Green Bay Packers: Cornerback Josh Hawkins fills stat sheet
By Hunter Noll
Green Bay Packers cornerback Josh Hawkins enjoyed a strong showing in Week 2 of the preseason. His big day should help his positioning.
There aren’t many competitions as open as defensive back for the Green Bay Packers this preseason. Even with that in mind though, Josh Hawkins didn’t exactly come into camp in the best position. The 24-year old appeared in 11 games for the Packers last year, but recorded just five tackles and one pass deflection.
While that may have been the case at the start of the preseason, things are always going to change when the games start being played. In Week 1 of the preseason, Hawkins was second on the team with five total tackles. Nothing extremely special, but still a solid showing. Week 2 came, however, and with it came a start for the second-year pro.
This time around, Hawkins was much more impressive.
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The cornerback led both teams with seven total tackles. Meanwhile, his three pass deflections were also a game-high. Hawkins statline was the only impressive part of his game though. The cornerback definitely passed the “eye-test” due to strong open-field tackling, and some excellent hits.
Two that stand out in particular were against Vernon Davis. While Davis isn’t seen as the elite tight end he was a few years ago, that’s still no easy matchup for a cornerback.
Hawkins broke up a potential touchdown pass to the tight end early in the first quarter. He stayed in front of Davis, but didn’t let him get much separation. Hawkins then knocked the ball away without too much contact on Davis. Then there was a third-down play where Hawkins laid a fantastic hit on Davis. He kept tight end from holding onto the ball, causing an incompletion.
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While he still has his flaws, Josh Hawkins definitely showed off his strengths on Saturday. In the end, it was a performance that did nothing but help his status on the team.