Fights at joint practices are nothing new in the NFL, but a fracas in this week’s workout with the Packers and Cardinals would present a different wrinkle than we’re accustomed to seeing.
Matt LaFleur is in his eighth year as the head coach of the Packers and his brother Mike is in his first season in the top job for the Cardinals, which led to a quip from the Packers coach about how he’s talking to his players about keeping a cap on their emotions during Wednesday’s session.
“If there’s an issue, I’m going to tell the guys, ‘Hey, you come tag me in. They can tag in my brother. And we’ll throw down on the 50,’” Matt LaFleur said Monday, via Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com.
The Packers coach is the elder brother and he has more experience than Mike, but he said that hasn’t stopped his brother from trying to throw his weight around in planning for this week’s work.
“He’s quick to criticize everything that I put on the schedule,” Matt said. “So, he’s like, ‘Why are we doing this? Why are we doing that? We never do this.’ And I was like, ‘All right, Mike, you’ve got all the answers.’ Nah, it’s been healthy, it’s been good. There’s been give-and-take on both sides for sure.”
LaFleur said it will be “pretty special” to share the field with his brother in this context and it should be a memorable day for the entire family regardless of whether there are any scuffles before the final whistle.
Packers Clips
Packers running back MarShawn Lloyd entered the NFL as a third-round pick in 2024. Injuries (and a bout of appendicitis) have limited him to one regular-season appearance through two seasons.
On Friday night, he scored a touchdown for the first time since 2023, his final season of college football, at USC.
The score came on an 11-yard catch from quarterback Jordan Love. Lloyd added six carries for 17 yards in 16 plays.
“It was special, it was fun,” Lloyd said. “It was definitely fun. It had been three years since I even touched the end zone. I’ve been in the end zone in practice, but in the game it’s different. It was fun, you know. They had their starters out there, so it was fun to get those good reps, just good reps. I enjoyed it.”
Coach Matt LaFleur praised Lloyd for his work in his second preseason start of 2026, as he builds toward Week 1.
“I thought he had a really good performance and certainly don’t want to put him in a position where you’re going backwards,” LaFleur said. “I thought he went out there and he competed and made a big play on that choice route, and Jordan threw a great ball, and it was a good night for him.”
Lloyd could have broken inside or outside on the route. He opted to cut toward the middle of the field, where Love found him wide open for the touchdown.
Currently listed at third on the depth chart behind Josh Jacobs and Chris Brooks, Lloyd’s preseason work could earn him meaningful chances once the regular season rolls around.
Packers rookie cornerback Brandon Cisse had to leave Friday night’s game with a knee injury, but it doesn’t look like he should miss much more time.
Cisse said he felt “a little something” after a double-team block while covering a punt in the first half of the game and went to the medical tent for evaluation. The second-round pick never left the sideline and said after the game that he felt well enough to return to action.
“I just got beat up a little bit,” Cisse said, via Ryan Wood of the Green Bay Press-Gazette. “Nothing serious at all. I was trying to go back in. Just being precautionary. I’m fine. Nothing to worry about. I wanted to go back in.”
Cisse is competing for a starting role in the Packers defense and it appears the knee injury won’t be a major stumbling block in his bid for a big role early in his rookie season.
The Packers drafted kicker Trey Smack in the sixth round this year, then cut veterans Brandon McManus and Lucas Havrisik to leave Smack as the only kicker on the roster. Through two preseason games, that looks like a good decision.
On Friday night, Smack went 4-for-4 on field goals, including a 59-yarder, and last week he went 3-for-3, including a 58-yarder. Packers head coach Matt LaFleur said after Friday night’s game that he loves what he’s seeing from his rookie kicker.
“I feel great, but same thing, you’ve got to do it again,” LaFleur said. “That’s the thing about the National Football League, you’re only as good as your last performance. He’s put two pretty darn good performances back to back. The talent’s there, he’s just got to continue to be consistent.”
Smack was the only kicker drafted this year, and drafting a kicker is always a gamble, as there’s a long list of good college kickers who fell short of expectations as a pro. LaFleur is feeling confident that the Packers’ gamble will pay off.
Bo Nix played in a football game for the first time in 216 days.
Nix, who broke his right ankle in the divisional playoff game against the Bills, played in the second quarter. The Broncos got a touchdown and a field goal on his two drives, gaining 95 yards on 14 plays.
