Packers 2013 Training Camp Depth Chart: Week 2

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Packers 2013 Family NightAs the Green Bay Packers Training Camp unfolds, I am going to do my best to track the players along the depth chart. While things will certainly change over the course of the preseason, this gives us an idea of how the coaches are valuing the players.

Please note that this is not a projection, but rather a snapshot ranking based on observations of training camp practices. Those players seen on the first team units are obviously in the running for starting jobs, while those on second team units are still working their way up the ladder. And as we should all know by know, special teams roles will continue to play a part in how each player is valued.

As a change from last year, I have separated each position into tiers. The first tier represents probable “starters,” the second tier represents probable back-ups, and the third tier represents training camp “warm bodies” (for lack of a better term). Generally speaking, the rankings within each tier are most important for second tier players, where there is more competition for a roster spot and possible starter material.

Notes are provided after each position to help you understand why players were ranked as they are. Most of my information comes from the beat writers who have been watching practice, using their Twitter feeds and articles as references.

 

Quarterback

Rodgers, Aaron

Harrell, Graham
Coleman, B.J.

  • After Family Night, it’s clear Harrell still has a lead in this race. He went 9 of 12 for 88 yards and a TD, while Coleman went 9 of 18 for 100 yards and 2 INTs.

 

Running Back

Starks, James
Green, Alex
Lacy, Eddie
Franklin, Johnathan

Pease, Angelo

* Harris, DuJuan

  • Starks got the first carries on Family Night (for what it’s worth), while Lacy showed his potential for pounding the defense. Green seems to be coming back to form, but Franklin wasn’t as spectacular as hoped.

 

Fullback

Kuhn, John

Amosa, Jonathan

  • I noted the comment/suggestion of putting Mulligan here last week, but I think I’m going to hold off on that decision for now. I want to hear more about how he’s being utilized in the formations.

 

Tight End

Finley, Jermichael

Williams, D.J.
Mulligan, Matthew

Bostick, Brandon
Stoneburner, Jake

+ Quarless, Andrew
+ Taylor, Ryan

  • Finley dropped his first target of Family Night, Williams caught an improvised touchdown pass, and Taylor left the evening with an injury. What else is new?

 

Wide Receiver

Cobb, Randall
Jones, James

Boykin, Jarrett
Ross, Jeremy
Hines, Omarius

Gillett, Alex
Walker, Tyrone
White, Myles

+ Nelson, Jordy
+ Dorsey, Kevin
+ Johnson, Charles
+ Cunningham, Sederrik

  • Boykin still has a foothold on the #4 WR spot, while injuries to Dorsey and Johnson are helping to keep it fairly uncontested.
  • Ross shows great promise as a return specialist, but he needs to shine more as a receiver.

 

Center

Dietrich-Smith, Evan

Van Roten, Greg
Barclay, Don

Taylor, Lane
Lewis, Patrick
Gerhart, Garth

  • My apologies for the oversight of excluding Van Roten on last week’s list.
  • Barclay has become the definitive “utility” player on the offensive line. While it’s not good for his starting chances, it’s a very good sign that he will be on the team.

 

Guard

Sitton, Josh
Lang, T.J.

Van Roten, Greg
Taylor, Lane
Barclay, Don

  • No real changes here, except Barclay did get some snaps at Guard this week.

 

Tackle

Newhouse, Marshall
Bakhtiari, David

Barclay, Don
Datko, Andrew

Hughes, Kevin

* Sherrod, Derek
* Tretter, J.C.
+ Bulaga, Bryan

  • Bakhtiari could be the steal of the draft if he continues to demonstrate a high level of play at right tackle.
  • Knock on wood, hang up your horseshoes, put that rabbit’s foot around your neck, and pray that Bulaga can come back to play at some point this season.

 

Nose Tackle

Raji, B.J.
Pickett, Ryan

Pena, Gilbert

  • No changes here, though the added quality depth along the line seems to be helping out the workload of Raji and Pickett.

