Cheese Curds, 8/8: New standouts at Family Night add intrigue to positional battles

Nothing’s real until the pads go on. That’s the old cliché, and a corollary is that nothing a player does is real until they do it under the lights under pressure. If that’s the case, then the Green Bay Packers can breathe a sigh of relief about first-round rookie Devonte Wyatt’s relatively quiet start to training camp.

Wyatt was drawing some concern from a few sections of Packers fandom about his quiet first week or so of practice, even though it’s tough to get a read on the players in the trenches before pads come on. But at Family Night on Friday, Wyatt showed up, showing off his quickness and pass-rushing ability on multiple reps.

One of those, however, turned into a highlight for another rookie looking to make a mark after a quiet start to camp: wide receiver Samori Toure. Toure’s catch on a deep ball from Jordan Love — one he had to heave under pressure from Wyatt — was his biggest play of an eventful practice for the seventh-round wideout who is fighting for perhaps the last receiver spot on the roster.

Although Romeo Doubs remains the standout among the rookie receivers so far, Toure’s performance on Friday will certainly help his case to earn a spot behind the impressive Nevada product. Now it’s time to see who will maintain their performance level in real game action when the Packers’ preseason schedule begins on Friday.

Packers rookie WR Samori Toure stands out at Family Night | Packers Wire
It was a big night for Toure on Friday, as he made several big catches, including a long bomb from a pressured Jordan Love. That pressure came from rookie defensive lineman Devonte Wyatt, who also had a nice night after a quiet first week of practice.

Jordan Love, Devonte Wyatt among Packers with most to prove in preseason games - The Athletic ($)
A mix of rookies and players on the roster bubble make this list, but Love is notable in large part because his first full preseason (last summer) was cut short due to injury.

Competition for Green Bay Packers backup safety spots are heating up | Packersnews.com
Matt LaFleur and the Packers are still looking for answers behind starters Adrian Amos and Darnell Savage, whose hamstring injury on Family Night was thankfully a minor one. Vernon Scott seems to be the top option for now, as he was the first person in for Savage on Friday.

Packers rookie Romeo Doubs has become Aaron Rodgers’ favorite receiver | Touchdown Wire
Add Doug Farrar to the list of NFL writers who are confused about why Doubs fell to the Packers late in the fourth round of the draft. This breakdown of his play is a great complement to the piece our Paul Noonan wrote about Doubs the other day.

MT5: Training camp is special time of year in Green Bay | Packers.com
Mark Murphy takes a handful of questions as usual, this time focusing heavily on training camp and the preseason.

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