GREEN BAY – The Packers conducted their first practice in pads Monday at Nitschke Field.
Here are five things learned from the workout:
- Brandon McManus still hasn’t missed.
The veteran kicker, who stabilized a shaky kicking situation for the Packers at midseason last year and then re-signed a long-term deal in the spring, made all eight of his field goal attempts Monday to stay perfect thus far in camp.
Monday’s performance included three kicks from 45-plus yards along with a pair of makes to conclude both two-minute drills at the end of practice. He’s 23-for-23 since camp started, with a long of 56 yards.
“It’s kind of been that way ever since he got here,” said long snapper Matt Orzech, referring to McManus’ strong 2024 campaign during which he missed just one kick in the regular season (20-for-21) before his first career playoff miss came in the wild-card loss at Philadelphia.
“Even through all the crazy winter months with the wind, it’s crazy on that practice field, but he handles it in stride. He never lets a miss of what he thought a line would do get to his head, and he just keeps taking each kick as it is.”
The whole operation amongst Orzech, punter/holder Daniel Whelan and McManus looks as smooth as can be right now. Orzech said as the trio has built a working relationship since McManus’ arrival last October, feedback is quick and corrections are efficient.
It’s provided significant peace of mind for the coaching staff as well after a tumultuous year-plus in the kicking game following the departure of all-time leading scorer Mason Crosby after the 2022 season.
“I don’t even think about it,” Head Coach Matt LaFleur said of the kicking operation. “It’s great.”
- Elgton Jenkins is back on the practice field, fine with the move to center, and not worried about his contract.
The Packers’ new center, who’s been dealing with a back injury from offseason weightlifting, practiced for the first time, albeit on a limited basis as he ramps up activity.
The two-time Pro Bowl guard addressed some issues that have been swirling around him regarding his position switch and reported request for contract adjustments.
First, he said his absence from OTAs this spring was about family matters and not contract related. Second, he said he actually mentioned last year potentially switching to center at some point later in his career, so when it was discussed in his exit interview after last season and again later in the offseason, he was agreeable.
Third, he acknowledged there have been some discussions regarding his contract but he’s not expecting anything to change, and it’s not a concern at the moment.
“Right now, I’m not even thinking about that,” Jenkins said. “It’s more so just what I can do to help the team and just being present, getting good with the offensive line, building chemistry with the quarterbacks and the offensive line.”
The shoulder stinger that knocked him out of the playoff game in Philly took a week or more to get back to normal, but other than that he was fine health-wise until tweaking his back in the weight room. He’s being extra careful working through that and said his back “felt good.”
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