Green Bay Packers: 4 Standouts from preseason opener vs. Texans

The Green Bay Packers didn’t come away with a win to open the 2021 NFL preseason but a handful of players made big-time positive impacts on Saturday.

Aaron Rodgers is finally back with the Green Bay Packers but that doesn’t mean he’s going to be out on the fireld for the 2021 NFL preseason. In fact, the opposite is true as the reigning MVP is not expected to take the field for the exhibition contests. So Packers fans got their first looks at second-year signal-caller Jordan Love as he took the field against the Texans on Saturday.

The preseason opener wasn’t all sunshine in roses as Green Bay managed only one scoring drive on the night, going on to lose the game to Houston by a count of 26-7. With that said, we’re not going to read much into the score of a preseason game, especially for the Packers when they didn’t have Rodgers, Davante Adams and several other key starters on the field.

We aren’t going to dive into the negatives but, rather, we’re going to highlight some of the positives from the losing effort. This handful of players really stood out for the Green Bay Packers as they opened preseason play.

Green Bay Packers standouts from preseason loss to Houston

4. Kabion Ento, CB – Since entering the league as a UDFA in 2019, it’s been a wild road for Kabion Ento. He played wide receiver at Colorado but converted to defensive back and has been trying to cut his teeth quickly there. And the 6-foot-1, 187-pound cornerback seems to be making big strides if the game against Houston is any indication.

Ento had a beautiful interception off a Davis Mills throw on which the corner read and broke on the route/throw perfectly to make the play. He also didn’t allow a reception when targeted in coverage. For a Packers team that needs cornerback depth, this was a good time for Ento to emerge as a potential depth playmaker.

3. Malik Taylor, WR – Devin Funchess definitely deserves a shoutout after he took the field following his opt-out from the 2020 season and led the team in receiving with six grabs for 70 yards. But a less-veteran presence in the wide receiver room stepped up all over the place with Malik Taylor making plays for the offense.

Taylor was efficient and clutch for the Packers on Saturday, catching all five of his targets for 50 yards but also earning three first downs on those catches. When you throw in that he was arguably the best player on special teams as the punt-team gunner, Taylor made a legitimate impression that’s hard to ignore if you’re the coaching staff.

2. Oren Burks, LB – With Kamal Martin and Krys Barnes seeming like shoo-ins to start at linebacker for Green Bay this season, many began to wonder what that would mean for Oren Burks’ future on the roster. If Saturday evening was any indication, Burks has no plans of going anywhere and might want to crack the rotation.

Burks was everyone against the Texans, leading the team with seven total tackles but also plowing into the backfield to get one sack and two tackles for loss on the contest. This was a massive game for a player who, frankly, needed such a performance to try and solidify his spot on the final roster.

1. Jordan Love, QB – Though he was forced out of action after suffering a minor injury, it was hard not to come away from our first on-field look at Jordan Love without being impressed. Sure, he didn’t look like a superstar but he did undoubtedly look like a quality young quarterback who simply needs development.

Love finished his Packers debut by going 12-of-17 for 122 yards and a touchdown. Some will criticize him by saying a lot of that production came on the scoring drive where he found Kylin Hill for a 22-yard score but that was also an inexperienced player putting some things together. Overall, a positive first impression from Love is the lasting image from this game.