news-engine

Hello Wisconsin: Preseason Offers Limited New Information, but Can Affirm Some Suspicions On Trey Smack, Keisean Nixon, Tucker Kraft, the Miami Packers, and more. By TimBackes Coming out of a 28-9 defeat in Pittsburgh, there are, as always, plenty of fans who are going to overreact to the performance the Packers put up. That likelihood only increased when the Bears came out and walloped the Browns a couple days later. But the truth about preseason is that it never really gives an accurate look at what the team is going to look like in the regular season. Fans watch the preseason with the eagerness to see their team on the field again in hopes of getting a preview of what’s to come. But the reality is coaches and players look at preseason very differently; it’s glorified practice, a chance to assess the bottom of the roster. There’s hardly anything new you’ll learn about any existing veteran players or players who are almost certain to make the roster, even the ones who play. Now that being said, there are some circumstances in which what happens in preseason might reaffirm some suspicions or expectations about the team. Such as some known deficiencies, or some individual things to be excited for. Examples of each of these things were present for the Packers on Thursday night in Pittsburgh. Let’s start with the positive: the kicker. If there’s anything you can get a decent assessment of in a preseason game, it’s a kicker. The conditions they’re playing in are pretty darn close to what they’re going to see in regular season action. And if Trey Smack’s initial appearance in the green and gold was any indication, the Packers made the right move in investing in him in the draft this year. On Smack’s first attempt, he banged through a 58-yard field goal with ease, coming close to matching what would have been a Packers franchise record. He finished the day three for three with a couple nice showcases of his leg’s power. The Packers desperately need a reliable kicker, and while rookie kickers do often go through some rough patches, we’ve been seeing more and more kickers come out of the college game with huge legs and excellent accuracy. It’s not unreasonable to think Smack could be a solid professional right out of the gates. Then there’s the negative: the cornerback position. Look, Brandon Cisse is going to be a good player. He showed off some skills and coaches have been raving about him. It’s unfair for him to be in a position where he’s going to have to be the team’s top dog at corner, but realistically given what else is on the depth chart, there’s not really any other choice. Carrington Valentine is a great player to have in your rotation, but hasn’t really demonstrated an ability to be a preferred long-term starter in the league. And then you have Keisean Nixon. Nixon came in and made a massive difference for the Packers in their return game several years ago, but he was never meant to be a starter at the cornerback position. His selection to the Pro Bowl as an alternate a season ago was, as so many things are with the Pro Bowl, a joke. Yes, Nixon racked up a lot of pass break ups (13, more than he’d had in his entire career up to that point). However, he led the league in cornerback penalties with 13, nearly as many penalties as he’d had in the previous two years combined. He had just one interception, but allowed seven touchdowns. Quarterbacks throwing against him had a 105.4 passer rating, which is inexcusable for a starting quarterback in the NFL. Perhaps worst of all, he allowed 11.4 yards per reception against him, meaning if a pass was going to be completed against him, it was going to be a chunk play for a first down. This is the guy who is ostensibly supposed to be inheriting the Packers’ top cornerback spot. He’s in the final year of a three-year contract and almost certainly will not be with the team again next season. His own position coach is referring to the cornerback starting jobs as being a competition, despite Nixon saying, “I don’t view myself in no competition.” Nixon already drew the ire of fans by whiffing on a tackle in the first preseason game. His own coaches do not view him as a clear starter, he tends to make mistakes at the worst possible moments, and his attitude has always been mercurial. If the position weren’t already so thin, Nixon would be a classic example of a veteran who could be cut in training camp. As previously mentioned, he’s in the final year of his contract, so dead money would be low. The team would save about $5 million, remove any potential distraction should he not take well to rotational duties, and go all-in on riding with the young guys. Since the position is expected to be a weakness on the team already anyway, there’s something to be said for letting the snaps for the year be given to the guys who actually figure to be on the team in 2027. Yes, it’s only preseason. But again, while we might not get a true sense of where the team is at until the games in September, we can at least get some confirmation of things we already suspected. We’ll see if we get any further such confirmations in the next couple weeks. Wisconsin Beer of the Week Every year on my way up north to St. Germain, we stop in Amherst at the Central Waters facility to pick up some beers for the vacation. It’s right on the way just off highway 10, and it’s about halfway between Milwaukee and our destination, so it works out perfectly. As usual, all of the beers we selected were excellent. Central Waters could well be Wisconsin’s best brewery. But if I had to pick one that was my favorite of the bunch, it was probably Bloody Sunrise. This is an imperial blonde ale aged in tequila barrels with agave and blood orange, giving