The Green Bay Packers are back in preseason action on Friday night as they once again go on the road to Denver, a place which holds some haunting memories from the matchup back in December.
Here are five things to watch as the Packers take on the Broncos:
Do any starters return to the lineup?
Some prominent Packers players working their way back from injury have a chance of taking their first preseason snaps on Friday night, after returning to practice and taking part in 11 on 11 work.
Zach Bako-Bewele has been back in the fold for a while, while Devonte Wyatt, Javon Hargrave, Carrington Valentine (more on him later) and Aaron Banks also resumed team drills recently.
Matt LaFleur said the starters will play on Friday to some extent, so Jordan Love may have his trusty right tackle back
in the lineup. Whether it comes too soon for Wyatt, Hargrave and Banks, who is now seemingly fighting for his starting job, remains to be seen.
Anthony Belton
If Bako-Bewele indeed returns, it could give Belton a chance to play right guard for at least a series.
He is theoretically competing to win the starting spot, but has been forced to play mostly tackle during camp due to Bako-Bewele’s injury recovery, and lined up there exclusively in the preseason opener.
It is hard to see how he can compete to start at a position he isn’t playing, so if Belton does get an opportunity, he must grasp it, as his competition, Jager Burton and Jacob Monk have impressed the coaches throughout camp.
Whether at tackle or guard, it would be nice to see Belton improve from an underwhelming performance against the Steelers.
Three-way cornerback battle
At this stage, the only thing that seems clear in the cornerback room is that second-round rookie Brandon Cisse is a starter.
That is good news for a team that needs a corner or two to emerge. Who will be playing opposite him in Week 1 remains a mystery though, with Keisean Nixon, Benjamin St-Juste and Carrington Valentine all jostling for position.
Nixon may still have the upper hand – even if the fanbase desires otherwise – due to his experience in the system compared to St-Juste and better run defense compared to Valentine.
However, the job seems firmly up for grabs, and Nixon did not fare well last week’s preseason contest. All eyes will be on how the trio compete on Friday night in an attempt to show they are worthy of being a starter.
Dani Dennis-Sutton
Dennis-Sutton missed what would have been his NFL debut last week, but should be on the field this time around.
He has produced some splash plays in training camp, and fans will be excited to get a look at the fourth-round rookie whom many believed should have been drafted a lot earlier.
The competition for playing time on the edge is hotting up. Barryn Sorrell was treated like a true starter in last week’s game, playing only series, while Brenton Cox Jr continues to impress and Collin Oliver also brings a unique skill set.
Friday will represent Dennis-Sutton’s first chance to stake his own claim.
Backup quarterbacks
Kyle McCord was one of the big winners of Green Bay’s first exhibition game, putting in a strong performance against the Steelers in less-than-ideal conditions at times.
That was in contrast to veteran Tyrod Taylor, who could not get much going, although he was not helped by the situation around him.
There is no controversy here. Taylor will be QB2 this season. But if McCord can prove last week was not just a flash in the pan, it may start to make the Packers think they need to keep him on the roster, rather than subjecting him to waivers as they try to get him back to the practice squad.
This article originally appeared on Packers Wire: 5 things to watch in Packers vs. Broncos: Three-way cornerback battle