 

Defensive Tackle

Pickett, Ryan
Raji, B.J.

Daniels, Mike
Jolly, Johnny

Miller, Jordan
Pena, Gilbert

  • I decided to officially bump Jolly up into the second tier ahead of Miller and Pena. He’s been showing some great energy, and it almost seems like his technique hasn’t missed a beat since he last played. They’re definitely giving him opportunities. Jolly’s only problem right now is endurance/conditioning.

 

Defensive End

Daniels, Mike
Jones, Datone
Wilson, C.J.

Boyd, Josh

* Neal, Mike
* Worthy, Jerel

  • Daniels seems to be making a significant second year jump, while Jones is being heralded as “the real deal.” Fans should definitely be excited by this.

 

Inside Linebacker

Hawk, A.J.
Jones, Brad

Manning, Terrell
Barrington, Sam
Francois, Robert

+ Lattimore, Jamari

  • McCarthy has had some good things to say about the depth at inside linebacker. Hawk and Jones even made some splashy plays on Family Night.

 

Outside Linebacker

Matthews, Clay
Perry, Nick

Mulumba, Andy
Palmer, Nate

Reed, Jarvis
Savage, Donte

+ Moses, Dezman
* Neal, Mike

  • Mulumba seems to be the annual OLB UDFA to watch this season. He rotated in with the number one defense for Clay Matthews in Family Night.

 

Cornerback

Shields, Sam
House, Davon

Hyde, Micah
Means, Loyce
Bush, Jarrett
Smith, Brandon
Nixon, James

+ Hayward, Casey
+ Williams, Tramon

  • Williams went down this week, but House has recovered and played with the number one defense on Family Night across from Sam Shields.
  • It’s been hard to judge the back-up CB race without watching practices, but it will be interesting to see how things play out between Hyde, Means, and Smith in particular.

 

Safety

Burnett, Morgan
Jennings, M.D.
McMillian, Jerron

Powell, Chaz
Chris Banjo

* Richardson, Sean
+ Fulton, David

  • With a medical decision about his neck injury nearing, Sean Richardson might soon be off of this list.

 

Kicker

Tavecchio, Giorgio
Crosby, Mason

  • I had to add this position group this week. After Family Night, Crosby is quickly surpassing A.J. Hawk and Jermichael Finley in fan contempt.

 

* On active Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list
+ Recovering from injury/illness

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Chad Toporski, a Wisconsin native and current Pittsburgh resident, is a writer for AllGreenBayPackers.com. You can follow Chad on twitter at @ChadToporski

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26 thoughts on “Packers 2013 Training Camp Depth Chart: Week 2

  1. So does Bakhtiari now take over at LT? Seems like the logical move since it appeared that he was going to overtake Newhouse at RT by the start of regular season & Newhouse has proven to not be a quality LT.

    1. I think it’s early enough in camp that they could move Bakh= over. In the long run, if it’s not working out, Newhouse slides back over to OLT and would probably only need a couple weeks of practice reps at most (mostly to get used to playing next to Sitton). Whereas Newhouse might not grade out well on run downs, he’s at least adequate on pass plays and might benefit from playing next to Sitton.

      I’d rather they put him (Bakh-) someplace and kept him there. If he’s competitive at ORT right now, he should stay there.

  2. Curious why you don’t have Jones at DT. Everything I’ve heard has him and Raji as the DT’s in the nickel package w/ 2 DL. I would also say Daniels is a DT only, I haven’t heard anything from him as a base DE. Pickett rarely plays in the nickel as a DT, so I wouldn’t include him there. Pickett is a NT only at this point (but a damn good one).

    1. Oh and I would absolutely put Jolly in the DE category. That’s the only position he played since we went to the 34. He’s unlikely to play DT in pass rush situations.

      1. This is where terminology changes based on formation, and it’s hard to clearly define the parameters for each one in a depth chart.