it a boozy and citrusy flavor with a relatively light body for a barrel aged beer. It packs a punch at 11.4 percent, but boy does it go down smoothly. According to Central Waters, the beer spends five years aging in tequila barrels. That’s quite the investment for a barrel aged beer, but Central Waters does barrel aging better than anyone (for my money). If you’ve never been to their spot in Central Waters, highly recommend. The tour is cool and they have tons of stuff available that you might not be able to find in stores. And I also recommend their Milwaukee taphouse downtown in the old Pabst complex. Also plenty of beers on tap with a great guest kitchen in house. An Eye on the Dolphins I’m very much looking forward to seeing what happens in Miami this year, where Jeff Hafley, Malik Willis, and Jon-Eric Sullivan are all working to usher in (yet another) new era of Dolphin football. This time, however, it’s very Packer-forward. This is not the first time in recent history the Dolphins have hired a Packers coordinator; Joe Philbin joined the team in 2012 after his 2011 Packers offense shattered records left and right. However, Philbin never called plays and did not have previous head coaching experience, and quickly was revealed to be in over his head. Hafley, I think, is more likely to find success, even though he’s dealing with some challenges of his own with a team that is balancing a lot of new parts. Hafley had full control over the defense in Green Bay and was recently a head coach at a major university. He’s also younger and seemingly more in tune with his players. Hafley is an extremely likable guy, and the Dolphins have been middling to bad for a long time with only some occasional teases of promise. For what was for decades one of the league’s premier franchises, it’s a true shame. So I hope Hafley is the guy to lead them back to prominence. Meanwhile, Malik Willis very much earned an opportunity to be a franchise quarterback in his time in Green Bay. Whatever Matt LaFleur did with him truly paid off; Willis was always put into a position to succeed, and every single time he was thrust into action over his two years in Green Bay he performed not just respectably, but excellently. To think that he was chucked aside in Tennessee for Will Levis of all people; whew. Willis is much better prepared for this opportunity than he was in Tennessee, and I’m hopeful that what he showed in Green Bay can translate to Miami with Hafley. If the Hafley/Willis duo does help lead this team to success, the AFC East is going to be an extremely interesting division to watch in the coming years. Buffalo remains top dog, but the Patriots are young and capable, and the Dolphins would add a third challenger to the mix in a conference that is starting to turn over, thanks to the aging Chiefs, along with Bills and Ravens teams that fired their coaches after underperformance. Sullivan learned from some of the best scouts and executives in the league in his time in Green Bay. We’ll see what he can do with a franchise that has been hungry for a consistent winner since the retirement of Dan Marino nearly 30 years ago. Halo remake a reminder of what gaming once was Occasionally I step outside of football altogether to talk about other things that interest me. One of these things is video games. I recently played through the full remake of the original Halo game that was released for Xbox Series X/S. Unlike the anniversary edition that was released in 2011, this was a full remake of the game from the ground up to accommodate not only modern graphics, but also some tweaks to the mechanical elements of the game. It was a lot of fun; I wish it included the game’s multiplayer component as well, but it was great to go back and revisit the original campaign and to play through on Xbox live with friends. What it did for me, though, was remind me that the era of truly great multiplayer experiences is basically gone. The original Halo games were pioneers of online gaming, yes, but were also best played split screen with friends, or at LAN parties. The functionality was basic but fun. The game was complete upon release, and there were never issues with functionality. Halo 3 may have been the peak online multiplayer experience when it released in 2007. It helped usher in the golden era of online shooters, including the Call of Duty Modern Warfare franchise, which produced two particularly undeniable hits. As a franchise, Halo is essentially dead at the moment; there’s been little notable movement on the main franchise of games. 343 Industries sort of messed up with its trilogy of Halo 4, 5, and Infinite to the point where there’s a bit of a stink left on the game. One would think Microsoft would want to take its premier game franchise and prioritize it, but so far that hasn’t happened. Maybe this remake is a sign they’re interested in resurrecting the Master Chief, but to me it was simply a reminder of what we no longer have. Around the NFC North As always, it’s time to go around the NFC North. - The CHICAGO BEARS put on a show against Cleveland, and while seeing the Bears succeed even when it’s meaningless is not exactly something I enjoy, I’ll never say “no” to watching serial rapist Deshaun Watson get absolutely humiliated by opposing defenses. Meanwhile, Bears ownership confirmed they are aiming to move forward with plans for a stadium in Hammond, Indiana, which means Chicago will be officially without an NFL franchise. Going forward, they should be referred to only as the Hammond or Indiana Bears after the completion of their move. - The DETROIT LIONS continue to exist. Dan Campbell had an unusual suggestion for the NFL the other day, saying the league should give coaches