Green Bay Packers: Stock up, stock down following preseason opener

Here’s a quick look at which Green Bay Packers players helped their roster stock with their performance in Friday night’s 17-11 victory over the Cleveland Browns in the preseason opener.

Stock Up

Justin Perillo: The third-year tight end led the team in receiving with five catches for 52 yards on seven targets. Perillo continues to build on a very strong training camp, proving to be a reliable receiving target over the middle of the field. He may also be the team’s top run-blocking tight end. His chances for making the final roster look very promising at this point. If he continues to play this way through the rest of the month he’ll solidify the No. 3 tight end position.

Datone Jones: Friday was our first look at Jones as as full-time outside linebacker, and it seems playing the edge as a standup pass rusher suits the former UCLA standout. Now leaned down around 275 pounds–a big change from his 295-pound frame last season–Jones appears quicker and more explosive off the snap.

Friday night he recorded a sack, one hurry, and two quarterback hits–four pressures in all. Not bad for only playing two quarters. If Jones could provide this type of pass rush production off the bench this season he could prove to be a very valuable piece on defense. He certainly made the case in the preseason opener that he warrants significant playing time on the edge.

Brandon Burks: His performance may have gone unnoticed by many, but Burks made the most of his opportunities in his first NFL action. On nine carries, the undrafted rookie halfback ran for 45 yards, including one run that went for 17 yards, which sparked the Packers two-minute scoring drive before halftime.

On the night Burks averaged 5 yards per carry and showcased good backfield vision as he bounced runs outside the tackles for gains of 11 and eight yards late in the fourth quarter. The rookie out of Troy still has a ways to go to beat out John Crockett for the No. 3 running back job, but in the very least, he made a strong case for the practice squad.

Young linebackers: It’s hard to single out just one linebacker from Friday night’s game. Outside of a missed tackle early on, Blake Martinez had a very solid showing in his first look as one of the Packers’ starting inside linebackers. Second-year man Joe Thomas look very decisive against the run starting in the place Sam Barrington and Jake Ryan.

He also brought a physical presence to the middle of the defense. Kyler Fackrell flashed his explosiveness with an impressive blindside sack in the fourth quarter, and undrafted rookie Beniquez Brown led the group in tackles with six stops.

However, to me the guy that really stood out was third-year linebacker Carl Bradford, who finished the night with five tackles. After two years of struggling to make plays in the preseason, Bradford had a handful of really impressive stops on defense. Most notably his hit on Cleveland wide receiver Terrell Watson midway through the second quarter.

Bradford read the play beautifully. He dropped in to coverage and immediately closed in on Watson once the ball was in the air. Bradford lowered his shoulder and flattened the crossing receiver, stopping him dead in his tracks. It was an exciting play to see from a linebacker who has looked hesitant and lost in the past in the open field.

Today in practice, Bradford got reps with the first-team defense ahead of Thomas. Hopefully, Bradford can continue to show this physical style of play on the field and build off last Friday’s performance.

Other notable performances: Second-year defensive lineman Christian Ringo flashed some impressive pass rush ability on a late-game sack that closed the game out with a Packers safety. Wide receiver Jared Abbrederis also helped his cause for making the final roster with a two nice grabs and an impressive 34-yard kick return following the safety kick.

Undrafted rookie free agent safety Kentrell Brice was quietly active and made several key stops in the open field and on special teams, leaving the night with six solo tackles. First-year quarterback Joe Callahan looked better than many expected in his pro football debut. He made a strong case for a spot on the practice squad.

Stock Down

Demetri Goodson: It was tough to find players who actually hurt their roster chances in the first exhibition game. Several young players stepped up and showcased what they could do on the field. However, Goodson had a handful of notable miscues.

The first big one came near the end of the third quarter with the Packers leading 13-5. Green Bay punted from their own one-yard line, already giving the Browns favorable field position. Goodson foolishly lowered his shoulder and hit returner Raheem Mostert as he was running out of bounds at the Packers 20-yard line. This added 10 yards to an already 24-yard return, putting the Browns on the 10-yard line and in scoring position.

Young players make dumb plays. It happens, especially in the preseason. However, what’s concerning is Goodson is 27-years-old and going on his third season. He shouldn’t being making rookie mistakes like this.

Even worse, however, Goodson surrendered a touchdown on a jump ball in the end zone on the next play, putting Cleveland within one score of the Packers. Goodson showed poor awareness on the play and was late to get a hand up to contest the pass.

The former Baylor defensive back is already facing a four-game suspension to start the year for violating the league’s substance abuse policy. He can’t afford another subpar preseason.

Jeff Janis: It’s tough to penalize a guy who missed the preseason opener because of an injury. Janis fractured his hand in practice earlier in the week and could miss a significant amount of time this year (4-6 weeks). The third-year receiver was already having a very disappointing training camp, struggling to show consistent hands or route running.

However, Janis is still a valuable special teams player, but as long as he stays on the sidelines, guys like Abbrederis, Trevor Davis, and Geronimo Allison may move ahead of him for the last spot or two at the receiver position.

Next: Packers: Three takeaways from preseason opener

I know injury is something out of a player’s control, but this was terrible timing for Janis, especially after he really needed a strong preseason performance to make up for several underwhelming practice performances.