        For example, a base DE playing 5-tech has a much different job than a base DE or nickel DT playing 3-tech.

        As far as Jolly goes, he’s listed on the official Packers website as DT, so that’s where I stuck him for now.

        1. Where did Jolly play in the 34 D in ’09? DE and only DE. At that time they didn’t play the nickel w/ 2 DL much that I remember. Just list them where you see them play. Its not that complicated. Jolly played DT in the 43 D so he might get some reps as nickel DT, but he’s not a pass rusher kinda guy. Basically Jolly and Wilson are play the same position and Wilson is a DE only, tho Jolly can get his hands on some passes.

          1. “Just list them where you see them play.”

            Then buy me a ticket to Green Bay and book my hotel for the month so I can watch the training camp practices myself.

            Until then, you get a secondary source of information.

            1. What you never saw where the players played last year? Or even in the Family nite scrimmage? Seriously, its not that hard to figure out. Jolly was a 34 DE in ’09, Daniel played DT in nickel and very little as a 34 base DE. Wilson was only a base 34 DE. PIckett was always at NT and rarely played DT or DE last year. I could go on, but I think you get the point!

              1. Jolly: I’m not using tape from 4 years ago. Sorry. This is a snapshot of the 2013 training camp.

                Daniels: According to PFF, he played DE for 139 passing snaps and 70 running snaps. He played 0 snaps at DT.

                Wilson: I do believe he’s on the TC depth chart only as a DE… not sure why you’re arguing an agreement with me.

                Pickett: Played 75 pass snaps and 88 run snaps as a DE according to PFF.

                I could go on, but I think you get the point.

              2. Daniels didn’t play DT in the nickel D ever last year? Whatever… That’s about the only time I saw him on the field.

              3. Just cuz PFF didn’t classify it as DT doesn’t mean he didn’t play it. The 34 D doesn’t even have a DT, so PFF probably called him a DE even tho, in the nickel as an interior pass rusher he would play as a DT.

    2. In all honesty, I was struggling with the defensive linemen this weekend. I spent a while poring through articles and tweets trying to figure out where the linemen were spending their reps. I will definitely take your information (and anyone else’s) into account for next week.

  3. Boykin doesn’t have a foothold on the #4 WR job. He’s got a stranglehold on it. Everything from camp suggests he’s far and away the best WR after the top 3. Boykin is having a terrific camp so far.

    I like how you mention Finley dropped his 1st pass, and conveniently didn’t mention his TD reception. Good quality reporting there…

    1. Oh come on, Stroh, don’t you recognize a joke when you see it?

      Besides, this is a depth chart, not a report on the Finley or the tight ends.

      1. “•Finley dropped his first target of Family Night, Williams caught an improvised touchdown pass, and Taylor left the evening with an injury. What else is new?”

        Doesn’t sound like a joke to me. Sounds like taking a shot at Finley and pumping up a guy (Williams) who’s done nothing in the NFL. Sorry I don’t see how anyone would find that statement a joke.

        1. Well, I’m sorry you feel that way.

          Perhaps you should seek to understand my style of writing next time, though, instead of looking at it purely from your own individual paradigm.

  4. With the difference in the NCAA vs. the NFL, I don’t think you can really consider Jeremy Ross a true ‘Wide Receiver’ ever.

    He fits the mold more of a Devin Hester-type. A low depth-chart receiver, suited more for Special Teams.

    As long as the NFL will allow for KR/PR, I think Analysts will have to maybe start to consider a WR Specialist like a ‘Closer’ in Baseball. A guy on the roster that is taking a spot because he is important on Special Teams.

  5. I’ve kinda been out of it for a while, what’s up with Sherrod and Worthy? I know they had season ending injuries but I haven’t heard anything since

  6. So, Chad, after today’s signing to a 1 year contract, is Vince Young #2 on your depth chart for QB?

    1. We’ll have to wait and see what kind of reps they give him in practice… Who would have thunk he’d be a Packer?

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