Home US SportsNCAAF 5 things to watch in Packers vs. Cardinals: The final wide receiver battle

5 things to watch in Packers vs. Cardinals: The final wide receiver battle

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The Green Bay Packers finish up training camp with their only home preseason game of the year, as Matt LaFleur hosts his brother’s Arizona Cardinals on Friday night at Lambeau Field.

There is still plenty to play for as players on the bubble look to make their final argument for a roster spot.

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Here are five things to look out for during the preseason finale:

How many snaps for MarShawn Lloyd?

The starters are not going to play on Friday, so that means Josh Jacobs, who was officially charged with two misdemeanors including one for battery on Thursday, will presumably not suit up.

Lloyd is not technically a starter, so he should, in theory, start the game, but it will be interesting to see if he gets pulled earlier than most.

If that is the case, it will be a sign the team views him as a true part of the rotation with Jacobs, and maybe that they want to protect him in case he becomes RB1 if Jacobs ends up getting a lengthy suspension or outright released by the Packers.

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The final battle at wide receiver

There may or may not be one more wide receiver spot up for grabs, depending on how many Green Bay wants to keep.

Friday represents the last opportunity for Isaiah Neyor, J. Micheal Sturdivant and Will Sheppard to state their case, and right now it seems like it could go either way.

Neyor may have a slight edge due to his unique profile in terms of size and speed, and he has taken a few reps with the ones at practice throughout camp. The other two have certainly flashed though, and it would not be a surprise to see any one of them make the initial 53.

Who wants to make the team at tight end?

The Packers finally made a move at tight end on Thursday, signing veteran Jonnu Smith to augment a position group which has looked pretty underwhelming outside of Tucker Kraft this summer.

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Smith’s arrival may not be a good sign for Luke Musgrave’s status, as he remains on the PUP list with a neck injury and at this stage it seems likely he will start the regular season there.

Assuming he comes back at some point, the Packers may only feel the need to keep three tight ends on the initial roster. That means there would only be one spot left for Josh Whyle, Drake Dabney and others to fight for. The tight ends need a strong performance against the Cardinals.

Has the right guard competition been won?

It certainly looks like Jacob Monk is going to be the starting right guard in Week 1. At practice this week, Jager Burton was solely playing at left guard behind Aaron Banks, and even gave way to Donovan Jennings at times, while Anthony Belton is still only working at right tackle.

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Given the starters are not playing, it will be telling if Monk does not participate on Friday night. If he does play, perhaps there is still a small chance for someone to steal the job.

Does Brandon Cisse get starter treatment?

Speaking of assumed starters, rookie second-round pick Cisse seems to have earned his spot at boundary corner, and has been pretty much working exclusively with the first-team defense for a while now.

It has not been confirmed by the coaching staff, but we may soon find out who the starters are if Cisse, as well as perhaps Keisean Nixon, does not play against the Cardinals.

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If the top four of Cisse, Nixon, Carrington Valentine and Benjamin St-Juste all get some form of playing time, it will indicate the depth chart is not fully locked in just yet.

This article originally appeared on Packers Wire: 5 things to watch in Packers vs. Cardinals: The final wide receiver battle

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