Green Bay Packers: 3 Things to watch in Preseason Week 3
By Joe Kipp
2. Josh Jones needs a big night
Safety Josh Jones is coming off an up-and-down rookie season, and has yet to take the famed “second-year leap” many coaches look for. In fact, Mike McCarthy admittedly said Green Bay might have tried to throw too much at Jones as a rookie. However, with one year under his belt, one would think Jones would show some semblance of improvement in his second season.
Jones has had growing pains during training camp and preseason, and needs a big performance on Friday night to gain back some trust from the coaching staff. It’s one of the reasons Kentrell Brice has taken over the starting strong safety position.
Green Bay needs Jones to improve — and fast. With depth that includes Marwin Evans and Jermaine Whitehead, Brice remains the only other viable starter at safety for the Packers. That being said, Jones was getting a few looks at inside linebacker in the last preseason game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, but was running with the second-team, nonetheless.
Friday’s game against the Oakland Raiders will be a nice test for Jones and the rest of Green Bay’s defense. One game isn’t going to sway the opinion of the coaches too much, but it’s certainly a start for a player whose struggling.