Tuesday Cheese Curds: Day 3 picks are giving the Packers options in the secondary

If the early returns are any indication, the Packers did pretty well for themselves on Day 3 of the 2023 NFL Draft.

Carrington Valentine and Anthony Johnson, picks 232 and 242, respectively, have both shown up consistently in camp and seem to be playing themselves into bigger and bigger roles.

That two seventh-round picks are making any kind of noise at all is noteworthy, but it’s giving the Packers some relief in areas where they could definitely use it. Valentine’s ascension gives the Packers a bit of flexibility in the secondary, potentially allowing Rasul Douglas to move to safety, should the safety competition not sort itself out to the team’s satisfaction.

Johnson, meanwhile, gives the Packers another option at a position where they desperately need someone, anyone, to step up. Darnell Savage has nominally locked up one safety job, for whatever that’s worth, but the position is far from settled. Adding Johnson, an athletic prospect with good size, to the mix can only be a good thing.

It’s true that Valentine and Johnson are getting opportunity in part because of weaknesses at corner and safety. Outside corner is pretty shallow other than Douglas and Jaire Alexander, and the less said about safety issues, the better. But options are never a bad thing, and if nothing else, the Packers seem to have added two good options late in the 2023 Draft.

Packers rookie safety Anthony Johnson Jr. taking snaps with starters in recent practices

It’d be a little unusual for a seventh-round pick to jump all the way to a starting safety role, but Anthony Johnson is a little unusual for a seventh-round pick…and the Packers’ safety unit is more hole than unit at this point.

In a curious move, the Packers gave guard Jon Runyan his first snaps at center in the preseason opener | Packers News

The center competition that really isn’t a competition has sure looked a lot like a competition, no matter how many first-team reps Josh Myers soaks up.

Here’s What Happened at Practice 12 of Packers Training Camp | Sports Illustrated

Carrington Valentine continues to turn heads. Anders Carlson continues his roller coaster.

NFL preseason Week 1 burning questions: Russell Wilson washed? Jordan Love good? Justin Fields’ leap en route? | CBS Sports

Jordan Love’s preseason performance is catching some national attention.

Patriots signing ex-Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott to one-year deal worth up to $6 million | NFL.com

The Packers will get a look at their old NFC rival this week when the Patriots come to Green Bay.

NPS to the rescue when truck catches fire twice in Death Valley | UPI

Boy, you think you’ve had bad days at work. I bet your truck has never burst into flames twice in one day in the middle of Death Valley.