snaps
Running Back
- MarShawn Lloyd: 30
- Kaleb Johnson: 15
- Chris Brooks: 10
The running back unit was feast-or-famine, relying on explosive
plays. While the Packers had their best rushing game of the season on Sunday, the two longest runs from Kaleb Johnson and Chris Brooks totaled a combined 58 yards. On the 17 other runs from the backs in Week 4, they mustered just 17 carries for 27 yards.
Brooks actually got the “start” in the game, but was shut down in the first half due to injury (head coach Matt LaFleur was not asked about Brooks’ injury in his post-game press conference). Because of that, MarShawn Lloyd, who had been splitting touches with Brooks prior to his injury, took over as the clear RB1 for the remainder of the game.
Receiver
- Matthew Golden: 50
- Christian Watson: 36
- Skyy Moore: 22
- Bo Melton: 10
- J. Michael Sturdivant: 2
Nothing too shocking here, as Skyy Moore remains the team’s slot receiver — as a replacement for the injured Jayden Reed.
Tight End
- Tucker Kraft: 50
- Mark Redman: 25
- Josh Whyle: 13
- Jonnu Smith: 12
Offensive Line
- Jordan Morgan – LT: 55
- Laken Tomlinson – LG: 55
- Sean Rhyan – C: 55
- Travis Glover – RG: 55
- Anthony Belton – RT: 55
The Packers had their best pass protection day of the season on Sunday, as the team made changes to their guard positions. Laken Tomlinson stepped up as a left guard, while Travis Glover played right guard — displacing Donovan Jennings and Jacob Monk, respectively. After the game, LaFleur stated that he wanted bigger bodies in front of quarterback Jordan Love to protect him. Love was hit just two times on Sunday. For reference, Glover had been on the bench for three weeks, while Tomlinson was poached from the Dallas Cowboys’ practice squad after the team’s loss to the Atlanta Falcons.
LaFleur also said that Kevin Zeitler, the team’s preferred starting option at right guard, needs more time to ramp up before game action. Zeitler was the only healthy player scratched for Week 4’s action against the Buccaneers.
Defensive Line
- Karl Brooks: 34
- Javon Hargrave: 28
- Chris McClellan: 24
- Devonte Wyatt: 23
- Jonathan Ford: 13
Devonte Wyatt dropped out of play twice with injury, but returned to the field for the Packers. That’s one reason why he was fourth in the pecking order on the defensive line (by a slim margin) on Sunday. Nose tackle Jonathan Ford didn’t play much, as the team mostly lived in their nickel defense (more on that later) against Tampa Bay.
Edge Defender
- Lukas Van Ness: 44
- Barryn Sorrell: 32
- Brenton Cox Jr.: 24
- Dani Dennis-Sutton: 23
Dani Dennis-Sutton received the second-most snaps among edge defenders in Week 3, but that appears to be a one-off game. The rookie fourth-round pick was fourth in the pecking order on Sunday, essentially a split role with Brenton Cox Jr. — as it has been for most of the season. Barryn Sorrell continues to start opposite Lukas Van Ness.
Linebacker
- Zaire Franklin: 61
- Edgerrin Cooper: 33
- Isaiah McDuffie: 24
- Ty’Ron Hopper: 5
It looks like the team is worried that Will linebacker Edgerrin Cooper tore his Achilles, which would be a season-ending injury. The next man up behind Cooper is Isaiah McDuffie, who left Sunday’s game with an eye injury before going back in. The McDuffie injury (after the Cooper injury) is how Ty’Ron Hopper (the next Will linebacker up) got into the game for five snaps.
Cornerback
- Keisean Nixon: 61
- Brandon Cisse: 52
- Carrington Valentine: 9
Brandon Cisse went out against Tampa with a neck injury and was evaluated for a concussion. LaFleur was not asked about Cisse’s status in the post-game press conference, so there’s no information on how serious Cisse’s injury was. The next man up behind Cisse, who has been starting at right cornerback this year, is Carrington Valentine.
Safety
- Evan Williams: 61
- Xavier McKinney: 61
- Javon Bullard: 58
Slot defender Javon Bullard was on the field for 95 percent of the defense’s snaps on Sunday, an incredible amount. It’s not uncommon for Bullard to be off the field for about half of the game, depending on the opponent.
The Buccaneers lived in 11 personnel (three-receiver sets), which allowed the Packers to deploy Bullard more than usual. The nickelback was nearly an every-down player for Green Bay in Week 4.