a small monitor they can walk around with to watch the game on television in addition to what they see live so that they can get all of the replays and additional views. I have to imagine most coaches would end up not really using it all that much simply because they have a billion other things on their mind on game days. Right now, assistant coaches and other staff members up in the booths are able to relay what they see on the broadcast to the coach via headset, and this can influence whether a head coach challenges a play. - The MINNESOTA VIKINGS lost Jamal Adams for the season with a knee injury. Adams, a former safety and hybrid player, was attempting a sort of career resurrection as a linebacker in Minnesota, and now that’s cut short. Kyler Murray seems to have officially been made the Vikings’ starting QB, a job we all knew was his as soon as he signed with the team. Justin Jefferson says his favorite place to hit the griddy is Lambeau Field because the fans “hate it” so much, and he plans to add some additional dance moves to his arsenal in Green Bay this year. Sure, guy. I’m expecting a Tucker Kraft extension any time now Tucker Kraft is in the final year of his rookie contract. As a third-round pick (the one who broke the curse for the Packers, by the way), he did not have a fifth-year option on his contract, so the Packers are going to need to work quickly to get him extended before he hits the open market. Ideally, one would think the team would like to have this done before the season starts. Kraft participated this week in 11-on-11 drills for the first time in his comeback and is trending well to be ready for the start of the regular season. If he returns to pre-injury form, he has a strong argument for being the league’s best and most complete tight end. In a Matt LaFleur offense and an NFL that values the tight end more than ever before, this makes him a must-keep chess piece for this offense. What would a contract likely look like for Tucker Kraft? Well, George Kittle has the most valuable contract for a tight end in league history at a total value of $76.4 million, averaging $19.1 million per year. Trey McBride from Arizona is right behind him, at $76 million and $19 million per year. One would think Kraft is going to be right in that range or, just as likely, above it. What’s particularly noteworthy is Kraft is just 25 years old. Of the top 10 highest paid tight ends in the league, he would immediately become the youngest. This is a player who has quickly ascended to the top echelon of his position and who could considerably reset the market multiple times in his career if he stays healthy and continues to perform consistently. The contract would certainly be well earned. Here’s hoping it happens sooner than later. Can’t wait to see him back on the field! See you all next week as we get ready to close out the preseason. PLEASE SUBSCRIBE TO OUR CHEESEHEAD NATION WEEKLY NEWSLETTER HERE. __________________________ Tim Backes is a lifelong Packer fan and a contributor to CheeseheadTV. Follow him on Twitter @timbackes for his Packer takes, random musings and Untappd beer check-ins. __________________________ Comments (4) August 19, 2026 at 03:28 pm "There’s hardly anything new you’ll learn about any existing veteran players or players who are almost certain to make the roster." So, other than the wait until Pasons comes back, what we saw the last 5 games last season shouldn't be a shock if it repeats itself. Maybe, we'll get something to give us 'hope' that those previous season locks will, oh, idk, do better. August 19, 2026 at 04:02 pm I wouldn't say the CB position is a negative on the basis of that preseason game. Apart from Nixon's determination to keep his jersey clean, the CBs performed reasonably well until they went deep into the roster. If Brandon Cisse continues to impress, a duo of Cisse + whoever should be a significant upgrade over Nixon + Valentine, plus they've added St. Juste, who could possibly start but should at least allow them to go four deep at the outside CB position. When we had off-season discussions about which players most needed to succeed for the team to have a good season, the three names that came up most were Jordan Morgan, Brandon Cisse, and Trey Smack. All of them are playing well right now. That's huge. August 19, 2026 at 04:53 pm Kesian Nixon isn't a punching bag. He is/was the Core piece in a secondary. And while Concussions impact a lot of players. It just seems to me that tar and feathers shouldn't be the answer, when others failed. Let me remind you of Ha Ha Clinton Dix Darnell Savage Eric Stokes Kevin King etc. Guys that didn't want to tackle and were much higher picks. And I only have to point to Hobbs; on how Gute waste money on his fantasies. A little class can go much further than put downs. August 19, 2026 at 05:09 pm stockholder, I applaud you for holding back the mob, and even poetically. Let's not give up on any of our players too easily, especially those who have provided good service to us in the past. We don't know all of the dynamics behind the scenes. Plus, we all get our noses out of joint at times, sometimes for good reasons, sometimes for poor reasons, oftentimes a combination of both. Let's try to keep Keisean in the fold. He has been developing into a solid player, and may have untapped potential. If he insists on being difficult, then let him go; however, let's not be too quick to ostracize. *** As I understand it, at one time Ray Nitschke was an angry young man lashing out at the world, and not all that coachable. With the right coaching, he became not only a hall-of-famer, but a beloved person of Packers lore. Let's give Keisean another opportunity if at all possible.