Nix went 6-of-9 for 76 yards and a touchdown. He had a 35-yard throw to his new wide receiver, Jaylen Waddle, and hit RJ Harvey for a 21-yard touchdown.
It was the first time Nix had offensive coordinator Davis Webb in his ear calling plays. In his two previous seasons, head coach Sean Payton called the plays.
The Packers and Broncos are tied 10-10 with 12:04 remaining in the second quarter.
Packers coach Matt LaFleur’s plan was to play his starting offense more than one drive in Denver. After a 12-play scoring drive, LaFleur saw all he needed to see and perhaps until the season opener.
Jordan Love went 5-of-7 for 56 yards and a touchdown.
He threw an 11-yard touchdown to MarShawn Lloyd on third down to complete the 63-yard drive.
The Packers had a fourth-down conversion on the drive, with Love hitting Matthew Golden for a 19-yard gain on fourth-and-1 from the Denver 40.
Love was 3-for-5 for 18 yards on one series in the team’s first preseason game last week. The Packers kicked a field goal to complete the 10-play, 46-yard drive.
He is unlikely to play next week in the preseason finale.
With Terrion Arnold seemingly out of the picture, the Seahawks are adding a different veteran corner.
According to multiple reports, Seattle has agreed to sign Trevon Diggs to a one-year deal.
Diggs, 27, worked out for the Seahawks earlier this week. He became a free agent on Jan. 20 when Green Bay cut him after two games and 34 snaps. The Packers had claimed Diggs off waivers from the Cowboys in late December.
While Diggs led the league with 11 interceptions in 2021, he has struggled to stay healthy since tearing his ACL in Sept. 2023. He underwent an additional surgery on his knee in Dec. 2024. He’s now played just 22 games over the past three seasons.
In his 67 career games, Diggs has registered 20 interceptions and 63 passes defensed.
Seattle had agreed to terms with Arnold, but he has not yet signed. The NFL will reportedly place him on the commissioner’s exempt list if he does.
The Packers have brought in a player from a division rival.
According to the league’s daily transaction wire, Green Bay has claimed defensive end Arden Walker off of waivers.
Minnesota let Walker go on Monday.
An undrafted rookie out of Colorado, Walker registered 8.0 sacks with 11 tackles for loss in his 36-game career.
Packers cornerback Keisean Nixon recently said he feels like he’s being “punished” by being required to compete for a starting job, which includes Nixon taking second-team reps. On Tuesday, coach Matt LaFleur was asked about Nixon’s comment.
“He loves making a headline, doesn’t he?” LaFleur said with a smile before the question was over.
“Yeah, you guys will take it different than me, because the way I look at it is this: Then I guess our whole team is being punished, because everybody’s in competition,” LaFleur said. “So I’m a big believer that competition will bring the best out of people. And I want everybody to play with a chip on their shoulder. If they feel like they have something to prove, you’re probably gonna get more out of them.”
LaFleur made it clear he’s not upset about Nixon’s remark.
“I love Kei,” LaFleur said. “He’s been awesome since the day he’s been here. I don’t read any of that stuff. . . . I’m not gonna micromanage what everybody says, and if he feels a certain type of way, I mean, it is what it is, but I do think that, you know, it’s a benefit to the team to have people that you feel are capable to go in there and play, and we’ll all be better for that. So, like I said, whether it’s at corner, it’s the offensive line, I mean, really, every spot is — you better come to compete, each and every day, if you want to be out there.”
Nixon remains listed as a starter, ahead of Benjamin St-Juste. And Nixon, who made the Pro Bowl as an alternate last season, surely wants to be on the field as much as possible in 2026. It’s a contract year, and he’ll want as many chances as possible to make a good impression on his Packers or, if necessary, one of the other 31 teams.
Green Bay’s starters played in the team’s preseason opener against Pittsburgh last week.
They will be out there again on Friday.
Packers head coach Matt LaFleur confirmed in his Tuesday press conference that starters will play in Friday’s matchup with the Broncos, with the first unit likely getting at least another drive.
Quarterback Jordan Love and the starters were on the field for just nine plays last week, with the one possession resulting in a field goal.
But with a joint practice on tap with the Cardinals next week, LaFleur noted the starters are unlikely to play in the Packers’ preseason finale.
Kickoff between the Packers and Broncos is slated for 9 p.m. ET on Friday.
