Lions
Lions OT Giovanni Manu is entering his second year on the team after being a fourth-round pick in 2024. Manu said that LT Taylor Decker has been extremely supportive of him and is trying to learn from the veteran tackle.
“I have so much respect for Taylor,” Manu said, via Colton Pouncey of The Athletic. “He’s the man. I’m happy that he’s supportive of me and I’m just looking to learn from him. It feels great to have someone like that in your corner.”
When asked about his mentorship of younger players, Decker said he’s looking to groom Detroit’s next generation of linemen.
“They’re the future,” Decker said. “I’m not gonna be able to play forever.”
Manu called Decker a “role model.”
“He’s a role model to me and there’s so much I’ve learned from him,” Manu said. “Hopefully, one day, I get to fill his shoes.”
Packers
- Packers GM Brian Gutekunst “absolutely” expects QB Jordan Love to be ready for Week 1. (Matt Schneidman)
- Gutekunst spoke on OL Jordan Morgan moving to left tackle: “He’s had a really good camp. Played really well during Family Night, and I think he even upped it a level during the preseason game. He’s a young player, and I think his best football is going to be ahead of him.” (Ryan Wood)
- He also believes WR Christian Watson will start the year on the PUP list, but thinks it will be tough to keep him out much past Week 4: “When you see him run, you want to throw him out there right now. But there’s kind of a timeline with these ACLs. He’s certainly ahead of the curve, no doubt about it. At the same time, he has a long curve in front of him. We don’t want to skip any steps along the way.” (Wood)
- Green Bay WR Romeo Doubs said he was good after taking a hard fall in practice. (Rob Demovsky)
Vikings
J.J. McCarthy enters his first season as the Vikings’ starting quarterback after missing his entire rookie season. Minnesota RB Aaron Jones said the quarterback is “very, very hungry” going into the season.
“[McCarthy] is a very, very hungry and driven player, but also a leader,” Jones said, via Matt Verderame of SI.com. “He’s different. In terms of the smarts, I put him in that category with Aaron Rodgers, in terms of how smart he is and really having an understanding for the game.”
Jones reiterated that McCarthy has been “amazing” this offseason.
“He’s been amazing,” Jones said. “I’m honestly confident in what we have here. I feel like we have everything we need, all the pieces we need here. I feel like J.J. is going to surprise a lot of people.”
Minnesota also brought in DTs Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave this offseason. G Will Fries said the two defensive tackles are helping him get better in practice.
“We’re making each other better,” Fries said. “There are some really good players on that defensive side of the ball and it’s helping me get so much better going against Jonathan Allen, going against Hargrave. Those guys are freaks. Those guys are tremendous rushers, play really stout in the run game. I’m really thankful I’m about to go against those guys every snap because it makes me a better football player.”
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